Next JACC Editorial Board Named

Incoming JACC Editor-in-Chief Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM, FACC, has announced his new slate of editors, who will position the journal to achieve its vision of being the leading beacon for advancing global cardiovascular health.

"Our remarkable editors will apply their wisdom, talent and kindness to propel our mission, ensuring that the finest articles, honed through rigorous peer review, reach publication and have the greatest impact," says Krumholz. "Building on the strong foundation laid by their predecessors, this diverse and dynamic group of professionals is united by a mission-driven mindset, strong methodological skills, keen interpersonal skills, a commitment to excellence and an eagerness for innovation."

The Deputy Editors who will lead the Editorial Board include:

• Rasha K. Al-Lamee, MD, PhD (Imperial College London, UK)
• Lesley H. Curtis, PhD (Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC)
• James L. Januzzi Jr., MD, FACC (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA)
• Carolyn S.P. Lam, MBBS, PhD (National Heart Center Singapore; Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore)
• Zhenqiu Lin, PhD (Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT)
• Erica Spatz, MD, MHS, FACC (Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT)

"To maximize our impact, JACC will attract the best content and provide best-in-class dissemination and amplification," says Krumholz. "These editors will foster a collaborative spirit among the editorial team, authors, reviewers and JACC staff. Embodying our intent to become an author-centric platform, the editors will engage with authors with the utmost respect, fairness and kindness," Krumholz adds. "Together, we will transform how a leading medical journal can improve patient outcomes and population health."

The other members of the Editorial Board include:

• Senior Consulting Editor
  Milton Packer, MD, FACC
• Executive Associate Editors
  Behnood Bikdeli, MD, MS, FACC
  Aakriti Gupta, MD, MSc, FACC
  Yuan Lu, ScD
  Karthik Murugiah, MBBS, MD, FACC
  Mitsuaki Sawano, MD, PhD
• Deputy Associate Editors
  Sanket Dhruva, MD, MHS, FACC
  Kushal Kadakia, MSc

Associate Editors

Click here to learn more about the new Editorial Board.

Andreas Merkl Named Next Public Member Trustee of ACC Board of Trustees

Andreas Merkl is joining the ACC's Board of Trustees as its newest Public Member Trustee, effective this month. He will serve a two-year term through 2026.

"With the explosion in data science, knowledge management, AI and learning networks, there have never been more opportunities to advance ACC's mission of advancing cardiovascular science and practice," says Merkl. "As the Board's public member, I greatly look forward to bringing the tools and experiences of analog, nonmedical fields to bear in the pursuit of that mission."

Merkl brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He is the CEO and co-founder of Centigrade, a data company focused on global carbon and nature credit markets. He is also a research fellow at Oxford University and chair of Sustain Our Urban Landscape (SOUL), a nonprofit focused on the reforestation of New Orleans. His career has been centered on tackling complex systems problems at the human/ecology interface, with a focus on areas such as climate, oceans, circular economy/plastic, food systems and natural resource management.

"Merkl's unique professional and personal perspectives and experiences will strengthen the Board of Trustees and help sharpen our strategic focus," says Past President Ed Fry, MD, MACC. "I am confident that his diverse competencies and global vision will further help ACC deliver on its mission to transform cardiovascular care for all."

Merkl holds an MBA from Harvard University, a master's degree in city and regional planning from the University of California Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree from the University of California Santa Cruz in natural history and environmental studies.

Gilbert H. L. Tang Named Next Editor-in-Chief of JACC: Case Reports

Gilbert H. L. Tang, MD, MSc, MBA, FACC, has been selected as the next editor-in-chief of JACC: Case Reports. He will officially assume the role of editor-in-chief on Aug. 1, with his first issue slated for Aug. 7.

Tang is currently serving as a professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the surgical director of the Structural Heart Program at the Mount Sinai Health System, and the director of Structural Heart Education at the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York, NY.

Widely recognized for pioneering innovative concepts and techniques in TAVR, Tang has set contemporary standards in the field. His impressive international academic collaborations include the establishment of multiple global registries and the training of heart teams in structural heart imaging and procedures worldwide. His research centers on the comprehensive management of patients post TAVR, transcatheter mitral and tricuspid valve interventions, and advanced imaging techniques in structural heart disease.

In addition to serving on committees in the Heart Valve Collaboratory, and several clinical trials in structural heart, he has served as a member of the ACC Scientific Publications Committee. He is also a member of the ACC/STS TVT Research and Publications Committee, a four-time recipient of the JACC Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship and has served as an associate editor for Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and lectures extensively worldwide.

"I am both honored and humbled to be a cardiac surgeon among the Editors-in-Chief in the JACC family of journals," Tang says. "It is going to be an exciting time for JACC: Case Reports to build on a team of multidisciplinary cardiovascular practitioners with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and at different stages of their professional careers, to enhance the journal's academic and educational impact globally."

Click here to read the latest issue.

ACC Announces Next Clinical Trials Research Program Participants

The ACC has selected 50 learners for its 2024-2025 Clinical Trials Research (CTR) program, of whom 28 structural heart cardiologists and surgeons will participate in the program's new REACH (Research, Equity, and Access for Cardiac Health) cohort. The incoming cohort of learners will participate in a year-long curriculum designed to advance their skills and careers in clinical trials research and ensure that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute as part of the clinical trials research workforce.

"Ensuring access to leadership for all talent is an essential component of providing quality cardiovascular care to all," says Pamela S. Douglas, MD, MACC, founding chair of ACC's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. "Cardiovascular care is not one size fits all and by fostering representation of broader perspectives within cardiovascular clinical trial leadership roles, ACC's CTR program will ensure the data that drives patient care more closely reflects the needs of actual cardiovascular patients."

ACC's CTR program was established in 2019 by ACC's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force to increase diversity in clinical trial research by equipping individuals traditionally underrepresented in cardiology with practical skills and leadership competencies necessary to be successful in the field. REACH, a collaboration with the Association of Black Cardiologists, is a new initiative designed to address existing disparities in structural heart clinical trials. Both the CTR program and REACH are supported by Medtronic.

"REACH is an innovative initiative that will address the striking disparities seen in structural heart trials and research," says Wayne Batchelor, MD, FACC, co-chair of ACC's CTR program. "Through REACH there is a real opportunity to create meaningful change in how we determine the best ways to care for some of our most vulnerable patients."

The selected learners for the 2024-2025 CTR program and Project REACH cohort will convene for the first time at ACC.24 in Atlanta. Click here for the list of cohort members.