Contact: Julie Boyland, jboyland@acc.org ,

WASHINGTON (Mar 19, 2024) -

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has selected 50 learners for its 2024 – 2025 Clinical Trials Research (CTR) program, of whom 28 structural heart cardiologists and surgeons will participate in the CTR’s new Project REACH. This incoming cohort of learners will participate in a year-long curriculum designed to advance their skills and careers in clinical trials research and ensure that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute as part of the clinical trials research workforce. The CTR Program and corresponding REACH program are sponsored by Medtronic and will kick off with a networking reception at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.24) taking place April 6 – 8, 2024, in Atlanta.

“Ensuring access to leadership for all talent is an essential component of providing quality cardiovascular care to all,” said Pamela Douglas, MD, MACC, founding chair of ACC's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. “Cardiovascular care is not one size fits all and by fostering representation of broader perspectives within cardiovascular clinical trial leadership roles, the ACC’s Clinical Trials Research Program will ensure the data that drives patient care more closely reflects the needs of actual cardiovascular patients.”

The Clinical Trials Research program was established in 2019 by ACC’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force to increase the number of individuals underrepresented in cardiology (URC) in leadership roles for cardiovascular clinical trials by equipping them with the practical and leadership skills to be successful in clinical research.

“Medtronic is proud to support the incoming cohort of dynamic structural heart disease specialists to the CTR REACH program,” said Jeffrey Popma, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer for the Coronary & Renal Denervation business and the Structural Heart & Aortic business at Medtronic. “Medtronic prioritizes the practice of evidence-based medicine in the medical device industry and believes that enhanced patient access and outcomes is dependent on diversity of thought, perspective and varied experiences. We look forward to seeing the great things this group of talented individuals will accomplish in the field of clinical research.”

This year, in collaboration with the Association of Black Cardiologists, the CTR program introduces Project REACH (Research, Equity, and Access for Cardiac Health), an initiative designed to address existing disparities in structural heart clinical trials work. Through CTR and CTR REACH, a cohort of cardiologists, surgeons, structural heart disease specialists and researchers, will participate in a one-year curriculum in clinical research building on health equity principles to provide deeper understanding of the challenges of all patients facing these diseases and to foster support and collaboration among peers in the structural heart sub-specialty.

“Project REACH is an innovative initiative that will address the striking disparities seen in structural heart trials and research,” said Wayne Batchelor, MD, FACC, ACC Clinical Trials Research Program Co-Chair. “Through REACH there is a real opportunity to create meaningful change in how we determine the best ways to care for some of our most vulnerable patients.”

The selected learners for the 2024 – 2025 CTR and CTR REACH Cohort** are:

Hussein Abu Daya, MD, FACC

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

 

Aderonke Adeniyi, MD, FACC

University of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont

 

**Vratika Agarwal, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Columbia University Medical Center/ New York Presbyterian Hospital

New York

 

Carlos Alviar, MD, FACC

New York University Langone Medical Center

New York

 

**Vidhu Anand, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Mayo Clinic

Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Rochester, Minnesota

 

**Gloria Ayuba, DO, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas

 

Syeda Atiqa Batul, MD, FACC

Geisinger Health System

Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

 

Katelyn Bruno, PhD

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

 

Quan Bui, MD

University of California, San Diego

La Jolla, California

 

Gregory Burkman, MD, FACC

Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center

Hershey, Pennsylvania

 

Laura Cohen, MD

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston

 

Johanna Contreras, MD, FACC

Mount Sinai Hospital

New York

 

**Pedro Cox, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

LSU School of Medicine

New Orleans

 

Zainab Dakhil, MB, CHB

Ibn Al-Bitar Cardiac Centre and Al-Kindy College of Medicine

Baghdad

 

**Ersilia DeFilippis, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

New York

 

**Rimsky Denis, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Private Practice - Structural and Interventional Cardiology

Miami

 

**Pedro Engel Gonzalez, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Henry Ford Health

Detroit

 

**Serdar Farhan, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

New York

 

**Tanush Gupta, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

University of Vermont Medical Center

Burlington, Vermont

 

**Aakriti Gupta, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Los Angeles

 

Pura Henriquez, MD, FACC

Plaza de la Salud General Hospital
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

 

Rachna Kataria, MD

Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute/Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

 

Adnan Khalif, MD, FACC

Allegheny Health Network, Cardiovascular Institute

Pittsburgh

 

**Lillian Khor, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Veterans Administration Health Care System

Salt Lake City

 

**Yuli Kim, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

 

Agnes Koczo, MD

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Pittsburgh 

 

Salil Kumar, MD, FACC

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston

 

**Andrew Leventhal, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

 

**Bruno Lima, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nashville

 

**Giorgio Medranda, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

NYU Langone Hospital - Long Island

Mineola, New York

 

**Vivian Ng, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Columbia University Medical Center

New York

 

**Olufunso Odunukan, MBBS, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Dignity Health - Yavapai Regional Medical Center

Prescott, Arizona

 

**Jeffrey Ogbara, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Heart House/Cooper University Hospital

Haddon Heights, New Jersey

 

**Diana Otero, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Columbia University Medical Center

New York

 

Kaavya Paruchuri, MD

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston

 

Ashley Pender, MD

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Philadelphia

 

**Luigi Pirelli, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Columbia University

New York

 

**Jyothy Puthumana, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Northwestern Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Chicago

 

Odayme Quesada, MD, FACC

Heart and Vascular Institute, The Christ Hospital

Cincinnati

 

Raymundo Quintana Quezada, MD, FACC

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Aurora, Colorado

 

**Jeremy Rier, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

WellSpan

York, Pennsylvania

 

**Patricia Rodriguez Lozano, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

 

Eyal Sagiv, MD, FACC

Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine

Seattle 

 

Daniel Silverman, MD, FACC

Medical University of South Carolina & Ralph H Johnson VAMC

Charleston, South Carolina

 

**Francesca Sperotto, MD CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Boston 

 

**Juan Terre, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Tulane University School of Medicine

New Orleans

 

**Ifeoma Ugonabo, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

University of Tennessee HSC

Memphis, Tennessee

 

**Joji Varghese, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Hendrick Medical Center

Abilene, Texas

 

Keyur Vora, MD, FACC

Indiana University School of Medicine

Indianapolis

 

**Priscilla Wessly, MD, FACC CTR Structural Heart Disease Cohort

Aurora St Lukes

Milwaukee

 

ACC.24 will take place April 6-8, 2024, in Atlanta, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCinTouch, @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC24 for the latest news from the meeting.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. Through its world-renowned family ofJACCJournals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring aworld where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or follow @ACCinTouch.

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