Background: Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect. Due to recent medical advances, there are an estimated 13 million adult survivors with congenital heart disease (ACHD) worldwide. Unfortunately, many ACHD patients have limited knowledge about their health risks (e.g., heart failure, pulmonary hypertension) and need for lifelong care as they transition from pediatric care to adult cardiology. To address this public health challenge, the DeBakey Institute for Cardiovascular Education and Training conducted a qualitative needs assessment and developed and evaluated an educational program for ACHD. Methods: We conducted a 90-minute focus group discussion with ACHD patients and caregivers. This discussion addressed ACHD information and resources, health education opportunities, and patient outreach and education strategies. We used a grounded theory approach to identify major themes and develop the educational Adult Congenital Heart (ACH) Symposium held on November 19, 2016. To evaluate the program, we collected data through direct observations, program facilitator debriefings, faculty interviews, and participant surveys. Results: Six ACHD patients and five caregivers participated in the focus group. Participants identified three major themes: transition of clinical care from pediatric to adult cardiology, gaps in nonclinical ACHD management, and effective educational and outreach strategies. The resultant annual ACH Symposium was well-received: 97% of our survey respondents (n=30) were satisfied with the information, materials, and speakers. All respondents would recommend this symposium to others. Conclusions: Improving the long-term health of ACHD patients through a public health approach requires understanding the needs of this population and then implementing tailored educational programs. Our needs assessment findings can inform planning of future educational programs for ACHD. Finally, the ACH symposium model may be replicated in other regions to address ACHD knowledge gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]