CAIC President’s Quarterly Progress Update
Since my last update in April, CAIC/ACCI has continued to build momentum across our strategic pillars of education, advocacy, scientific leadership, international partnership, and clinical research. Several initiatives that were in development three months ago have now been delivered, and I am pleased to share the following updates as we look ahead to our Annual General Meeting this fall at the CCC in Ottawa.
1) Launch of the New CAIC/ACCI Website
- We have constructed and launched (go live this month) the new CAIC/ACCI website, which gives our organization a modern, polished look and a far stronger digital presence for members, trainees, industry partners, and the broader cardiovascular community.
- The site opens with a clear overview of who we are as an organization, including our vision, mission, and values.
- An Education and Events section consolidates our meetings, courses, and lecture series in one place, together with relevant Canadian clinical guidelines for ready reference at the point of care.
- The CAIC Clinical Trials Network now has a dedicated home on the site, profiling our active and developing national research initiatives and how members can participate.
- A Fellows Corner has been created as a central hub for interventional cardiology trainees across the country, supporting our commitment to the next generation of Canadian operators.
- An International Activities section showcases meetings and our expanding global partnerships and collaborative work.
- I encourage every member to visit the site, explore the content, and send us feedback as we continue to develop it into the definitive resource for interventional cardiology in Canada. URL to come!
2) A Successful 2026 Combined CAIC–SCAI Meeting in Montreal
- The 2026 combined CAIC–SCAI meeting in Montreal was a tremendous success and a highlight of our year, drawing strong attendance from across Canada and the United States.
- The scientific program delivered high-quality didactic sessions, case-based learning, and lively exchange between Canadian and American faculty, with excellent engagement from fellows and early career members.
- The meeting affirmed the value of our partnership with SCAI and sets a strong precedent for continued joint programming and cross-border collaboration.
- My sincere thanks to the organizing committee, our faculty, our industry partners, and everyone who contributed to making the meeting such a memorable success.
3) Favourable Royal College Response on Cardiac Surgery Training in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (EPA #29)
- Following the letter of concern that CAIC/ACCI submitted regarding the goals, objectives, and duration of cardiac surgery trainees in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, we have received a favourable response from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada with respect to EPA #29.
- This is a meaningful outcome for our specialty. It helps ensure that training standards in the cath lab remain aligned with the requirements of interventional cardiology, the integrity of procedural education, and above all patient safety.
- It also demonstrates that the CAIC/ACCI voice is being heard at the national accreditation level. We will continue to engage with the Royal College as implementation proceeds and will keep the membership informed.
4) 2026 CAIC-ACCI Outstanding Achievement Award – Dr. Jean-François Tanguay
- It is my great pleasure to announce that Dr. Jean-François Tanguay has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 CAIC-ACCI Outstanding Achievement Award.
- Dr. Tanguay has shaped interventional cardiology in Canada across three decades of clinical excellence, research, and education. His work in vascular healing, restenosis, and stent technology helped advance bioresorbable scaffold platforms, and he performed the first coronary implantation of a drug-eluting bioresorbable scaffold in North America. He has authored or co-authored over 200 publications, abstracts, and book chapters. He has even co-published with Dr Eugene Braunwald!
- At the Montreal Heart Institute, he is the Cath Lab Director. As Full Professor of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, and has mentored generations of Canadian interventionalists and clinician-scientists.
- His national leadership is equally distinguished. He served as President of CAIC from 2002 to 2005, chaired the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Antiplatelet Therapy Guidelines Committee, has sat on the steering committees of numerous national and international trials, and continues to lead major educational programming for the Canadian community.
- The award will be presented at our Annual General Meeting during the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Ottawa in October 2026. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Tanguay on this richly deserved recognition.
5) Board of Directors – Applications Now Closed
- Applications for the CAIC/ACCI Board of Directors are now closed. I want to thank everyone who put their name forward; the level of interest and the calibre of the applicants speak to the strength and engagement of our membership.
- We will shortly be selecting a new Secretary and a new Early Career Representative to join the Board.
- The successful candidates will be announced at our Annual General Meeting during the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Ottawa in October 2026.
6) 2026 CAIC-ACCI Travel Bursary Research Awards
- It is a pleasure to recognize the recipients of the 2026 CAIC-ACCI Travel Bursary Research Awards, which support outstanding trainee-led research in interventional cardiology and help bring that work to a national audience.
- Omar Ibrahim, McMaster University – CARDIA-COMPARE: Comparative Outcomes of Methodical Physician Assessment Versus AI-Based Risk Evaluation.
- Jason Guo, University of British Columbia – Development of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Tool to Guide the Use of Intravascular Imaging Versus Angiography for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
- Both projects bring artificial intelligence to bear on practical decisions in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, and they speak well to the ambition and quality of the research coming from our trainees. Please join me in congratulating Omar and Jason.
Taken together, these developments reflect an organization that is growing in visibility, influence, and capability. A modern digital platform, a successful international meeting, a constructive outcome with the Royal College, and renewal of our Board leadership all point in the same direction: a CAIC/ACCI that is well positioned to serve its members and advance interventional cardiology in Canada. I am grateful to the many members and leaders whose work made this possible, and I look forward to seeing you in Ottawa in October.
With purpose and resolve,
Kevin Bainey, MD, MSc, FRCPC
President, Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology – Association Canadienne de Cardiologie d’intervention