Twenty students from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin were just two weeks away from attending ACC.20/WCC in Chicago as part of the 2020-2021 Young Scholars Program when the meeting was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation left both students and members wondering about the fate of the program.

Launched in 2019, the ACC's Young Scholars Program, sponsored by the ACC's Academic Leadership Council, the Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce and local ACC Chapters, is designed to provide a select group of students interested in a career in science with a year of mentored research and education around the importance of scientific research in advancing care for patients with cardiovascular disease.

This year's cohort of students from in and around the Chicago-area where ACC.20/WCC was slated to take place were ready to go. However, the cancellation of ACC.20/WCC and clinicians being called up by their institutions to help with COVID-19 preparedness threw a wrench in the plans.

Thankfully program co-chairs, Jacqueline Tamis-Holland, MD, FACC, and Andrew Einstein, MD, PhD, FACC, were not deterred and had the idea to take the ACC Young Scholars Program virtual. The chaos and uncertainty of COVID-19 was turned from an initial obstacle into a teachable moment for 20 students interested in a career in health care.

"We practice medicine in a world that refuses to stay static and the Young Scholars got to experience that first-hand," said ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, who took part in the Young Scholars Program virtual launch. "COVID-19 provided a unique opportunity for the students to have a window into the front-lines of patient care during what has turned into a period of unprecedented change."

In addition to Poppas, students heard from Tamis-Holland, who was on call in her hospital during the meeting wearing scrubs, face mask, gloves and hat; received a crash course in "Professionalism" from long-time ACC leader Robert Hendel, MD, FACC; and were able to ask questions from three students who were part of the inaugural Young Scholars Program that kicked off in New Orleans last year.

"While the kick-off may not have been able to take place as originally planned, the virtual meeting had a huge impact on the students and on the program," said Poppas. "Through the leadership of Drs. Tamis-Holland and Einstein, I think we were able to showcase our commitment to our patients, our pride in our professional work, and the teamwork and collaboration so inherent in our field, in a way that wouldn't have been possible even three months ago. A huge thank you to the Academic Leadership Council, the D&I Taskforce and the Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois ACC Chapters for a job well done."

Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub

Keywords: Leadership, Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana, New Orleans, Uncertainty, Pandemics, Cardiovascular Diseases, Netherlands, COVID-19, Coronavirus, Coronavirus Infections, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Illinois, Mentors, Patient Care, acc20, ACC Annual Scientific Session

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