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AMS Hosts Congressional Briefing

Mathematics and stents was the subject of a Congressional briefing hosted by the AMS on December 6, 2011. The Capitol Hill presentation entitled "Mathematics: Leading the Way for New Options in the Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease" was given by Professor Suncica Canic of the University of Houston.

Coronary artery disease is a precursor for heart attack, the number one killer in the United States. Treatment of this disease entails insterting a stent to keep the coronary arteries open. Patient-specific decisions on the choice of a particular stent tailored to a given patient anatomy are not common practice. This presentation showed how mathematics provides a quick and inexpensive way to make patient-specific decisions by testing the stent's behavior prior to the insertion into a patient's coronary artery. Prescribing mathematical and computer simulations, in addition to prescribing a blood test and angiogram, is the future of personalized medicine.

The AMS holds annual congressional briefings as a means to communicate information to policymakers. Speakers discuss the importance of mathematics research and present their work in layman's terms to Congressional staff as a way to inform Members of Congress of how mathematics impacts today's important issues.

Other Congressional Briefings:

Beginning in 2017, the AMS is partnering with MSRI to organize and host bi-annual briefings; prior to 2017, the AMS hosted annual briefings.