“The ACC has a 65 year legacy of supporting cardiovascular professionals and providing a home for the entire cardiovascular team. Our members have contributed to the marked decline in deaths from cardiovascular disease since the ACC was incorporated in 1949.”

—John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC
ACC President

“The biggest accomplishment for the ACC was to get out in front and establish both guidelines for clinical practice and appropriate use criteria for cardiac testing and procedures. We have led the House of Medicine in putting quality tools into the hands of cardiovascular care providers.”

—W. Douglas Weaver, MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“The biggest accomplishments of the ACC in the past seven decades certainly include developing into a global society that is completely dedicated to non-commercial scientific and patient-care issues. The College has truly become a United Nations of Cardiologists.”

—Christoph Bode, MD, PhD, FACC
Assembly of International Governors Chair

“The ACC’s Annual Scientific Session, guidelines, NCDR and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology journals are huge accomplishments. They have all contributed immensely to the education of the cardiovascular professionals over the years and are the very core of our mission.”

—E. Murat Tuzcu, MD, FACC
ACC Board of Trustees Member

“The development of chapters (beginning with the Florida chapter) has contributed greatly to grassroots participation of ACC members including international members.”

—C. Richard Conti, MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“I believe the development of the Sections to be a major accomplishment. The Sections have created a pathway for grassroots efforts for all members to become more engaged in the improvement of cardiovascular care under the umbrella of the ACC.”

—Gerard R. Martin, MD, FACC
ACC Board of Trustees Member

“The ACC has become the leading organization, amongst all of the medical specialty societies, in fostering the measurement and reporting of quality metrics to our members, other medical professionals, and the public.”

—Stuart F. Seides, MD, FACC
ACC DC Chapter Governor

“To recognize that we want to help with the coordination of all stakeholders under the big tent of cardiovascular disease. In that process we have continued our efforts to be all inclusive by working with all members of the heart team, surgeons, hospital administrators, patient groups … and all of the subspecialty groups … and other large cardiovascular professional groups. Our goal has been to be the big tent encompassing and welcoming all the groups involved in this space as we continue to create strategies for new care models, and develop new science and educate cardiovascular professionals and patients about the art and the science of cardiovascular medicine.”

—David R. Holmes, Jr., MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“The ACC’s biggest accomplishment has been the development of the Chapter structure, national and international, allowing the subsequent maturation of the governor concept which enables the development and continuous source of future leaders for the ACC.”

—William L. Winters, Jr., MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“Over the past 65 years, the ACC has grown to become the home of cardiovascular professionals, where knowledge, innovations and quality care are shared and disseminated throughout the world for the betterment of patients and heart health.”

—William Zoghbi, MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“I believe the development of a guideline process in the ‘70s was the most significant achievement by the ACC. The guidelines have had a tremendous impact on the practice of cardiology and reimbursement issues. They have led to other outstanding achievements such as appropriate use documents.”

—Adolph M. Hutter Jr., MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“As an international member, I would say that the College’s role in setting practice guidelines that are respected world-wide is its biggest achievement.”

—John Mancini, MD, FACC
ACC British Columbia Chapter Governor

“Three accomplishments that stand out to me are the guidelines, the registries, and appropriate use criteria. All three have had a significant impact on health care policy and delivery well beyond the confines of the College; and they each will play even greater roles in the future.”

—Joseph P. Drozda Jr., MD, FACC
ACC Board of Trustees Member

“The ACC’s biggest accomplishment is our unwavering commitment to quality cardiovascular care demonstrated by our establishment of the NCDR; our desire to advocate for the delivery and access to patient centered care; and our recognition and enrollment of all members of the cardiovascular care team.”

—Paul L. Douglass, MD, FACC
Past ACC Board of Trustees Member

“Translating science to patient care and subsequently improving outcomes. The door-to-balloon project is an excellent example of determining best practices, standardizing care throughout the country which was transformative and resulted in dramatic improvement in outcomes and cost of care.”

—Robert A. Shor, MD, FACC
ACC Virginia Chapter Governor and ACC Board of Trustees Member

“Pioneering the widespread engagement of the practicing cardiology community, via registry participation, in the development of new science and scientific information, affording a ‘real world’ view of current practice that has resulted in proven strategies to improve care, improve health and lower cost while leading other societies to follow suit in this effort.”

—David May, MD, PhD, FACC
ACC Board of Governors Chair

“Without a doubt the development of the NCDR – everything else springs from it – appropriate use criteria, door-to-balloon times, external peer review, etc.”

—Sam Goldberg, MD, FACC
ACC Maryland Chapter Past Governor

“My answer comes in four words – National Cardiovascular Data Registry. It’s a national treasure which has provided, and will continue to provide insights into cardiovascular care and a pathway to quality improvement.”

—Gregory J. Dehmer, MD, FACC
ACC Board of Trustees Member

“I believe the biggest accomplishment of the College has been its ability to adapt to dynamic changing times in health care by implementing a team-based approach to patient care. The concept of the team has further extended into education and advocacy which makes the ACC a unique organization.”

—Margo B. Minissian, CNS, MSN, AACC
Cardiovascular Team Section Leadership Council Co-Chair

“…The realization that the ACC needed to establish a world recognized continuing education center where ACC members and others could assemble and learn and discuss research and clinical advances in the cardiovascular field.”

—William D. Nelligan III, CAE, FACC
ACC Past CEO

“There are two that come to mind: becoming the standard setting organization for cardiovascular medicine and developing the leading resource for dissemination of clinical evidence, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and the JACC family.”

—Spencer B. King III, MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“The ACC has been a leader in the establishment of peer review guidelines for cardiovascular procedures and clinical management.”

—Leonard S. Dreifus, MD, MACC
ACC Past President

“The ACC’s biggest accomplishment was creating a new professional society for practicing cardiologists that would incorporate an ever-expanding array of educational programs and products that provided opportunities for academic cardiologists to share state-of-the-art knowledge with physicians who provided care to patients with cardiovascular disease.”

—W. Bruce Fye, MD, MA, MACC
ACC Past President

“An area in which I am especially interested has been expanding the global reach of the College, and I am so glad to see the support of cardiology around the world, particularly in the Middle East, with the annual ACC Cardiovascular Conference on the Middle East.”

—Douglas Zipes, MD, MACC
ACC Past President