This program was brought to the Philippines by the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) and pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) through Prous Science.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital is one of the finest hospitals in the city of Boston and the surrounding area, and is a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

During the Philippine launch, PHA president Dr. Mariano Lopez said that the Cardio 24 program complements the various educational activities provided by the PHA’s continuing education program committee.

"We earnestly hope for the success of this project in providing world class education to our members and Filipino physicians for the fundamental objectives of improving the treatment and care of our patients with cardiovascular disease," Dr. Lopez said.

Cardio 24 Program is composed of three integrated components. First, an international-caliber CME is provided by Brigham and Women’s Hospital that will be available to physicians on a regular basis through CD-based training modules.

Next, Cardio 24 round-table discussions will be held quarterly to provide interactive discussions among participants for the specific modules. And third, a certificate of completion from the Harvard-affiliated institution will be given to all participants after a self-assessment test.

The highlight of the launch was a live interactive discussion among the doctors in the Philippines and in the United States. Heart specialists from all over the country were hooked-up simultaneously and were interacting live with two Boston-based cardiovascular specialists, Drs. Peter Libby and Marc Pfeffer through the use of state-of-the-art video satellite technology.

Doctors from Metro Manila and Luzon gathered at the Manila Peninsula Hotel, while heart doctors from the Visayas and Mindanao region converged at the Cebu Mariott Hotel and Davao Marco Polo Hotel, respectively.