The Pulse of ACC | 2025 Distinguished Award Winners, Giving Day, More
Help ACC build a bridge to the future with a donation to the ACC Foundation during Giving Day on Saturday, March 29! With your gift, you can help the College sustain and grow programs creating a bright future for cardiology. Visit the "Bridge to the Future" in Lounge & Learn to view milestones from the last 75 years of ACC's history, take a commemorative walk across the bridge and place your name on our donor wall.
Contributions of any size will support the ACC's work to:
- Empower future leaders and the next generation of cardiovascular innovators through scholarships, mentorship and leadership development programs
- Improve global care and outcomes through the distribution of educational materials to clinicians in underserved communities worldwide and through support of quality improvement programs that save lives
- Advance health equity through education, advocacy and science
Collaborating to Improve Global Heart Health
"Reducing the global burden of cardiovascular disease and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) requires an unwavering commitment to collaboration, innovation, and equity," write ACC President Cathleen Biga, MSN, FACC, and World Heart Federation (WHF) President Jagat Narula, DM, PHD, MACC, in a recent Leadership Page published in JACC.
Biga and Narula outline the ACC and WHF's shared commitment around cardiovascular disease prevention, the transformation of care delivery models, and implementation of scientific, data-driven strategies to reduce the global burden of NCDs. They also highlight the work that ACC and WHF are doing together, as well as with partners like the American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, NCD Alliance and others to meet the United Nations goal to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by 30% by 2030 ("30 by 30").
"The path forward demands collective action from all sectors of society," they write. "The ACC and WHF look forward to continuing to lead this transformative work."
Pulse Check: Update on the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine
This article has been updated based on the release of a final decision from the American Board of Medical Specialties denying the request for a new Board. For more information, read the news story and visit CVBoard.org.
As this issue of Cardiology went to press, the cardiovascular community was still awaiting a final decision from the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) regarding the multi-society application to create a new American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM).
In a recent letter to the cardiovascular community, ABCVM Board Chair Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD, FACC, wrote: "The vision for the proposed ABCVM remains clear: to establish a certification program that emphasizes continuous learning and competency-based assessment. This innovative approach will empower physicians with personalized learning tools, recognize their ongoing commitment to professional development, and ultimately elevate the quality of care provided to patients."
He reiterated the belief that the ABCVM proposal met all the necessary requirements for an independent board and pledged to communicate the outcome of any decision as quickly and transparently as possible.
"We deeply appreciate your continued support and patience as we navigate this process," he said. "Your engagement is crucial in shaping the future of cardiovascular certification, and we remain committed to keeping you informed every step of the way."
In the meantime, all cardiovascular physicians are encouraged to maintain their certification through the currently approved pathways, including the Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP), the 10-year examinations, and the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA). There is still time to enroll in the CMP and these avenues remain the best way to ensure continued professional standing and uninterrupted certification while we await further developments.
Stay on top of the latest ABCVM updates at CVBoard.org. Learn more about the CMP and register. Plus, don't miss a dedicated Town Hall session on Saturday, March 29 as part of ACC.25, immediately following the Opening Showcase session.
Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team
Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, ACC Annual Scientific Session, Health Equity, ACC25, Noncommunicable Diseases, Quality of Health Care
