Life Rhythms : The continuous commitment of the European Heart Rhythm Association in the field of arrhythmias and electrophysiology
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), founded in 2003 as a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), has become the leading professional organization in Europe dedicated to cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac pacing, electrophysiology, and the prevention of sudden cardiac death, reflecting the growing global importance, burden, and economic relevance of cardiac arrhythmias.1,2 Over the past two decades, EHRA has played a pivotal role in shaping clinical practice through education, research initiatives, scientific congresses, training programmes, certification pathways, and internationally recognized clinical consensus documents.3 The Association has evolved under the leadership of a distinguished succession of Presidents who have contributed to the growth of the arrhythmia community and strengthened collaborations across Europe and beyond. Today, EHRA represents thousands of healthcare professionals united by a common mission: improving the care of patients with heart rhythm disorders through scientific excellence, innovation, and education.4 At the same time, Europace, the official journal of EHRA, continues to evolve to better reflect the dynamic nature of the field. Among its recent initiatives is the launch of LifeRhythms, a new section dedicated to the life of the Association and to the development of arrhythmia care. The inaugural article of this series comes at a particularly meaningful moment. During the recent ESC Congress in Munich in August 2026, Europace had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Helmut Puererfellner, who was concluding his term as EHRA President at the end of August 2026, and Professor Haran Burri, who was assuming the EHRA presidency for the next biennial mandate (Figure 1). This conversation offers a perspective across two moments in the Association’s journey: a look back at what has been achieved and a look forward at what lies ahead. From left to right: Professors Haran Burri, Giuseppe Boriani, and Helmut Puererfellner together at the ESC Congress 2026. Reflecting on his presidency, Professor Helmut Puererfellner highlighted as EHRA has progressively expanded both its activities and its international reach. Under his leadership, the Association has strengthened collaborations with organizations and professional communities beyond Europe, fostering the exchange of expertise across different healthcare systems and regions. His view is that this growing international dimension constitutes an important part of EHRA’s evolution and of its increasingly global role in the field of cardiac arrhythmias. Professor Puererfellner also declared that he is looking forward to a different chapter in his life. He plans to devote more time to his family and to his hobbies, including his passion for music and sports. Nevertheless, his connection with EHRA will not come to an end: after years of active involvement, he intends to remain engaged with the Association and its community. In his duty as Past President, he will chair the EHRA Nominating Committee for the next mandate. For Professor Haran Burri, assuming the presidency represents the culmination of a long-standing involvement with EHRA. He has been part of the Association since its foundation in 2003 and has served under five different presidents, giving him a unique perspective on its evolution and on what leadership of the Association entails. He therefore approaches the new role with a clear understanding of both the opportunities and the responsibilities that lie ahead. With a new elected Executive Board and appointed Committee Chairs who have been assembled around a shared vision for the years ahead, Professor Burri feels ready to take on the presidency and is eager to get started to serve the EHRA community. Education and the development of young professionals are closely intertwined in the vision shared by both presidents. For both Helmut Pürerfellner and Haran Burri, the younger generation represents one of EHRA’s greatest opportunities. Their enthusiasm, new ideas, and ability to embrace change will be essential to the future of the specialty. Professor Puererfellner’s message to young professionals is simple: ‘Remain passionate and improve constantly. Work closely together with your peers and share both successes and failures. Place the patient in the middle of clinical medicine’. Professor Burri echoes this philosophy, adding other essential qualities: patience, perseverance, and a sense of purpose. Building a career in electrophysiology, developing expertise, and contributing meaningfully to the field takes time. Professor Burri is keen to continue this trajectory, recognizing education as one of the Association’s fundamental responsibilities. At the same time, he places particular emphasis on research. Contributing to research projects and publishing papers in scientific journals such as Europace are not only ways of advancing knowledge but are also satisfying from a personal standpoint and are a means for becoming better clinicians. The relationship between EHRA and Europace is deeply intertwined. During Professor Puererfellner’s presidency, Europace published a wide range of EHRA consensus documents,5,6 surveys,7 and scientific statements or documents,8–10 serving as the principal platform through which the Association’s expertise and scientific output reached the international community. This period also coincided with an important phase in the development of Europace. Professor Giuseppe Boriani began his term as Editor-in-Chief. Thanks to the work of the entire editorial team, including the Social Media Editors, the journal experienced substantial growth in both its scientific impact and its visibility. Its impact factor reached 10.2 in 2026, positioning Europace as the leading journal worldwide dedicated to cardiac arrhythmias. The journal has also established a strong presence across social media, becoming the second-highest performing journal within the EHJ family in terms of online access generated through social media. For Professor Burri, the close relationship between the Association and its journal is essential. He congratulates the Editor-in-Chief and the entire editorial team on the work accomplished and expresses his willingness to continue and further strengthen this collaboration during his presidency. This close connection is also at the heart of LifeRhythms. This new section of Europace aims to bring readers closer not only to EHRA’s scientific activities but also to the people, committees, and initiatives behind them, in a global perspective of continuous growth in the challenging field of arrhythmia and electrophysiology. No funding was received for this work. No new data were generated or analysed in support of this research.
Source: EP Europace
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,909
OpenAlex ID: W7220366015