Transparency, shared understanding and bidirectional communication are critical to strong governance. Coming out of the recent January Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting at Heart House, I wanted to share key takeaways to help guide our collective efforts to achieve our Mission, Vision and Strategic Plan.

Among the highlights, the BOT discussed JACC and its 2026 priorities through the lens of performance, stewardship and long‑term influence in a rapidly shifting publishing landscape. We were joined by Editor-in-Chief Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM, FACC, who spoke to some of the biggest drivers shaping scientific publishing, including changes in markets, reading habits, distribution channels, generational expectations and the accelerating role of AI. Structural drivers of influence, such as guideline citation dynamics, metadata, indexing and AI‑mediated content surfacing were also examined.

Against this backdrop, JACC's strategy was reinforced as one designed for relevance, reach and trust, grounded in a clear mission to advance cardiovascular health through trusted science and to source, elevate and disseminate essential cardiovascular knowledge. A streamlined "Your Paper, Your Way" approach to author submissions, new Guideline Focus Issues, and original research like the Adipokine Hypothesis led by Milton Packer, MD, FACC, were highlighted as examples of this approach in action.

The Board also reviewed 2025 Impact Factor outcomes and related publishing advances, including the 2025 launch of ACC Scientific Statements, the inaugural debut of the JACC Stats Report, continued collaboration on Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease initiative and meaningful improvements in digital discoverability.

Advancing ACC's role in value‑based care was another important focus of the meeting. Paul N. Casale, MD, MPH, MACC, a long-time ACC leader in this area, led a discussion on the strategic considerations and implications of emerging payment models for the College. Trustees aligned around several ACC priorities, including the need for flexibility in new models, appropriate attribution and risk adjustment, coordinated care approaches, and explicit advancement of health equity, while avoiding models that place undue financial risk on clinicians.

ACC's efforts to educate members about the mandatory five-year Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) for heart failure (HF), finalized late last year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and officially launching on Jan. 1. 2027, was also flagged as a high-priority campaign. More details on the ASM requirements, including details on how the model will be implemented, the final participant list and key dates, can be found on the new ASM resource page.

The Board also received a strategic update on our continued collaboration with the World Heart Federation (WHF) from Athena Poppas, MD, MACC. Trustees discussed the mutually reinforcing ACC‑WHF partnership, including ongoing collaboration to tackle non-communicable diseases, upcoming partnerships around the World Heart Summit in May 2026 and ACC.27 in Houston, and the ongoing generation of globally impactful documents, including the recent joint statement on environmental stressors and cardiovascular health.

We also heard an update on MedAxiom's priorities for this year and beyond and discussed opportunities for increased collaboration. CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, FACC, shared how MedAxiom has nearly doubled its institutional memberships since joining the ACC in 2019. He also noted how innovative ventures, coupled with organizational performance solutions like MedAxcess and MedAtlas, and educational offerings like the CV Transforum and Wharton Online Courses, are providing important non-clinical education and insights aimed at helping optimize patient care and outcomes. The ACC and MedAxiom's Care Transformation Initiative also continues to move forward, providing best practices for care delivery and implementation. Look for the latest chapter providing guidance around AI prompts, expected in the coming week.

As always, it was also inspiring to hear about the incredible work being led by our Assembly of International Governors, Member Sections and Board of Governors – all of whom who are gearing up for ACC.26 in New Orleans in March. Look for all-new pre-conferences, featured educational sessions, networking, special events and more throughout the three-day extravaganza. So much incredible work has gone into planning and implementing this flagship event, and excitement is building. Please encourage everyone you know to register! Visit the ACC.26 site for registration details and to access the all-important Program Planner. In case you missed it, the latest in my REMARKable Conversations series features a closer look at the incredible work being done across our Sections and Chapters and includes special sneak-peeks into ACC.26 planning as well.

Taken together, the January BOT meeting reflected the depth of ACC's strategic work and the collective commitment to advancing cardiovascular health through science, data, partnerships and innovation.

Keywords: Leadership