The 14th annual Utah Cardiac Recovery Symposium (U-CARS) was held on February 5th and 6th, 2026 at the Salt Lake City Marriott University Park. This year’s symposium brought in more than 800 attendees, both in-person and virtually, from 19 different countries. On day one, sessions included presentations on pharmacological and mechanical bridges to GDMT in heart failure patients and whether these treatments are associated with higher risk transplant or VAD procedures; long-term outcomes after VAD weaning; how to guide recommendations for direct transplant versus VADs as a bridge; and panel discussions on clinical and bioengineering considerations in the promotion of myocardial recovery, as well as myocardial recovery in cardio-oncology. Day two began with a session focused on the role of fibroblasts in healing, repair, and recovery of the heart, followed by presentations on microcirculation in cardiogenic shock, variability of weaning strategies in temporary mechanical circulatory support, and discussions of basic and translational research in myocardial recovery.
This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Dean Li, MD, PhD, who serves as the executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories. Prior to taking his position at Merck in 2017, Dr. Li was the H.A. & Edna Benning Professor of Medicine and Cardiology, chief scientific officer, associate vice president and vice dean at the University of Utah. Dr. Li’s talk, “Humbling Experiences on the Journey from Academia to Industry,” focused not only on his personal experience working in both areas, but also his perspectives on the importance of academia and industry collaborating to advance medical science and improve patient care.
We’re so grateful to all of the presenters, attendees, and people behind the scenes who made U-CARS 2026 such a success. Save the date for U-CARS 2027 which will take place March 11-12, 2027 in Salt Lake City, Utah.