Progress Toward the Prevention and Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: A Summary of the Heart Rhythm Society Research Forum on the Treatment and Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation, Washington, DC, December 9–10, 2013

November 18, 2014—The Heart Rhythm Society convened a research symposium on December 9–10, 2013, in Washington, DC, that focused on the prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) as well as AF-related stroke and morbidity. Attendees sought to summarize advances in understanding AF since a 2008 National Institutes of Health (NIH) conference on this topic and to identify continued knowledge gaps and current research priorities. This resultant white paper was developed in collaboration with and endorsed by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) and the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society (CHRS). It summarizes the deliberations of the attendees in an effort to accelerate progress toward preventing AF and its consequences.