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Cover Story | ACC.20/WCC Virtual: Learning at the Speed of Now
As we were planning for ACC.20/WCC in Chicago we noted that ACC's Annual Scientific Session is always evolving to make the most out of new technologies, educational formats, new science and more.
Specifically, we said: "No meeting is the same as the one before [and] this year is no exception."
We weren't kidding. No one expected that a global pandemic would force the first-ever cancellation of an ACC Annual Scientific Session. This was absolutely the right decision given the need for cardiovascular clinicians around the world to be on the front lines helping patients and their communities take on COVID-19.
We did, however, feel a great need to bring the latest science and critical education expected from an Annual Scientific Session to the global cardiovascular community. We also knew it was important to recognize our Distinguished Awardees, Young Investigators, Merck Award winners and many others, as well as welcome new Fellows and Associates to the College.
In what can only be described as Herculean teamwork, we were able to create a virtual experience in less than three weeks that leveraged new technologies, educational formats, and new ideas to bring ACC.20/WCC science and education directly to cardiovascular clinicians and other key stakeholders worldwide as ACC.20/WCC Virtual.
The free "ACC.20/WCC Virtual" experience kicked off on Saturday, March 28 and offered three days of science and learning. The meeting featured "live" access to 23 education sessions including Late-Breaking Clinical Trials, Featured Clinical Research Sessions, Young Investigator Awards, and Keynote addresses.
Attendees could also tune in to hear from ACC President Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FACC, and incoming ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, as well as World Heart Federation President Karen Sliwa, MD, FACC. Thanks to continued support from our industry partners, we were also able to offer a virtual Expo experience that provided even more learning opportunities.
To date, more than 40,000 clinicians and health care professionals from more than 135 countries have taken part in ACC.20/WCC Virtual.
We have even had a few proud family members of Young Investigator Awardees and poster presenters!
The global networking in the live chat rooms was unprecedented and continues to carry over into discussions on social media and ACC's online Member Hub.
This was a new and unchartered territory for us all. A meeting the size of ACC.20/WCC is years in the making and we were all excited about Chicago as our local stage for bringing the global cardiovascular community together – live and in person. However, the show must go on and it did!
To quote William Shakespeare: "All the world's a stage." It was a true privilege to use this bigger and broader virtual stage to provide the important, practice-changing science and education that is necessary now more than ever before.
We are truly learning at the speed of now!
Thank you for making ACC.20/WCC Virtual such a success! For those who haven't been able to join, all content is available for free and On Demand at Virtual.ACC.org.
We hope to see you live and in person for ACC.21 in Atlanta.
Until then, stay safe and thank you for all that you are doing for your patients and communities!
Andrew M. Kates, MD, FACC
ACC.20/WCC Chair
Pamela B. Morris, MD, FACC
ACC.20/WCC Vice Chair
The Latest Science From ACC.20/WCC: Impacting Practice, Making Headlines
Turns out, the latest science – even presented virtually – makes an impact. What made the top 5 list (plus one more) of Cardiology's Editors-in-Chief?
VOYAGER PAD showed rivaroxaban plus aspirin, rather than aspirin alone, reduced the incidence of major adverse limb and cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease. A subgroup analysis showed the addition of clopidogrel to the rivaroxaban and aspirin regimen did not offer additional clinical benefit.
A COMPASS substudy showed that patients with and without diabetes and stable atherosclerosis derived a similar benefit with rivaroxaban plus aspirin in reducing cardiovascular events.
PRONOMOS found that rivaroxaban was more effective than enoxaparin for preventing venous thromboembolism events without increasing bleeding risk in patients immobilized after nonmajor lower limb orthopedic surgery.
Renal denervation in the SPYRAL-HTN OFF MED study resulted in a significant reduction in 24-hour blood pressure, compared with a sham procedure, without major adverse effects.
CIAO-ISCHEMIA found in patients with ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease that symptoms and stress test results change over time. At baseline, these patients had similar levels of ischemia on stress testing as did those with ischemia.
At one year, the stress test was normal in about half and the same or worse in half, and angina symptoms improved in 42% and worsened in 14%; no relationship between these were found.
In patients with acute coronary syndrome post PCI in the TICO trial, stopping aspirin after three months and continuing with just ticagrelor resulted in less bleeding with no increase in adverse cardiovascular events than with 12 months of dual therapy with aspirin plus ticagrelor.
Go the ACC.20 Meeting Coverage page on ACC.org for more on these trials and all the trial summaries, news stories, journal scans, slides, videos and more.
What made headlines in the consumer news?
Here's a roundup of trials likely to have caught the eyes of your patients.
CVD in Women
Priya Mehta, MD, et al., found that giving birth to a baby under 5.5 pounds may be an independent risk factor for developing changes in heart function that can lead to heart failure.
"There is emerging evidence that what happens during pregnancy may be a window into a woman's future cardiovascular health," says Mehta.
In another study, Cecil Rambarat, MD, et al., found that nearly half of a cohort of female athletes at two U.S. universities had higher than normal blood pressure (BP) levels.
Of the 329 female athletes studied, 47% had BP exceeding normal levels, a proportion far higher than the 5-10% that would be expected in a general population of college-age women.
A separate study found that women with coronary artery disease (CAD) may have significantly more chest pain caused by plaque build-up, yet less extensive disease vs. men.
Harmony R. Reynolds, MD, FACC, et al., found that women in the study had 38% higher odds of having more chest pain than men, even after considering other factors such as age, race, stress test findings, medication use, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, prior MI, kidney function and overall heart function.
Finally, Ramin Ebrahimi, MD, et al., found that women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may have a 20% increased risk of having ischemic heart disease than those without PTSD. "The association we found was incredibly strong," says Ebrahimi.
"We have a rising number of women veterans, and a large proportion of them – nearly one in five – have PTSD. These women are at high risk for heart disease, what's more, they appear to be getting it at a younger age – even in their 40s. This is not something we can ignore."
Lifestyle Behaviors and CVD
Demosthenes Panagiotakos, PhD, et al., found that people following a plant-based diet who frequently consumed less healthful foods like sweets, refined grains and juice showed no heart health benefit compared with those who did not eat a plant-based diet.
"Based on these results, it seems that simply following a plant-based or vegetarian diet is not enough to reduce cardiovascular disease risk," says Panagiotakos.
In another study on lifestyle behavior, Evangelos Oikonomou, MD, et al., found that even after accounting for other known risk factors for cardiovascular disease or stroke, people who slept less than six hours or more than eight hours a night had significantly greater odds of having plaque buildup in the wall of their carotid arteries – 54% and 39%, respectively – compared with those who got seven or eight hours of sleep.
The authors note their study adds to mounting evidence that sleep patterns, similar to diet and exercise, may play a defining role in someone's cardiovascular risk.
In a survey of more than 930,000 U.S. adults, Mahmoud Al Rifai, MD, MPH, et al., found nearly 29,000 people identified as current e-cigarette users, which translated to about 10.8 million U.S. adults. The proportion of survey respondents reporting current e-cigarette use rose from 4.3 percent in 2016 to 4.8 percent in 2018.
"Because e-cigarettes have only been around for a decade, many large cohort studies have only just recently started incorporating e-cigarette information into their questionnaires. Yet, the cumulative effects of e-cigarettes may take years to develop, especially in the context of cardiovascular disease," says Al Rifai.
"It's something that we need to keep a very close eye on."
Two other smaller studies bolster emerging evidence for potential links between e-cigarette use and cardiovascular disease.
Holly Middlekauff, MD, FACC, et al., found that using e-cigarettes led to many of the same characteristics as tobacco smoke at the cellular level, with both e-cigarette users and tobacco users showing significantly more evidence of harmful oxidative stress than nonsmokers.
Social Determinants of Health
Tarang Parekh, MBBS, et al., found several social factors to be independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease after adjusting for demographic factors, socioeconomic factors and known cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Food and housing insecurity increased the odds of cardiovascular disease by more than 50%, while health care access hardship increased the odds by 47%. People with a high degree of financial insecurity were more than twice as likely to have cardiovascular disease as those who considered themselves financially secure.
In a separate study, Gmerice Hammond, MD, et al., found that current risk prediction models, which do not incorporate details about income, education level, housing status or food insecurity, likely underestimate the cardiovascular risk faced by patients in minority groups and those with low income.
Because doctors use risk scores to guide treatment decisions, researchers said this shortcoming could contribute to health disparities.
ACC.20/WCC Presidential Address: Richard J. Kovacs, MD, MACC
Greetings from Indiana! As president of the American College of Cardiology it is a privilege and honor to kick off the first ever Virtual Annual Scientific Session together with the World Congress of Cardiology.
It's hard to believe that just weeks ago we were preparing for an unprecedented meeting in Chicago, where social interaction, not distancing, was a key component. Where topics like telehealth, innovation, team-based care and global accountability were sessions, not the new normal.
I want to extend a personal thank you to each and every one of you who are on the front lines battling this unprecedented global pandemic. It has been inspiring to witness the sharing of ideas and knowledge across the entire cardiovascular care team – from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and South America to the United States – all with the goal of helping each other do what we do best – help and heal.
Cardiology is more than just a profession – we are a family. We are a team. Over the last 70+ years of the American College of Cardiology we have withstood wars, politics, acts of God and acts of terrorism, and we will withstand this latest challenge – COVID-19.
Why? Because we are a group of committed individuals united by a shared vision for a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes.
When I think of how to describe the ACC in 2020, and the year we have experienced – I think of patients, team work, professionalism, diversity, inclusion, advocacy, collaboration, innovation and global health.
Over the course of the past year, we have delivered in each of these areas, whether it was launching the Collaborative Maintenance Pathway option to ABIM's Maintenance of Certification program or welcoming MedAxiom into the ACC family as another vital component of our health system strategy.
We have made remarkable headway on our long-term strategy to foster diversity and inclusion and ensure a seamless pipeline of new cardiovascular professionals and leaders. Look for these efforts to only strengthen and grow as part of our Campaign for the Future, which you'll hear more about this fall.
On the advocacy front, the ACC continued to deliver on its commitment to advancing health policy solutions that will move the needle in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health.
We saw the largest contingent ever – more than 500 cardiovascular clinicians – go to Capitol Hill this past November to advocate for improved care delivery by reducing administrative burden, improving clinician well-being, and ensuring health policies protect patient access to appropriate cardiovascular care.
Now those same advocates are working hard to ensure the COVID-19 pandemic does not threaten clinicians and practices whose lives and livelihoods are being upended by the abrupt change in how we deliver cardiovascular care.
With COVID-19 clearly top of mind, I'm proud of how we have all rallied to share best practices and perspectives and to advocate for increased telehealth measures and clinician safety.
Whether it's joint webinars with our colleagues in Wuhan, China; practice guidance from MedAxiom and ACC leaders; rapidly published research and perspectives in our JACC Journals and on the ACC.org COVID hub; or grassroots actions urging lawmakers, regulators and private insurers to provide additional flexibility around patient access, better access to personal protection equipment and more available COVID testing; we are working together to address this pandemic in unbelievable ways.
Similarly, this last year had us accelerating our global activities with ACC international chapters and cardiovascular society counterparts, especially the WHF, as well as industry partners, NGOs and others, to address the very real impacts of noncommunicable diseases around the world. Cardiovascular disease – and clearly pandemics – know no borders.
The interpersonal and intersocietal relationships built by ACC members and staff around the world have made our responses more cohesive and better informed.
We are stronger together!
These friendships are more important than ever to meet our goal of improving health equity and global heart health.
This is just a small snapshot of the many successes and impressive progress made toward our achieving the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan – but in truth they pale in comparison with what we have accomplished and continue to accomplish as we navigate the constantly changing and uncertain environment we now find ourselves.
Team work and collaboration are the name of the game in the COVID-19 battle. I've heard of teams adjusting shifts to address colleagues in quarantines or those facing family/personal logistical challenges due to school and job closings … or cross-specialty teams uniting to manage at-risk patients.
Increasingly, I'm hearing of clinicians coming out of retirement to help in any way possible.
The best teams, whether in sports or in hospitals, are those that leverage the combined strengths of all their players. While there is no playbook for COVID-19, it is truly humbling to see teamwork and collaboration not only taking center stage – but succeeding.
Professionalism also abounds. It is inspiring to see our entire profession – individual clinicians, Chapters and societies alike – come together to share best practices and learn from each other.
The insights from those on the ground in countries like China, Italy, Japan, Iran and Korea are vital as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the U.S. and other countries.
Respect for each other and for diverse thoughts and perspectives is not only at the core of professionalism but is also the key to finding solutions that can save lives.
I have long said one of the ACC's greatest strengths is its ability to convene stakeholders and help to drive discourse and be a source of trusted information.
A quick visit to the College's COVID-19 hub on ACC.org is a great visual of this "convening" in action.
From joint statements with our partner cardiovascular societies, to joint webinars and shared findings from our colleagues in China, to clinical guidance on telehealth, cath, EP and echo lab recommendations and other topics from our Member Sections and ACC Chapters, we are facilitating important conversations and making progress towards real solutions.
The ACC.20/WCC Virtual experience is another incredible example of staff, leaders, industry and other stakeholders convening to bring ACC.20/WCC to life – just differently.
In less than three weeks, these stakeholders, along with our incredible World Heart Federation partner, were able to pull together a meeting that is typically years in the making.
Because of them, I am standing virtually before you. As ACC.20/WCC Chair Andrew Kates says: "The show must go on."
And it is!
The challenges we face today are like nothing most of us have ever seen.
To meet these challenges, we need to remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing knowledge, advocating for our patients and our profession, and being the trusted source for information relating to cardiovascular care.
The ACC needs your ongoing support, your wisdom and your continued input. It is more important than ever to become engaged with your professional society and contribute whatever you can as a volunteer in not only this battle against COVID, but the larger war against cardiovascular disease.
Twelve months ago, I stood before you on an actual stage and spoke about the importance of the ACC family. Today, this family is more important than ever.
I have spoken and written this year about my mother, Elizabeth Kovacs, who lived in good health to the age of 99. She was born in 1918, the year of the greatest pandemic the world has ever seen. Her infant brother died in the pandemic, virtually every home in the United States lost a family member. But she not only survived, she thrived through a combination of intelligence, healthy lifestyle and common sense. May we all heed examples like hers.
It has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve as ACC president this past year. I want to thank my wife Roxanne, my daughter Stephanie (an epidemiologist at CDC, by the way), my son Jimmy and his wife Christa, and all of my colleagues at IU Krannert Institute and IU Health, but especially Marlene Cox my AA and Robin Tetrick my MA.
My family and my colleagues in Indiana had to not only deal with the rigors of an ACC Presidential year, but a particularly challenging year. I am supremely confident that our next president, Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, will be an even better leader for the College.
I also want to remember long-time ACC CEO William Nelligan and ACC Past Presidents John Ross Jr., MD, MACC, Fred Bove, MD, MACC, and Bill Winters, MD, MACC – their legacies live on at Heart House and in all of us who had the privilege to learn from and work with them.
Dr. Winters lived by what he called "the four rules of the road:" 1) A good attitude; 2) Be the best you can be; 3) Have learning experiences every day, especially learning from mistakes; and 4) live your faith, whatever that may be.
As we look to the immediate future, we have our work cut out for us, but I encourage all of us to take these four rules with us and practice them in our daily lives.
In the meantime, stay safe, be well and Thank YOU! I can't think of any other group of people I'd rather be on the front lines with.
View Dr. Kovacs deliver his Convocation speech on the Convocation page at Virtual/ACC.org.
In Memoriam
Convocation and the passing of the presidential chain from one president to the next also signals a moment to remember the giants of cardiology who inspired us and their legacy of dedication, excellence and service.
This year we remember Alfred A. Bove, MD, PhD, MACC, ACC President from 2009-2010; William D. Nelligan III, CAE, FACC, ACC Executive Director/CEO from 1965-1992; John Ross Jr., MD, MACC, ACC President from 1986-1987; and William L. Winters Jr., MD, MACC, ACC President from 1990-1991.
Winters' Four Rules to Live By
ACC Past President William Winters Jr., MD, MACC, lived by what he called "the four rules of the road," leaving us a legacy to guide daily life.
A good attitude.
Be the best you can be.
Have learning experiences every day, especially learning from mistakes.
Live your faith, whatever that may be.
Celebrating Our Newly Designated Fellows and Associates of the ACC
To be a Fellow or Associate of the American College of Cardiology is about more than merely attaining a certain level of organizational membership. It's about committing yourself to an ideal of collaboration, of scholarship and of service to your patients and colleagues. This year the ACC welcomed 1,087 FACCs and 105 AACCs from 50 states and 51 countries.
A warm virtual welcome to our nearly 1,500 new AACC and FACCs! Introduce yourself and share a selfie use #ITookTheACCOath. You are #TheFaceOfCardiology. #ACC20/#WCCardio https://t.co/eu1hdB613F pic.twitter.com/7QGjf4wcNT
— American College of Cardiology (@ACCinTouch) March 30, 2020
Every year the ACC secretary and Board of Governors (BOG) chair plays the important role of calling Convocation to order, administering the oaths to new Fellows and Associates and officially adjourning the meeting. While Convocation as we traditionally know it didn't take place this year, the ACC would like to recognize Akshay Khandelwal, MD, FACC, for his service as secretary and BOG chair this past year.
Share Your "Oath Selfie!"
There's still time for all new Fellows and Associates to share their accomplishment on Twitter using #ITookTheACCOath. Find the oath on the Convocation page at Virtual.ACC.org.
ACC.20/WCC Virtual Stage Used to Raise Global Awareness of Chagas Disease
The World Heart Federation (WHF) released during ACC.20/WCC a new roadmap aimed at reducing the global burden of Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease that can cause irreversible damage to the heart and other vital organs.
The Chagas Disease Roadmap, developed by WHF in partnership with the Inter-American Society of Cardiology (IASC), aims to both help raise awareness of Chagas disease and present a framework for prevention and control efforts at the national, regional and global level.
Drawing on the expertise of Chagas expert clinicians, researchers, implementation science experts and patients, it sets out recommendations for screening, diagnosis and treatment of both acute and chronic Chagas cases, while also recommending appropriate health system interventions to tackle the disease.
"Chagas disease remains a profound public health issue in Latin America and increasingly on a global scale," says WHF President Karen Sliwa, MD, FACC.
"Yet very little is being done to improve access to diagnosis and treatment for both those who already have the disease and those who suffer the serious cardiac manifestations associated with it. This Roadmap is a timely and necessary intervention, providing concrete solutions to counter barriers to the diagnosis, treatment and management of this deadly disease."
Although Chagas disease occurs principally in the continental part of Latin America, in the past decades it has been increasingly detected in the U.S., Canada, many countries in Europe and some countries in the Western Pacific.
"In order to be implemented successfully, the Chagas roadmap requires committed global action," says Luis Echeverría, head of Department at the Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia and chair of the Chagas Roadmap Writing Group.
"Our goal is to help stakeholders begin to tackle the problem and make a longstanding difference for affected populations."
Thank YOU to Our Industry Partners
The ACC would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Industry Partners who continue to support the College in our Mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health.
The ACC is deeply appreciative of the continued involvement of some of our closest industry partners in helping us bring the ACC.20/WCC Virtual experience to life and provide practice-changing, clinical evidence and education, including new product innovations, technologies and therapies in the field of cardiology, to our members globally.
A Special Thanks to Our Premier Sponsors:
Explore the Virtual Expo to learn more about all of our partners at Virtual.ACC.org/Expo.
ACC's annual Convocation ceremony is a time to recognize the achievements of Early Career professionals and young investigators. Their work as teachers, clinicians and researchers is invaluable to meeting the Mission of ACC. Look for more about these awardees in Cardiology in the year ahead.
Congratulations to all of ACC.20/WCC's Young Investigator Award Winners!
They are the #TheFaceOfCardiology and they are moving forward the science to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health globally. Missed their live presentations? View them now on the Education Channel at Virtual.ACC.org.
Recognizing ACC's 2020 Distinguished Awardees
The ACC Distinguished Awards acknowledge outstanding individuals who are making contributions to the cardiovascular profession and the College. Their dedication and leadership, innovation and collaboration, and commitment to professionalism is moving cardiology forward on the local and global stage. Join us in celebrating the 2020 Distinguished Awardees.
Getting to Know Athena Poppas, MD, FACC
Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, assumed the role of ACC's newest president following the 69th Annual Convocation Ceremony during ACC.20/WCC Virtual.
She will lead the College during its critical second year of 2019-2023 Strategic Plan implementation and during a time of continuous improvement, innovation and change in the field of cardiovascular medicine and at the ACC.
Poppas is the chief of the cardiology and professor of medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and director of the Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute of Rhode Island, Miriam Hospitals and Newport Hospitals.
Cardiology talked with Poppas about her focus and goals for the year ahead and here we share the conversation.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Others have described my style as one of "servant leadership." To me, this means that my job is to serve our members and the College – not only in my role as president this year, but it is the philosophy I subscribe to follow in all leadership roles. It's my hope that I'm both a collaborative leader and a consensus builder, and I hope to be an advocate for positive change.
In addition to continuing to move forward with implementation of ACC's Strategic Plan, what areas of positive change are you focused on?
There are a few areas I want to highlight – and all are highly connected to our Strategic Plan.
First, when it comes to our continued and expanded focus on diversity and inclusion, I want to be sure we're emphasizing not just who we are or want to become, but how we approach the issues that affect our members and their patients.
Topics like health equity and social justice feed into this and I want to be sure my year as president is spent as a change agent to truly make our profession, and the world of health care, a better place.
Second, it is imperative that we continue the drumbeat around improving clinician well-being. We spend so much time taking care of others as cardiovascular professionals, but we must take care of and advocate for ourselves and our well-being. The ACC is here to help our members do this. This is especially true in the current practice environment of large health systems.
Finally, when you think of ACC, you likely think about great education, science and quality. I want to ensure we continue on a path of linking those together and using our core strength to reach more people, on a more global level, to ensure knowledge and tools are at their fingertips to make impactful change in cardiovascular care and patient's outcomes.
What are you most looking forward to as president?
I'm truly looking forward to meeting and working with more of our incredible ACC members this year both domestically and around the world. I look forward to learning about our member's needs and the aspects of what we do as an organization.
I'm also looking forward to continuing to strengthen how we function as an organization – working to expand engagement opportunities on a large scale and also on a smaller scale through efforts like micro-volunteering.
The possibilities expand when we have engaged members ready to work toward meeting our Mission!
How did involvement in your local ACC Chapter help you grow as a leader? In addition to leadership growth, what are some important ways that Chapter involvement complements larger ACC activities?
Chapter involvement really inspired me and showed me that all politics truly are local. Through grassroots involvement, I learned how to advocate for positive change with insurers, health systems and legislators and I also met people in other fields which expanded my thinking.
For me, Chapter involvement is one of the cornerstones of who we are and what sets us apart as an organization. Making connections in your local environment teaches you how to function well where you are geographically or within an institution.
Once you have that knowledge, background and connections, national involvement can help you see beyond where you are.
From BOG to BOT to ACC Annual Scientific Session Chair, what have been a few of your favorite memories and/or lessons learned?
One of the highlights for me was as chair of ACC's Annual Scientific Session. I'm very passionate about education and our next generation of cardiologists, so it tied closely to my interests and skills, but it also provided a unique opportunity to meet many engaged learners, educators and scientists.
Through that experience, I learned to navigate diplomatic challenges – as well as what it takes to implement such a large-scale event. The Annual Scientific Session is a big stage – literally and figuratively – and the experience will stay with me.
Fast Facts: Athena Poppas, MD, FACC
ACC Member Since: 1997
Alma Maters: Brown University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Chicago.
Previous ACC Leadership Roles: ACC.15 Annual Scientific Session Chair, ACC Governance Committee Chair, Women in Cardiology Section Leadership Council Chair, Section Steering Committee Chair, Rhode Island ACC Chapter President/Governor, and more!
Professional Clinical Focus: Valvular heart disease and women with heart disease during pregnancy, with research focus on echocardiography and heart disease in women and the elderly.
Favorite Hobbies: Cooking, spending time outdoors (hiking, kayaking), and meeting up with friends to exercise (running, yoga, cross-training).
Favorite Hometown Restaurant: Persimmon in Providence, RI – she is a regular and refers to it as her and her husband Philip's "around the corner 'Cheers' spot."
Favorite places visited? Rhode Island Chapter Meeting (draws all cardiologists in the state and is a mini-reunion annually); Pan-African Cardiology Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa (inspiring example of committed professionals in low-resource areas using creative modes to achieve good health care outcome); and NCD Meeting in Dubai (important public health gathering leveraging innovation and knowledge transfer to combat NCDs).
ACC's New Slate of Officers and Trustees Installed
The ACC's Board of Trustees (BOT) recently named its new slate of officers and trustees following the ACC.20/WCC Virtual experience in March 2020.
Included in the installation of new College leaders are ACC's new president, Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, and vice president, Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC. Daniel Philbin, Jr., MD, FACC, will serve as Board of Governors chair and ACC secretary. Howard "Bo" Walpole, MD, MBA, FACC, will continue in his role of treasurer. Additional new Trustees include: Jeffrey Kuvin, MD, FACC, Joseph Marine, MD, FACC, Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC, and Andrew Miller, MD, FACC.
Congratulations to ACC's new leaders!
Clinical Topics: Acute Coronary Syndromes, Anticoagulation Management, Arrhythmias and Clinical EP, Cardiac Surgery, Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology, Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Disease, Dyslipidemia, Geriatric Cardiology, Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies, Invasive Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention, Noninvasive Imaging, Pericardial Disease, Prevention, Pulmonary Hypertension and Venous Thromboembolism, Sports and Exercise Cardiology, Stable Ischemic Heart Disease, Valvular Heart Disease, Vascular Medicine, Anticoagulation Management and ACS, Implantable Devices, SCD/Ventricular Arrhythmias, Atrial Fibrillation/Supraventricular Arrhythmias, Cardiac Surgery and Arrhythmias, Cardiac Surgery and CHD and Pediatrics, Cardiac Surgery and Heart Failure, Cardiac Surgery and SIHD, Cardiac Surgery and VHD, Congenital Heart Disease, CHD and Pediatrics and Arrhythmias, CHD and Pediatrics and Imaging, CHD and Pediatrics and Interventions, CHD and Pediatrics and Prevention, Acute Heart Failure, Pulmonary Hypertension, Interventions and ACS, Interventions and Imaging, Interventions and Structural Heart Disease, Interventions and Vascular Medicine, Angiography, Nuclear Imaging, Hypertension, Sleep Apnea, Sports and Exercise and Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology, Sports and Exercise and ECG and Stress Testing, Sports and Exercise and Imaging, Chronic Angina
Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Anticoagulants, Arrhythmias, Cardiac, Cardiac Surgical Procedures, Metabolic Syndrome, Angina, Stable, Heart Defects, Congenital, Dyslipidemias, Geriatrics, Heart Failure, Angiography, Diagnostic Imaging, Pericarditis, Secondary Prevention, Hypertension, Pulmonary, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, Sports, Angina, Stable, Exercise Test, Heart Valve Diseases, Aneurysm
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