Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is the most common cause of death in both developing and developed countries. In the Asia Pacific region, the increase in diabetes mellitus, a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, is reaching epidemic proportion. It is estimated that one quarter of population in this region will be diabetic by 2020. Atherosclerotic diseases especially coronary heart disease therefore will remain a major challenge to any healthcare system, both in he East as well as in the West, Korea not excluded.

The advent of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has had a great impact on the treatment of coronary heart disease, especially after the successful near abolition of restenosis after coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents. Coronary bypass graft surgery, culturally not always acceptable to Asian patients may be entirely replaced by the less invasive PCI therapy.

The Division of Cardiology at the Asan Medical Centre is one of the leading cardiovascular centres in the Asia Pacific region. The highly successful Angioplasty Summit directed by Dr. Seung-Jung Park is a major annual learning event for interventionists of the Asia Pacific nations. It owes it great success to the demonstration of the good clinical practice, exceptional technical skills of intervention and above all, meticulous, methodical and scientific approach to the discipline of vascular intervention. This is what practicing interventionists come all over the world to witness and learn each year.

The establishment of the CardioVascular Research Foundation (CVRF) will further enhance the already significant academic achievement and international reputation of the Asan Medical Centre, especially its Cardiology Division. The Angioplasty Summit, its flagship annual interventional event will be even more earnestly attended by serious practicing interventionists worldwide. Its highly popular website SummitMD, actively and constantly updated between the annual live demonstration course event is keenly followed and used by cardiologists internationally. It will be a significant communication site for exchange of scientific and new knowledge, especially those arising from work done at CVRF.
There is no doubt that CVRF will enhance the excellence of care of cardiovascular patients and education of care providers, not only in Korea or Asia but worldwide.