In a recent Leadership Page published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Andrew P. Miller, MD, FACC; Eileen M. Handberg, PhD, ARNP, FACC; and George P. Rodgers, MD, FACC, discuss how expanding the College's membership in 2003 recognized cardiovascular medicine as a team sport.

Managing complex patient populations, regulatory and changes to reimbursement are external pressures that place an emphasis on the need for a team-based approach. These examples are a true definition of a team, where many health care professionals contribute their expertise to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health.

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I often find myself pausing to reflect on the things in my life that I am grateful for. While I normally focus on the blessings in my personal life, I expanded my list this year to include my professional journey. The College has offered numerus opportunities through networking, education and mentorship that have contributed to my ongoing development and professional growth within the cardiovascular care team.

In 2011, I joined the College as a CathPCI Registry Data Coordinator. My director empowered our registry data team to become active members of the College and the cardiovascular care team. "Who better to know what is going on with our patients than you – someone who is in every chart seeing every aspect of the care that was delivered?" To this day, her words inspire me to take ownership of the data by supporting our patient-facing cardiovascular care teams to achieve improved and sustained performance for guideline-based care.

For more than seven years, we have impacted how the care team delivers care to patients and made a difference to the care delivered to thousands of patients and their families. I value the cardiovascular quality improvement culture and team within my organization who bring forward both value and meaning from clinical registry participation.

I am thankful for the director who introduced and supported my membership into the College. I am also thankful for the physicians that recognized the value of their local colleagues and invited them into their national professional society in 2003.

Two of the most gratifying experiences for me is 1) when I can introduce new members to the College and 2) aid in supporting the integration of the NCDR data team into the cardiovascular care team. For these reasons – and many more – I am proud to be an active member of the ACC CV Team Section.

This article was authored by Andrea L. Price, MS, CPHQ, RCIS, CCA, director of quality databases at the Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, IN.