American College of Cardiology

A-I-T Graduates to Electronic Format on 20th Anniversary
While marking its 20th anniversary as the official newsletter for the College's fellows-in-training members, Affiliates in Training is leaving behind the delays so often associated with printing and mailing. In response to members' needs for succinct news summaries transmitted by the fastest possible means, the newsletter has been revamped for Web-based publication and electronic distribution.

All fellows-in-training and U.S. training program directors will continue to receive the newsletter, provided the College has their e-mail address on file. And Affiliates in Training will continue to provide the news of relevance to cardiologists-in-training, including updates on practice guidelines, grants and award competitions, educational programs, and advocacy efforts. Physicians on the lookout for career opportunities will be able to access an extensive repository of career-opportunity postings via the Practice Opportunity Line, which will be linked to Affiliates in Training.

Watch your e-mail every other month for online editions of Affiliates in Training!

ACC 52nd Annual Scientific Session: "Integration and Quality"
The ACC anticipates a memorable 52nd Annual Scientific Session in Chicago, March 30-April 2. The meeting has always been a mix of cutting-edge science, advanced technology, practical information, and a collegial exchange of ideas. In 2003, the four-day program will be strengthened by a new emphasis on quality through teamwork.

The theme of ACC '03, "Integration and Quality," highlights a growing acknowledgment that patient care improves when physicians and other clinicians work together—and a commitment by the ACC to help them do that. The addition of a theme for this year's program does not represent a major redesign, but rather a selective incorporation of new threads, said ACC President W. Bruce Fye, MD, MA.

Among the most prominent new additions to the program line-up will be four point-of- care (POC) symposia. Each will span approximately 3½ hours and examine a particular topic from the perspective of the entire health care team, with the needs of the patient front and center. Topics include: atrial fibrillation, heart failure, metabolic syndrome, and ethics.

The advance deadline to register for ACC'03, secure hotel accommodations and reserve tickets for special programs is Feb. 26. You MUST register for the meeting before making hotel reservations. There is no registration fee for Affiliates in Training. For more information, please visit http://www.acc.org/2003ann_meeting/home/home.htm.

Alliance of Specialty Medicine Gaining Clout on Capitol Hill
There is strength in numbers. It's an overused adage, but that doesn't make it any less true. While the ACC is a formidable advocacy voice in its own right, the College has often joined in single-issue coalitions to influence policy.

But more than a year ago, some of the specialty physician organizations who often found themselves coming together into these short-lived coalitions decided that perhaps it was time to establish something a little more permanent.

Born from this determination was the Alliance of Specialty Medicine (ASM)—a group of 13 specialty medicine organizations with a shared commitment to strengthen the voice of specialty physicians on Capitol Hill.

"When we go to the Hill as members of the Alliance, we suddenly have the backing of more than 150,000 physicians," explained ACC Advocacy Committee Co-Chair John Schaeffer, MD. "That's something that is already resonating with members of Congress."

The reception to the Alliance among lawmakers has definitely been strong. House leaders who have been working on legislation to prevent further Medicare fee cuts and enact medical liability reform have been regularly consulting with the ASM. And attendance by House and Senate leaders at an Alliance "fly-in" last fall was impressive, including Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., and Sen. Tom DeLay, R-Tex.

Forming an alliance like this is a proven lobbying tactic, explained Christopher Kush, MPP, president of Soapbox Consulting, a grassroots lobbying firm.

"Nothing moves [in Washington] unless there is proof that it has wide appeal." Now that the Alliance is beginning to be recognized on Capitol Hill, Mr. Kush added, "The challenge is for the Alliance to inform and mobilize its members. If you can do that, you can move legislation. There's no faking it."

The ACC's top priority, of course, will still be to advocate for the interests of its members, Dr. Schaeffer stressed.

"But the Alliance is yet another way that we can influence policy," he said.

Finalists Chosen for Young Investigators Awards
Fifteen finalists have been selected for the Young Investigators Award (YIA) competition. Final judging will be held during the American College of Cardiology 52nd Annual Scientific Session in Chicago March 31, 2003, when each finalist will make a 10-minute presentation. Five finalists were chosen in each of the following categories:

• Clinical Investigations—Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery
• Molecular and Cellular Cardiology
• Physiology, Pharmacology, and Pathology.

A list of YIA finalists is posted on the ACC Web site.

Results of the competition will be announced April 1, 2003, at the ACC 52nd Annual Convocation. One first-place "young investigator" from each category will receive a plaque, a certificate, and $2,000. Each of the three second-place awardees will receive a certificate and $1,000, and each investigator who earns honorable mention will receive a certificate and $500. The ACC YIA competition is supported by a grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging, Inc.

ACC/Bristol-Myers Squibb Travel Award Winners Announced
The American College of Cardiology/Bristol-Myers Squibb Travel Awards cover transportation, lodging, and meals for awardees at the College's 52nd Annual Scientific Session.

Travel Award candidates are nominated by their training directors and chosen by the ACC Cardiology Training Directors and Workforce Committee. Selection is based on the training director's citation and the affiliate in training's personal statement on career directions and goals.

A list of this year's 20 travel award winners along with their affiliations and training directors is posted on the ACC Web site.

Upcoming Clinical Heart Disease Program a Must for Affiliates in Training
The American College of Cardiology Foundation, in co-sponsorship with the Georgetown University School of Medicine, presents W. Proctor Harvey, MD's program titled, "Clinical Heart Disease: With Focus on Auscultation, Pediatric Cardiology, Five-Finger Approach." This three-day course will be held at the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., April 10-12, 2003. It is designed to provide attendees with a heightened ability to diagnose cardiovascular disease in the office or at the bedside. The goal of this course is to raise attendees' stethoscope/diagnostic skills to near 100 percent accuracy. This program will not be offered in 2004.

This is an intense program that covers:

• Art of auscultation
• Heart sounds, normal and abnormal
• Abnormal splitting of heart sounds
• Sounds in diastole: opening snap of mitral stenosis, pericardial knock sound, gallops atrial (S4) and ventricular (S3)
• The jugular venous pulse (discussion and movies)
• Systolic sounds, ejection sounds, systolic click
• Presentation of a large number of heart sounds and murmurs of actual patients
• How to examine a pediatric patient (1/2 Day)
• Holosystolic murmurs
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-dilated cardiomyopathy-prosthetic valve sounds.

Dr. Harvey is the past president of the American Heart Association, past president of the Association of University Cardiologists, and has over 50 years of patient care and teaching experience. His course includes 300+ patients for evaluation, either in person or on high-fidelity tape recordings. The majority of auscultation events that can be detected by the human ear will be presented. In clinical practice, exposure to all of this information might take years or even decades. This is a program you should not miss.

Click here for detailed information on this ACCF program.

AIT Members Eligible for 20 ACCF/Littmann Travel Awards for Dr. W. Proctor Harvey's Clinical Heart Disease Program
All current Affiliate-in-Training members of the College are eligible to apply for the 2003 ACCF/Littmann Travel Awards. Ten awards of up to $1,000 each will be given to provide registration fees and travel reimbursements for the extramural program, "Clinical Heart Disease: Focus on Auscultation, Pediatric Cardiology, Five Finger Approach," which will be held in Washington, D.C., April 10-12.

The Littman Foundation was created to honor David Littman, MD's, contributions to cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Littman was a Harvard Medical School professor, noted cardiologist with expertise in electrocardiography, and inventor of the Littman stethoscope.

Watch your mail late January for more information on how to apply for the ACCF/Littman Travel Awards. Submit your application by Feb. 19 for the random drawing. Recipients will be notified by letter after Feb. 21.

Job Opportunities
Looking for the perfect job? Check out the wide selection of job opportunities available for cardiologists throughout the United States. It's the same Affiliated-in-Training ad section you're accustomed to seeing in print.

For more job opportunities, visit the ACC Practice Opportunity Line (POL). POL is ACC's own online career site for adult and pediatric cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons, effectively and economically brings candidates and employers together.