Contact: Katie Glenn, kglenn@acc.org,

WASHINGTON (Dec 17, 2020) -

The American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Sandra J. Lewis Cardiovascular Women’s Leadership Institute will support the unique needs of mid-career women as they continue to sustain and grow their leadership skills. Part of the ACC’s Campaign for the Future, the Institute will further the College’s strategic goals to foster a diverse pipeline of leaders within the profession and the ACC itself.

“For many women 15 to 20 years into their career, changes in responsibilities serve as an opportunity to reassess, reimagine and reinvent their professional lives,” said Sandra Lewis, MD, FACC, whose transformational gift to the Campaign for the Future is making the Institute possible. “While this stage may serve as a professional renaissance for many, it is also a stage that further benefits from unique guidance and targeted leadership development in a successful transition forward. The Sandra J. Lewis Cardiovascular Women’s Leadership Institute is my way of giving back to those who helped me find my own way during this critical period of my own career and ensuring a future that includes strong female leaders throughout the field.”

The Institute, which will launch in 2021, will include a series of programmatic activities and resources to support and guide mid-career female cardiovascular physicians. Specific programs and tools will help participants reassess where they are now in their personal and professional life; identify their future path forward; provide important networking and support to move forward; and come away with a clear sense of the opportunities to continue to grow and lead within cardiology.

“The American College of Cardiology believes that a diverse, equitable and inclusive profession is necessary to succeed in its mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health,” said John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, chair of the ACC’s Campaign for the Future and an ACC past president. “We are incredibly thankful to Dr. Lewis for her generous gift that will ensure women in cardiology are able to hone their leadership skills throughout their careers.”

Lewis currently serves as the chair of the ACC’s Section Steering Committee and chair of the ACC’s HeartPAC. She has held several leadership positions within the College throughout her more than 30-year career, including governor of the Oregon ACC Chapter, chair of the Ethics and Compliance Committee and chair of the Women in Cardiology Section. She is a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine where she also completed her internship, residency and cardiology fellowship training. She currently practices cardiology in Portland, Oregon.

The ACC’s Campaign for the Future is a $10 million member-driven campaign designed to unite cardiovascular clinicians worldwide around the shared goals of tangibly addressing global health, fostering diversity and inclusion, and ensuring leadership in cardiovascular care.

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.

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