"It took a pandemic to remind us of our human connectedness and shared vulnerabilities," writes ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, in a new JACC Leadership Page highlighting the importance of the College's commitment to global health "now more than ever." Poppas provides an overview of the College's global priorities over the next five years and offers insights into new and ongoing projects, as well as critical partnerships with international cardiovascular societies and other organizations like the NCD Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO). Reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease "cannot be accomplished by any single individual, government agency or country – but rather by coordinated efforts across borders," she writes. In a related, ACC.org perspective, Poppas, along with Hani Najm, MD, FACC, chair of ACC's Assembly of International Governors, Daniel Pineiro, MD, FACC, member of ACC's Board of Trustees and Neal Kovach, MBA, ACC division vice president of Global Market Strategy, express concern about the impacts of the U.S. decision to withdraw support for the WHO on efforts to address global health. "We recognize that different approaches and improved strategies could have been used by WHO during the [COVID-19] pandemic," they write. "However, at this crucial time WHO needs this financial support to tackle COVID-19, future pandemics, and to continue the organization's efforts to effectively fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases alike."

Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub

Keywords: Coronavirus, ACC International, COVID-19, Global Health, Public Health, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, World Health Organization

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