In 2008, a meeting of experts cultivated a common ground among a wide range of stakeholders invested in congenital heart disease and provided momentum for envisioning and establishing the Congenital Heart Public Health consortium. This meeting was organized with the goal of generating new ideas to develop a public health approach to issues surrounding congenital heart disease. Approximately 50 attendees (academicians, researchers, clinicians, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, parent groups, etc.) participated.
The 2008 meeting discussions formed the basis for the following core public health strategies:
1) increasing national awareness
2) enhancing surveillance throughout the lifespan
3) engaging in primary and secondary prevention research
4) translating research and data into interventions and policy