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Hosted by the Valve Science Center

From Basics to Breakthroughs: Heart Valve Health and Vitality

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A Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day Event
February 21, 2026
02/21/2026 10:00
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Until From Basics to Breakthroughs: Heart Valve Health and Vitality Begins

Details

Join us in raising awareness for heart valve disease! This event is a free interactive, engaging educational opportunity for community members, patients and family members of patients with valvular heart disease. All are welcome to join! 

Location: Dellwood Country Club | 29 East Highway 96, Dellwood, MN 55110
Date & Time: Saturday, February 21, 2026 | 10:00am - 12:00pm CT

As many as 5 million Americans are diagnosed with heart valve disease (HVD) each year—a potentially disabling and deadly disease—yet 3 out of 4 Americans know little to nothing about HVD. The seriousness of the disease, combined with the fact that symptoms are often difficult to detect or dismissed as a normal part of aging, makes this lack of awareness dangerous. Support our efforts to raise awareness about HVD and protect patient lives!

Meet the Faculty
Nadira

Nadira Hamid, MD, FACC, FASE, FESC, FRCPI

Director of Interventional Echocardiography
Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute
Scientific Director of Echocardiography Core Lab | Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

headshot of Dr. Sebastian Iturra

Sebastian Iturra, MD

Cardiac Surgeon
Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute

Headshot of Dr. Jennifer Riggs

Jennifer Riggs, MD, FACC

Interventional & Structural Cardiologist
Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute at United Hospital St. Paul 

Agenda

10:00amRegistration, Exhibits & Brunch Buffet
10:30amWelcome (Kristine Fortman, PhD)
10:35amPatient Story
10:40amHeart Valve Disease Overview (Dr. Jennifer Riggs)
10:55amLifetime Management of Heart Valve Disease (Dr. Sebastian Iturra)
11:10amLifesaving Research at MHIF (Dr. Nadira Hamid)
11:25amAudience Q&A (Featuring all faculty & moderated by Dr. Nadira Hamid)
Give the Gift of Hope
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The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation® (MHIF) strives to create a world without heart and vascular disease. To achieve this bold vision, we are dedicated to improving the cardiovascular health of individuals and communities through innovative research and education.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, we can continue this life-saving work. Please make a gift to support lasting change in the lives of individuals we serve and future generations to come.