SCCT expands CCTA education overseas
The Society of Cardiovascular CT (SCCT) is working to establish itself as the premier cardiac CT educational organization across the globe and expand its international membership as coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) continues to gain momentum.
Mirvat Alasnag, MD, director of the catheterization laboratory and research at King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, director of TCT Middle East, and a member of the SCCT Education Committee, explains how the society it translating its educational content into other languages to help reach a wider international audience of clinicians. She spoke with Cardiovascular Business at TCT 2025 in San Francisco.
Alasnag said SCCT has translated some of its on-demand educational courses it into Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi and French as a way to reach more clinicians who are not fluent in English.
The society also began hosting international meetings as a way to spread CCTA education and networking opportunities outside the U.S. and expand its international membership. The SCCT 2026 global meeting, for example, is Jan. 24-25 in Hong Kong, China. Other meetings were previously held in Amsterdam, Dublin, Budapest, Edinburgh, Tel Aviv and London. These meetings offer interactive sessions and the opportunity to learn from an international faculty in small-group, case-based formats.
Alasnag said these efforts are all aimed at improving access to CCTA education and top experts in the field. This is especially true for clinicians who may not be able to make big trips to U.S. or European meetings.
"I think these programs and these activities will resonate and will hopefully have impact and sort of democratize the process," she explained.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]