12th Annual Milwaukee Heart Failure Symposium 2026

Milwaukee, WI US
May 2, 2026

The Milwaukee Annual Heart Failure Symposium is a multidisciplinary educational forum designed to advance contemporary heart failure care through evidence‑based learning, expert insight, and practical application. This annual program brings together nationally recognized leaders in heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and transplantation to deliver state‑of‑the‑art updates, highlight emerging science, and share innovative care models across the full spectrum of disease.

The symposium emphasizes a team‑based approach to heart failure management, recognizing the essential contributions of nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, trainees, physicians, and surgeons in improving outcomes for patients with complex cardiovascular disease. Through focused lectures, case‑based discussions, and interactive dialogue, participants will gain actionable knowledge that can be applied in both community and tertiary care settings.

 

This conference will be held in person at the Milwaukee Marriott Downtown, Milwaukee, WI 53202, with a virtual option available.

NOTE: Please note this activity will be presented 7:00am – 4:30pm CST / 8:00am - 5:30pm EST

Target Audience

This course is intended for nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and health care professionals.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, learners should be able to:

  1.  Describe current and emerging evidence guiding the diagnosis, risk stratification, and longitudinal management of heart failure across the disease continuum, including advanced and end-stage heart failure.
  2. Integrate contemporary guideline-directed medical therapies and novel pharmacologic strategies into individualized patient care plans, with attention to implementation challenges and multidisciplinary coordination.
  3. Recognize indications, timing, and patient selection for advanced heart failure therapies, including mechanical circulatory support, heart transplantation, and palliative approaches.
  4. Apply innovations in heart failure care, including remote monitoring, device-based therapies, and evolving care delivery models, to improve quality, safety, and patient-centered outcomes.
  5. Enhance interdisciplinary collaboration by clarifying the roles of nursing, pharmacy, advanced practice providers, physicians, and surgeons in optimizing heart failure management across inpatient and outpatient settings.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 6.50 American Board of Surgery
    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and Self-Assessment requirements of the American Board of Surgery's Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.
    • 6.50 ABS Self-Assessment
  • 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    Aurora Health Care is accredited by the Wisconsin Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Aurora Health Care designates this activity for a maximum of 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 6.50 Attendance
    Attendance Credit
    • 6.50 Approved AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 6.50 Continuing Nursing Education (CE)
    Aurora Health Care is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Wisconsin Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. 6.50 contact hours have been awarded to this activity by the Wisconsin Nursing Association. To receive contact hours, participants must attend the entire activity.
  • 6.50 Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE)
    Aurora Health Care Department of Pharmacy Services is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 6.50 Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) Pharmacy Technician
    Aurora Health Care Department of Pharmacy Services is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 6.50 ABIM MOC Part II
    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 6.50 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
Course opens: 
02/04/2026
Course expires: 
12/31/2026
Event starts: 
05/02/2026 - 7:00am CDT
Event ends: 
05/02/2026 - 4:30pm CDT
Cost:
$0.00
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Agenda
 

7:00am-7:55am

Breakfast & Registration

7:55am – 8:00am

Welcome Remarks

 

Section I

8:00am – 8:30am

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Geoff Rose, MD

Current State and Future of Heart Failure Care (2026)

8:30am-9:00am

Sunil Pauwaa, MD

HFrEF GDMT 2026: Practical Optimization

9:00am-9:30am

Dalane Kitzman, MD

HFpEF as a Syndrome: Phenotypes and Targeted Therapy

9:30am-10:00am

Ali Valika, MD

Cardio-Renal-Metabolic (CKM) HF: Diabetes, Obesity and Beyond

10:00am-10:30am

Break

 

Section II

10:30am-11:00am

Nasir Sulemanjee, MD

Novel Device Based HF Therapies

11:00am-11:30am

Priyesh Patel, MD

Remote Monitoring & Hemodynamics: What’s Actually Scalable?

11:30am-12:00pm

Eric Roberts, MD

Pulmonary Hypertension & Right Heart Failure Management

12:00pm-1:00pm

Lunch Break

 

 

Section III

1:00pm-1:30pm

Asad Ghafoor, MD

When to Refer for Advanced HF: Triggers, Timing and Pathways

1:30pm-2:00pm

Andrew Lin, MD

Contemporary LVAD Therapy: Selection, Outcomes, Complications & Challenging Cases

2:00pm-2:30pm

Joseph Mishkin, MD

Cardiogenic Shock & Temporary MCS: A Modern Algorithm

2:30pm-3:00pm

Break

 

Section: IV

3:00pm-3:30pm

Yaron Barac, MD

Transplant 2026: Expanding the Donor Pool and Improving Access

3:30pm-4:00pm

Sanjeev Gulati, MD

“What’s next” in HF & Advanced Therapies: Trials That Will Change Practice

4:00pm-4:30pm

Renuka Jain, MD

Advanced Imaging

4:30pm-4:35pm

Closing Remarks & Adjourn

 

Milwaukee Marriott Downtown
625 N. Milwaukee Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
United States

Faculty
 

Faculty  NamesTitle
Barac, Yaron, MDThoracic Surgery; Winston Salem, NC
Ghafoor, Asad, MDAdvanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiologist
Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center
Godden, Jon, PharmD, BCPS Cardiology – Specialty Pharmacy Coordinator
Cardiothoracic Transplant
Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center
Gulati, Sanjeez, MDAdvanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology; Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Kenilworth
Kallio, Adam, MBA, BSN, RN Director, Cardiac Services
Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center
Kitzman, Dalane, MDCardiologist, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Lin, Andrew, MDCardiothoracic Surgeon, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center
Mishkin, Joe, MDAdvanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology; Cardiovascular Disease; Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Kenilworth
Patel, Priyesh, MDAdvanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist, Atrium Health
Pauwaa, Sunil, MDAdvanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology; Advocate Christ Medical Center
Princer, Kathy, BSMBE, MBA Director of Ambulatory Operations for:
Advanced Heart Failure Therapies including CardioOncology,
MCSD, Pulmonary Hypertension and Thoracic Transplant
Interventional Radiology and Neuroendovascular
Pacewatch
Matrix Leader for EVS
Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center
Roberts, Eric, MDAdvanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology, Medical Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center
Rose, Geoffrey, MDCardiovascular Disease; President of Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute
Sobieski, Linda CME Program and Events Coordinator
Sulemanjee, Nasir, MD, FACC, FHFSA
Advanced HF & Transplant Cardiologist
Medical Director, Advanced HF & Transplant Programs, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center
Associate Professor, Department of Cardiology, Wake Forest University
WI Representative for Advanced Heart Failure, National CV Service Line, Advocate Health
Valika, Ali, MDAdvanced Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension
Heart Failure Medical Director Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital
Research Executive Council Co-member Advocate Health
Cardiovascular Research Service Line Director Advocate Aurora
Advocate Heart Institute
Vazquez (Acosta), Jackie Sr. Administrative Assistant
Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center

 

Disclosure

 

Faculty disclosures are being reviewed and will be presented to the audience in advance of the program.

 

Accreditation Statement
 

In support of improving patient care, Advocate Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

 

Credit Statement(s)
 

American Medical Association (AMA) 
Advocate Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 
Advocate Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.50 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) 
Advocate Health designates this live activity for a maximum 6.50 hours of CPE credit for (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians). CPE credit can be claimed on the AAH CE platform within 60 days of activity completion and information will be provided to CPE Monitor. Participants should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 
Pharmacy UAN:
Pharmacy Technician UAN:

 

Board Recognition Statement(s)
 

American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) MOC
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 6.50 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
 

American Board of Surgery (ABS) MOC
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and Self-Assessment requirement(s) of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

Available Credit

  • 6.50 American Board of Surgery
    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and Self-Assessment requirements of the American Board of Surgery's Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.
    • 6.50 ABS Self-Assessment
  • 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    Aurora Health Care is accredited by the Wisconsin Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Aurora Health Care designates this activity for a maximum of 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 6.50 Attendance
    Attendance Credit
    • 6.50 Approved AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 6.50 Continuing Nursing Education (CE)
    Aurora Health Care is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Wisconsin Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. 6.50 contact hours have been awarded to this activity by the Wisconsin Nursing Association. To receive contact hours, participants must attend the entire activity.
  • 6.50 Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE)
    Aurora Health Care Department of Pharmacy Services is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 6.50 Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) Pharmacy Technician
    Aurora Health Care Department of Pharmacy Services is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 6.50 ABIM MOC Part II
    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 6.50 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Price

Cost:
$0.00
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How to Register
 

Click “Take Course” to register and/or claim credit for this program.  

In person Location - Milwaukee Marriott Downtown, Milwaukee, WI  53202 and Virtual

For those attending this conference virtually, a link to the meeting will be provided prior to the event.


 

For Further Information
 

If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact [email protected]

If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact the IPCE Office at [email protected]

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