It is my pleasure to introduce the first CRM supplement dedicated to educational activities were generated at the Cardiovascular Research Technologies (CRT) 2017 meeting, which was held in February 2017 in Washington, DC. CRM is the official journal of the meeting and is distributed to its attendees. This year, CRT celebrated 20 years of educational effort that was designed to give a platform to new medical innovations, devices, drugs, and therapeutic and techniques strategies in the field of interventional cardiology. Over the years, CRT evolved to cover the field of interventional cardiology in a variety of tracks, including complex coronary, endovascular, valve and structural, technology and innovation, atherosclerosis and the vulnerable plaque, nurse and technologies symposium, and the town hall with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which became one of the flagships of the meeting. In addition, the meeting expanded to call for abstracts, interesting cases, and innovations. A compilation of these is presented in this supplement issue. A second issue to follow will include the most interesting cases that were presented at CRT 2017.

Over the years, it was apparent that the superb content presented at the meeting should endure and be disseminated globally. This is currently done via the website utilizing the crtonline.org platform. Today, thousands of professionals across the globe can view the content of the meeting online, including synchronized slide presentations with audio and video, recording of live cases, and selected panel discussions. In addition, the CRTOnline website provides daily news meeting coverage, marketing updates, and educational material throughout the year. Most recently, we added the power of social media to interact with attendees of the meeting and with subscribers of the website and the journal via such platforms as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These channels allow journal subscribers and meeting attendees to disseminate the education and interact with the meeting and the journal as well as among their peers.

In the current issue, you will find a glimpse into the potential of our multichannel education. CRT is a source for publications in different areas and topics. In the June issue of CRM, we reviewed the late-breaking trials that were presented at the meeting and the town hall with the FDA and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In this issue, you will find manuscripts that were generated from abstracts and posters presented at the meeting across the different tracks, new innovations, and interesting case reports.

Where are we going from here?

The CRM journal is going to be issued monthly beginning in January 2018, and case reports will be published as a supplement once a year. The journal will call for review articles, state-of-the-art manuscripts, and consensus papers.

CRT will continue to grow, as we anticipate more than 3000 attendees. In 2018, the keynote speaker will be President Barack Obama, who will be the third president to address the meeting attendees.

CRTOnline.org has become a newsworthy website that includes CardioTube videos and interviews and thousands of presentations in addition to hosting the past years’ CRT presentations. You can also find the majority of the content on the recently developed CRTOnline app. This app is a handy and informative tool. Finally, social media is the connection between our subscribers, meeting attendees, and web surfers. These multichannel educational features support each and are designed to serve you all year.

So what can you do the take advantage of these efforts? Stay connected in the format of your choice, interact with the content, and contribute content to the journal and to the meeting or via social media so your experience, thoughts, and voice will be heard as well. Meanwhile, enjoy the myriad of educational opportunities that CRT and CRM offer.