Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Organizing and the Scientific Committee it is our pleasure to cordially welcome you at the International Conference HEART FAILURE IN DIABETIC PATIENTS: STATE OF THE ART IN DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT 2009. This interdisciplinary meeting is held on March 13-14, 2009 under the auspices of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) - Committee on Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Board on Cardiovascular Pathology), Cardiology Society of Serbia, and both Cardiology and Endocrinology Section of the Serbian Medical Society.

Millennium Conference Centre and the beautiful town Vršac, Serbia are the proud hosts of this clinically oriented comprehensive scientific meeting covering state of the art research on endocrinology and cardiology aspects of diabetic heart failure. The conference is designed as a dynamic, interactive scientific event including educational seminars, "Meet the Experts" sessions, "How-to" video seminar, "Case-based Presentations of Complex Clinical Scenarios", and interactive debates. Basic science session "Pathophysiology and hemodynamics of heart failure" will be held IN MEMORIAM of a great scientist and professor, Dean of the Belgrade University School of Medicine, late ACADEMICIAN BOGDAN ĐURIČIĆ.

One of the highlights of the Conference will be HEMOFARM YOUNG INVESTIGATORS AWARD SESSION with presentations of six best abstracts dedicated to heart failure and/or cardiovascular complications in diabetes of authors less than 40 years of age. Two best contributions will be awarded by Hemofarm company with a diploma and completely covered travel and registration expenses at the next Congress of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC or Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Study Group of the EASD.

The meeting was prepared in close cooperation and truly made possible by Hemofarm pharmaceutical company, which is a part of Stada system and we would like to express our most sincere gratitude for their extensive efforts, kind and most instrumental assistance. An exiting social program is also enthusiastically organized by the Hemofarm CardioLogica Team.

We would like to cordially welcome you in Vršac, one of the most rapidly developing areas in Serbia, famous for its warm hospitality, unforgettable landscapes, and excellent vine, hoping that we will have a very interesting and successful Conference.

Sincerely yours

Petar M. SEFEROVIĆ MD, PhD, FESC, FACC Director of the Organizing Committee	Prof. Nebojša M. Lalić, MD, PhD, SASA c. member Director of the Scientific Committee
Academician Prof. Vladimir Kanjuh, MD, PhD Conference Director and Chairman of the YIA Committee