The newest article presents an interview with Professor Leslie T. Cooper Jr., M.D., the chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of Mayo Clinic (Florida, USA), which belongs to leading world-class cardiological clinics. Professor Cooper is besides other achievements and honours also one of the most respected and reputable experts in the field of the research and treatment of myocarditis and other heart diseases. I have asked him four questions referring to his career, research and what message he would like to send to patients with myocarditis and to their relatives.

1. Could you share something about your career?

I earned my B.A. and M.D. title at the University of Pennsylvania. I completed an internship and a residency at Stanford University, followed by a fellowship in the Division of Cardiology at the University of California, San Diego. I further completed a fellowship in vascular medicine at Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education. Since 2015, I have chaired the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Florida, USA.

I would like to add that Professor Cooper has dedicated his professional life primarily to the issue of inflammatory heart and vascular diseases, including myocarditis and cardiac sarcoidosis. He is a researcher of many scientific projects and publishes in leading world-class medical papers. He is a member of American College of Cardiology and European Society of Cardiology. He lectures on the topic of inflammatory heart and vascular diseases worldwide. He is also the founder and vice president of Myocarditis Foundation (see questions below).

2. What is Myocarditis Foundation?

Myocarditis Foundation is a non-profit organization, formed in 2005 in response to the dire need for more information about myocarditis; myocarditis is an inflammatory disease that attacks the heart muscle leading to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. The Foundation was founded and is led by volunteers, world-renown physicians, researchers, families who have lost loved ones and patients. It develops and maintains an array of awareness and educational resources for physicians, researchers, patients, and the public. It also provides the only fellowship-mentor research program funding of myocarditis, whose goals are the development of accurate, rapid diagnostic methods and safe, effective therapies that minimize or eliminate myocarditis progression to heart dysfunction, failure, and sudden death. The goal of the Foundation is also to support families and patients with this disease.

3. Could you share some information about the activities of the foundation?

Besides the above-mentioned activities, Myocarditis Foundation organizes a number of events with the goal to increase the knowledge about the disease not only in public but also among physicians. Other goals of the Foundation are to gain financial resources for research projects and to support patients and their families. It is for example Myocarditis Foundation Announces Gala Fundraiser, which took place for the last time this June, and it is also Annual Myocarditis Foundation Family Support/Research Meeting.

4. What message would you like to send to patients with myocarditis and their relatives not only in the Czech Republic?

I would give a message of hope, that with a unified approach to the management of myocarditis we will make progress towards prevention and cure. Collaboration between medical centers is needed to make the major advances needed to help patients and their families.

Autor of the opening picture: Injurymap