Penn Medicine UPenn HFpEF Symposium 2025

Date & Location: Friday, May 9, 2025, 7:30 AM – Saturday, May 10, 2025, 2:00 PM, Smilow Center and Online, Philadelphia, PA
While the incidence of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) has decreased, that of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) continues to rise, accounting for ~50% of heart failure hospitalizations. Patients with HFpEF suffer mentally and physically, like their HFrEF counterparts, and are markedly limited in terms of their functional capacity and quality of life. Yet in contrast to HFrEF, there are few effective pharmacologic treatments for HFpEF, despite numerous clinical trials. To address this urgent need, many clinicians and researchers have focused on this important medical and societal issue. Improved strategies now exist to diagnose this condition, and multifaceted treatment options can help to alleviate some of the morbidity of the disease.
This symposium will highlight diagnostic strategies and review the evidence base for pharmacologic therapies. Treatment of comorbid conditions found in HFpEF patients will also be discussed. Additional didactics highlighting the sources of exertional intolerance in HFpEF patients will be presented, with an emphasis on cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The topics chosen for this conference represent the state-of-the-art in HFpEF management, incorporating the expertise of numerous disciplines including cardiology, pulmonology, radiology, sleep medicine, and endocrinology. The meeting is intended to provide an in-depth summary of HFpEF management to practicing clinicians across numerous disciplines, including Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants.
Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, participants should be able to:

Review the diagnostic criteria for HFpEF, including when to use advanced imaging or hemodynamic assessment
Identify HFpEF mimickers, including amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, and inherited cardiomyopathies
Discuss the role of non-cardiac structures (such as the arterial system and other organs) in the pathogenesis and treatment of the patient with HFpEF
Describe the electrophysiologic manifestations of HFpEF and their treatments
Discuss novel therapies that are on the horizon for HFpEF
Review the potential causes of exertional intolerance in HFpEF patients.

The Penn Medicine UPenn HFpEF Symposium 2025 is best for cardiologists, internists, and researchers focused on Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). It’s ideal for:
What You’ll Learn

Cutting-edge insights into HFpEF pathophysiology, diagnostics, and therapeutics
Updates on clinical trials, biomarkers, and multidisciplinary care models
Expert-led discussions on comorbidities, exercise intolerance, and phenotyping strategies

Event Details

Dates: May 9–10, 2025
Time: 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM (ET)
Location: Hybrid format — attend in person at the Arthur H. Rubenstein Auditorium (Smilow Center for Translational Research, Philadelphia) or via live-stream

 
+ Topics:

Friday, May 9, 2025

In-person Sign-in and Continental Breakfast
7:30AM – 8:30AM

Virtual Audience Sign-in (Broadcast goes live at 8:30 AM)
8:15AM – 8:30AM

IS IT HEART FAILURE? GETTING THE DIAGNOSIS RIGHT

Welcome Address
8:30AM – 8:40AM
Stuart B Prenner, MD
Payman Zamani, MD

HFpEF Epidemiology – a Growing Problem
8:40AM – 8:55AM
Stuart B Prenner, MD

Advanced Echo Techniques to Diagnose HFpEF
8:55AM – 9:10AM
Julio A Chirinos, MD

Advanced Imaging – PET and cMRI in HFpEF
9:10AM – 9:25AM
Paco E. Bravo, MD

Diagnosis: Risk Scores and Catheters
9:25AM – 9:45AM
Barry Borlaug, MD

My Approach to Evaluation of Dyspnea
9:45AM – 10:05AM
Kavita Sharma, MD

MINI-SYMPOSIUM: EXERCISE CAPACITY IN HFPEF

Exercise Physiology, as Seen Through a CPET
10:15AM – 11:00AM
Jason Fritz, MD
Payman Zamani, MD
Benjamin D Levine, MD

Break and Visit Exhibits
11:00AM – 11:15AM

Debate: It’s the Heart! High Pressures Limit Exercise in HFpEF
11:15AM – 11:45AM
Barry Borlaug, MD

Debate: There is More to HFpEF Than the Wedge
11:45AM – 12:15PM
Benjamin D Levine, MD

Rebuttal, Q&A and Questions
12:15PM – 12:30PM

Keynote: Patients With HFpEF Need to Exercise, But How? Logistics of Designing and Implementing an Exercise Prescription
12:30PM – 1:10PM
Peter H. Brubaker, PhD

Lunch
1:10PM – 2:00PM

GUIDELINE-DIRECTED PHARMACOLOGY AND DEVICES FOR HFpEF

HFpEF and Nutrition
2:00PM – 2:15PM
Salvatore Carbone, PhD, RDN

SLT2i and MRAs: The Evidence and Practical Considerations
2:15PM – 2:35PM
Senthil Selvaraj, MD, MS, MA

HFpEF Management Guidelines and Algorithms
2:35PM – 2:50PM
Jeremy A Mazurek, MD

Ask the Experts
2:50PM – 3:05PM
Stuart B Prenner, MD
Payman Zamani, MD
Senthil Selvaraj, MD, MS, MA

Keynote: Targeting Obesity to Target HFpEF
3:05PM – 3:45PM
Javed Butler, MD, MPH

Break
3:45PM – 4:00PM

MINI-SESSION: CARDIAC AMYLOIDOSIS

When to Suspect Cardiac Amyloidosis and Diagnostic Strategies
4:00PM – 4:15PM
Janice Pieretti, MD

MRI vs. PYP for TTR for TTY Amyloid
4:15PM – 4:30PM
Mahesh Vidula, MD

Update on Amyloid Therapies
4:30PM – 4:45PM
Drachman Brian, MD

Ask the Experts
4:45PM – 5:00PM
Janice Pieretti, MD
Drachman Brian, MD
Mahesh Vidula, MD
Kaylee Baker, CRNP RN

Saturday, May 10, 2025

In-person Sign-in and Continental Breakfast
7:30AM – 8:00AM

Virtual Audience Sign-in (Broadcast goes live at 8:00 AM)
7:45AM – 8:00AM

MANAGEMENT OF HFPEF RELATED COMORBIDITIES AND HFPEF MIMICKERS

Recap of Day 1 and Intro to Day 2
8:00AM – 8:10AM
Stuart B Prenner, MD
Payman Zamani, MD

Hypertension Management
8:10AM – 8:25AM
Jordana Cohen, MD

GLP1: Practical Considerations and Titration
8:25AM – 8:40AM
Anastassia Amaro, MD

Not all Hypertrophy is HFpEF
8:40AM – 8:55AM
Anjali T Owens, MD

Chronotropic Incompetence: Modulating Sinus Rhythm and Pacing
8:55AM – 9:10AM
Matthew C. Hyman, MD

Atrial Fibrillation in HFpEF – Screening and Treatment
9:10AM – 9:25AM
David Frankel, MD

Break
9:25AM – 9:45AM

Sleep Apnea in HFpEF
9:45AM – 10:00AM
Jorge Mora, MD

Lung Disease in HFpEF
10:00AM – 10:15AM
Jason Fritz, MD

Leveraging Remote Monitoring Technology in HFpEF
10:15AM – 10:35AM
Monique S Tanna, MD

Rheumatologic Disease in HFpEF
10:35AM – 10:50AM
Brittany Weber, MD, PhD

Keynote: HFpEF at Home – What Should We Be Telling Our Patients and What Should Our Patients Be Telling Us?
10:50AM – 11:30AM
Barbara Riegel, RN

Lunch
11:30AM – 12:20PM

Keynote: Inflammation in HFpEF
12:20PM – 1:00PM
Antonio Abbate, MD, PhD

Q&A and Break
1:00PM – 1:10PM

Future of HFpEF Management
1:10PM – 1:50PM
Sanjiv Shah, MD

Q&A
1:50PM – 2:00PM