It’s been more than 65 years since the first citizen volunteer was examined in the Framingham Heart Study. This issue of Cardiology takes a closer look at the remarkable history behind the study, its contributions to the field of preventive cardiology and its continued impacts on world health. There is no other study with a greater legacy. It’s the foundation for today’s models for the prediction of risk in patients with hypertension, for the clinical diagnosis of heart failure, for the management of cardioembolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, and for the prevention of ASCVD events. It’s truly the heart study heard around the world.

This issue also explores ACC’s innovative global partnerships to improve population health around the globe. As part of our new Strategic Plan, we are focused on strengthening our worldwide partnerships with government and nongovernment organizations; international, regional and national societies; and volunteer organizations.

For example, the College is playing a key role in the development of a global campaign to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Over the last several years, ACC leaders have co-authored several papers calling for evidence-based targets to help reach a 25 percent global reduction of premature deaths from NCDs by the year 2025. In fact, our most recent commentary on “Thinking Globally to Transform Cardiovascular Care” co-authored with my predecessors John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, and William Zoghbi, MD, MACC, was just published Aug. 2 in the Lancet.

Other highlights from this issue, include: a closer look at ACC Chapters in West Virginia and Connecticut that serve as models for how to engage the next generation of cardiovascular professionals; profiles of ACC’s first public member of the Board of Trustees, Debra Ness, as well as David Skorton, MD, MACC, a cardiologist turned head of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC; an in-depth look at the latest proposed Medicare payment rules for hospitals and physicians; and more!

It’s been a busy, but exciting summer for the College. We, along with the rest of the internal medicine community, are engaged in ongoing discussions with the American Board of Internal Medicine regarding Maintenance of Certification and changes are being made! Check out the ACC in Touch Blog (blog.CardioSource.org) for regular updates. The first issues of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) are rolling out from Valentin Fuster, MD, MACC, with much success. We also just learned that JACC achieved the #1 impact factor ranking for all cardiovascular journals in the world – an accomplishment well worth touting! Heading into the fall, stay tuned for the launch of the new ACC.org website under the leadership of Kim A. Eagle, MD, MACC, as well as reports from the ACC’s September Legislative Conference and the latest science from the European Society of Cardiology and American Heart Association annual meetings.

Sincerely,

Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, FACC
ACC President

Keywords: Physicians, Volunteers, Stroke, Global Health, Government, Mortality, Premature, Cardiology, Heart Failure, Medicare, Certification, Journal Impact Factor, Hypertension, Blogging, Leadership

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