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Get to Know Your Leaders: ACC.17 Chair Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD, FACC and Vice Chair Andrew M. Kates, MD, FACC
Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD, FACC, comes from a family of physicians. “As I was growing up, the joke in my family was not if I was going to become a doctor, but what kind of doctor I would become,” he says. “After all this time, I would choose no other profession. It is the perfect job for me.”
Andrew M. Kates, MD, FACC, also knew from a young age that he wanted to be a physician. “I think I was five- or six-years-old,” he remembers. Then, as a third-year medical student at Tufts University, Kates’ first rotation was on a cardiology service. “It was such a great mix of patient care, technology, anatomy and physiology – I was hooked.”
Kuvin, chair of ACC’s 66th Annual Scientific Session and Expo (ACC.17), and Kates, who is vice chair of ACC.17, both first became involved with the College through the Emerging Faculty Program. “The course sparked my interest in the vast opportunities within the College and offered a way to learn from experienced educators,” says Kuvin. From there, both focused on education and fellowship training. Kuvin served as chair of ACC’s In-Training Examination, with Kates joining him on the committee. Kuvin also lead the Fellow-in-Training Learning Portfolio project and is presently the chair of ACC's Lifelong Learning Oversight Committee, which is the College's central education committee.
It only seems natural that this path would lead them to their current roles as chair and vice chair of ACC.17. They have both been involved with the meeting over the years in different roles. Kuvin first became involved in meeting planning as the chair of the Program Directors’ Boot Camp and later as a topic coordinator. “The complexity of the process intrigued me, and to see the final results each spring has been exhilarating,” he says. Kuvin then served as vice chair for ACC.15 and ACC.16.
Kates first became involved as an abstract reviewer and presenter. For the last two years, he has chaired the Core Curriculum sessions with John P. Erwin, III, MD, FACC, president of ACC's Texas Chapter, as well as the Health Care in Emerging Countries Symposium. He has also been involved with the Annual Scientific Session on the state level, and now serves on the Board of Governors as president of ACC's Missouri Chapter.
Kuvin and Kates will now bring these experiences with them to ACC.17. According to Kates, his prior involvement has given him insight into the educational structure and international impact of the meeting. These two physicians clearly have a passion for educating the next generation of cardiovascular leaders, something they have learned from their own mentors throughout their careers. Both have lead cardiology fellowship training programs at their respective institutions.
Kuvin counts his father, who practiced internal medicine and cardiology and studied global infectious diseases, as his lifelong mentor and role model. “He taught me life lessons and how to strive to be a complete physician,” he said. He has also been influenced by mentors such as Marvin Konstam, MD, FACC, James Udelson, MD, FACC, Deeb Salem, MD, FACC, Richard Karas, MD, PhD, and Mark Creager, MD, FACC. At the College, he has been mentored by Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, MACC, Rick A. Nishimura, MD, MACC, Eric Williams, MD, MACC, and Robert Harrington, MD, MACC. “These mentors, along with countless others in my life, have truly been invaluable. Some of the best advice I have received along the way is to be a good listener and to follow your passion.”
Kates credits Douglas L. Mann, MD, FACC, editor-in-chief of JACC: Basic to Translational Science, for mentoring him in his role as program director and adds that Chittur A. Sivaram, MBBS, FACC, has supplied insight into running a fellowship program and understanding the big picture as it applies to trainees. Clinically, Alan C. Braverman, MD, FACC, has also served him as a mentor and role model, and he also looks to Kuvin as a role model. “He has taught me how good ideas become great ideas when you can work with others to develop them,” he says.
Over the next two years, Kuvin and Kates will work together to head the Annual Scientific Session, with Kates taking over as chair for ACC.19 and ACC.20. Kuvin hopes to be able to pick up where the last two meetings left off, continuing to focus on innovative, informative, interactive and inter-disciplinary education. New features in 2017 will include a hands-on learning center, enhanced audience participation, dual Maintenance of Certification (MOC)/Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit for most sessions, creative ways to test one’s knowledge, and more.
Kates envisions a program that continues to push the envelope for the engaged learner; one that continues to attract new attendees and those who have been away for many years. He also sees the location of Washington, DC, as an opportunity to bring key players in national health care to the table.
“The meeting is special because it represents a unique forum for education and science,” Kates says. “It allows for sharing of knowledge but also the opportunity to interact with people – thought leaders, colleagues and old friends. These interactions can never happen just by getting MOC or CME credits at home.”
“ACC.17 is definitely the place to be for the latest science, knowledge, networking and explorations,” says Kuvin. “The annual meeting is unique in that it brings together cardiovascular professionals from across the U.S. and around the world to learn from each other. The part I love the most is the energy that is generated at the meeting – it’s palpable!”
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Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, Cardiology, Certification, Curriculum, Education, Medical, Continuing, Faculty, Fellowships and Scholarships, Internal Medicine, Learning, Mentors, Patient Care, Running, Students, Medical, United States, ACC17
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