Among its 16 councils, the Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS) Council of the American Heart Association (AHA) is leading the way, with strong membership and increasing popularity of its annual summer scientific sessions. The 2018 Scientific Sessions were held in San Antonio, Texas, between July 29 and August 2, 2018 with a focus on innovations in cardiovascular research. This theme predominated the scientific and early career sessions, as well as the women in science breakfast, poster sessions, council dinner, joint Academy of Cardiovascular Research Excellence and the Acta Pharmacologica Sinica satellite symposium. The present report summarizes the 2018 BCVS Scientific Sessions.