Why Health Equity
Using the ACC's health equity strategy, we aim to achieve a culture of equitable cardiovascular care and heart health for all. The ACC is paving the road to health equity through advocacy, education, and science, and by acknowledging social determinants of health and eliminating disparities. Find more details here:
Health Equity Taskforce Members
- Paul Douglass, MD, MACC (Chair)
- Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, MACC (Immediate Past Chair)
- Kathryn L. Berlacher, MD, FACC
- Pamela S. Douglas, MD, MACC
- Linda D. Gillam, MD, MACC
- Akshay K. Khandelwal, MD, FACC
- Robert Roswell, MD, FACC
- Herman A. Taylor, Jr., MD, FACC
- Thad F. Waites, MD, MACC
- Marlene S. Williams, MD, FACC
- Biykem Bozkurt, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA
- Dorairaj Prabhakaran, MD
ACC Health Equity Pledge
I pledge to take action to support ACC's health equity vision to "achieve a culture of health where every person reaches their full cardiovascular health potential as a natural right." I acknowledge the negative impact of cardiovascular health inequities on patient care delivery, cardiovascular outcomes, and population health. I commit to work to transform my practice and the cardiovascular care that I deliver to be the most equitable for all.
Readings and Resources
- A Call to Action: Addressing Health Equity to Improve Atrial Fibrillation Patient Experiences and Outcomes
StopAfib.org - Mapping the Burden: Social Vulnerability and Cardiovascular Disease
ACC.org, 2024 - Challenges in Contemporary Cardiac Care: A Case-Based Module
ACC.org, 2023, Online Course - ACC's Health Equity Summit Defines Challenges, Proposes Strategies to Improve CV Care
ACC.org, 2023 - Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health in NCDs Course
- The Evolution of the Quintuple Aim: Health Equity, Health Outcomes, and the Economy
JACC, 2021 - Population Health: Intersecting Technology, Data, Health Equity to Achieve Health Care Transformation
JACC, 2021 - Bias in Medicine: Lessons Learned and Mitigation Strategies
JACC: Basic to Translational Science, 2021 - Responsibility of Medical Journals in Addressing Racism in Health Care
JAMA Network Open, 2020 - Academic Medicine and Black Lives Matter Time for Deep Listening
JAMA, 2020 - Creating Real Change at Academic Medical Centers — How Social Movements Can Be Timely Catalysts
The New England Journal of Medicine, 2020 - Diversity Improves Performance and Outcomes
Journal of the National Medical Association, 2019
ACC Health Equity Series
In a new 2022 series, the ACC Health Equity Taskforce is discussing health care disparities as it pertains to minority racial and ethnic groups and under-represented populations. Each presentation will be accompanied by a companion guide that provides a unique snapshot into the conversation by expert panelists. View the discussions and guides below.
- Dispelling Disparity - Achieving Health Equity For Those of South Asian Ancestry
- Improving Cardiovascular Health Among Indigenous Communities: Effective Solutions and Interventions