“The needs of the patient come first.” 

About an hour’s drive from Minneapolis, Minnesota, surrounded by dairy farms and cornfields, in the smallish city of Rochester lives the original world famous Mayo Clinic. 

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. With 30+ buildings and two full hospitals, Mayo Clinic looks more like an urban university campus.  Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of “the needs of the patient come first.” Almost 55,000 people work at Mayo Clinic. 

Thanks to the generosity of the Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, and their community  partners,  I was accepted to attend the all-expenses-paid 7th Annual WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium for Women with Heart Disease in October, 2008 – the first Canadian ever invited to attend. 

Part world-class cardiology training and part community activism bootcamp, every year this unique Symposium brings together about 50 women living with heart disease for five memorable days of clinical lectures on cardiology, diagnostics, drugs and devices, current treatments, nutrition, mental health issues for heart patients, and so much more.  We took guided tours of the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Diagnostic Centre, enjoyed fabulous heart-smart buffet meals, practised Tai Chi For Heart Health, meditated, took early morning autumn walks along the lovely Zumbro River, and even did a full day of public speaking training.  Mayo ‘grads’ return home as well-informed community educators ready to help raise awareness of women’s heart health issues from the unique grassroots perspective of Mayo Clinic-trained heart attack survivors. 

Read more about my own Symposium experience on the Sharing Mayo Clinic website, or read about Time magazine’s feature on the WomenHeart Symposium. 

 Want To Attend this Symposium at Mayo Clinic? 

♥  ♥  ♥   If you are a woman living with heart disease, are at least six months past your last hospitalization for cardiac treatment, have your doctor’s permission to travel and to attend this Symposium, are comfortable speaking in public, and have a strong interest in making a real difference to women’s heart health as a community educator, consider applying to attend this annual Symposium at Mayo Clinic held every October.  Deadline for applying is usually in June.   

Find out more info from WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.  

* Such fun!  Mayo Clinic piano playing seniors in the Gonda Building atrium! * 

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