This proposal requests NHLBI’s support for the 41st Annual Conference of the International Society for Heart Research (ISHR)—North American Section (NAS) in 2022. As the current President of ISHR-NAS (2018-2021), it is my great honor to serve as the PI of this R13 application and together with my colleagues on the NAS leadership team, Dr. Lorri Kirshenbaum (conference chair), Dr. Maria Kontaridis and Dr. Jennifer Van Eyk (conference co-chairs), Dr. David Lefer, the next NAS President (2022-2024), and Ms. Kelley Brodsky (Executive Administrator), we will continue the success in ISHR-NAS meetings. Our ISHR-NAS 2021 meeting in Denver was an excellent success; we are confident based on the steady growth of NAS membership over the past four years that this 2022 meeting will attract approximately 250-300 attendees. Since spring of 2021, we have been working together to plan a first-class conference with broad impact in cardiovascular biology and medicine. Together, the meeting organizers have extensive experience in implementing national and international conferences, and our scientific expertise covers a broad range of disciplines. We fully anticipate that this outstanding team will make the 2022 ISHR-NAS conference another riveting success. Our goals will be supported by these aims: Aim 1 is to elevate and enrich the careers of young investigators in order to facilitate their launch. Aim 2 is to illuminate recent scientific developments in unique cardiovascular domains via the marriage of basic and clinical science with industrial participation. Aim 3 is to present state-of- the-art cardiovascular science through interactive domains, including panel discussions where candid, direct debates on challenges and important issues faced by the cardiovascular community are emphasized. Many components of the meeting are deeply rooted in promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in cardiovascular medicine. This meeting contains a vibrant scientific program that features special 1-day sessions for ECIs and MCIs, 21 scientific symposia, 2 young investigator competitions, 5 workshops, 3 featured lectures, and several community- building networking events. The preliminary program contains a total of 104 invited speakers and panelists (~80% confirmed, 51% are female), representing premier academic programs and industrial research entities located from 35 cities across 24 States in the US and 6 cities in Canada. By implementing mechanisms to maximize the participation of female and URM speakers, this meeting offers valuable opportunities to support the ISHR-NAS mission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The preliminary program consists of greater than 50% female. Moreover, we have allocated 30 travel awards specifically for underrepresented minority groups (URMs) in order to further promote equality and equal opportunities. Every aspect of the meeting will go to support the NHLBI mission of promoting the prevention and treatment of heart diseases and enhancing th...