Bridging Disciplines

Our world is interconnected now more than ever. The entire globe is at our fingertips, just a few taps away on the smartphone in our pocket (or purse). Many of the actions we take have implications—now global and instantaneous—on others. Our understanding of the myriad happenings in our world is woefully incomplete without recognition and consideration of their worldwide context. Science is no different; networking across disciplines and within basic and clinical domains has opened new horizons of increasingly sophisticated understanding. As new findings emerge in any given medical discipline, they often have wide-ranging implications within other realms of medical science. It is imperative that we recognize and foster these connections among medical disciplines to enhance knowledge and promote new paradigms for integration of cardiovascular care within a patient-centric system. We treat the patient, not the patient’s heart. These realities are especially true for cardiovascular science. Our understanding of the cardiovascular system is incomplete without analysis of multidirectional interactions with other organ systems—renal, pulmonary, immune, and nervous – to name a few. The cardiovascular system’s interconnectedness extends to states of disease, for example, obesity and diabetes mellitus. Our therapeutic interventions are also manifestly interconnected, as illustrated by the burgeoning field of oncocardiology. In this issue of Circulation, we introduce a new thematic initiative entitled “Bridging Disciplines.” This endeavor will be led by Drs Ian Neeland, Satyam Sarma, and Vlad Zaha. Under their leadership, we hope to build new bridges—and highlight existing ones—between cardiovascular medicine and other organ systems and specialties. We will strive to enhance multidirectional communication among disciplines to foster the next level of scientific inquiry and understanding. Bridging Disciplines content will include Original Research Articles, Frame of Reference pieces, and State of the Art reviews, all branded with a logo symbolizing the interconnectedness of science with cardiovascular health (Figure). In the present issue, our first Bridging Disciplines piece appears as an In Depth review article by Maurer et al entitled, “Addressing Common Questions Encountered in the Diagnosis and Management of Cardiac Amyloidosis.” Our intent is that this new feature will engender new levels of interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration. This, in turn, will enhance our understanding of cardiovascular biology and disease, as well as inform our colleagues in other disciplines. In the end, it is our patients who stand to benefit from these efforts. Bridging Disciplines