ACC Leadership Page Underscores Importance of Science

"One of the biggest lessons reinforced by the pandemic was that no anecdotal experience or promising report can substitute for rigorous science," writes ACC President Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC, in her recent Leadership Page published in JACC.

Itchhaporia reflects on the lessons learned during the pandemic, including the "tremendous power of science" from the development of vaccines, to characterizing modes of transmission and spread, to continuing surveillance of new viral variants. She also highlights the work of the College and its members to provide clinical guidance and clinician and patient tools based on the latest science and research and lessons learned.

Looking ahead, Itchhaporia notes that "it is science with research and evidence that continues to give us hope in the face of ongoing uncertainties … Hence, there is no better time than now to hold science in high regard and promote scientific culture by believing in, respecting, and loving science." She adds: "Going forward, we must think about how to combat future viral epidemics. This will require embracing science with research funding for surveillance programs, making efforts to better understand our immune system, continuing to develop new vaccines or other combative strategies, and, last, improving on communication strategies to enhance public trust and engagement and manage misinformation.

Looking for more on this topic?

Join Itchhaporia's February Coffee With the ACC President where she and her guests discuss the importance of restoring trust in science. Get the details, as well as listen to past Coffee's on other hot topics like health equity, team building, crisis communications and more at ACC.org/ACCCoffeeTable.

In Memoriam: David Sahn, MD, MACC

David Sahn, MD, MACC, a pioneer in echocardiography and a Master of the American College of Cardiology, passed away on Dec. 31, 2021.

Sahn's contributions to the field of echocardiography are vast, including performing the first real-time 2D echocardiogram in the U.S., in 1972. He was a founder and past president of the American Society of Echocardiography and served as an associate editor for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and on the editorial boards of several other journals. Sahn was also part of many National Institutes of Health study sections in diagnostic radiology and medical imaging and was a member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Board of Scientific Councilors.

Sahn started his career as an assistant adjunct professor of pediatrics and attending physician at Children's Hospital, San Diego (1973) and then moved to become assistant professor and professor of pediatric cardiology at the University of Arizona (1974 and 1981, respectively), and then professor of pediatrics and radiology and chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at UCSD School of Medicine (1983-1992). He moved to Oregon in 1992 and served as professor of pediatrics, diagnostic radiology, obstetrics and gynecology, and biomedical engineering, as well as director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Cardiac Imaging at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Sahn majored in chemistry at Brooklyn College and graduated cum laude from the Yale School of Medicine in 1969. He completed his medical internship and residency at Yale New Haven Hospital and served as a research fellow in pediatric cardiology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

Get Ready For ACC.22: Key Dates and Deadlines

Advance Registration
Thursday, Jan. 13 – Wednesday, March 9

Registration Cancellation Deadline
(Registration fees are non-refundable after this date)
Wednesday, March 9

Standard/Onsite Registration
Thursday, March 10 – Monday, April 4

Attendees are encouraged to arrive in Washington, DC, on Friday, April 1 and depart on Tuesday, April 5 to take full advantage of everything that ACC.22 has to offer, including the Opening Showcase on Saturday morning and Convocation at 4 p.m. on Monday. ACC is committed to health and safety at ACC.22 and there will be a COVID-19 vaccination requirement in place. Get started planning your schedule and learn more about keynote presenters, award winners, late-breaking science and more at ACCScientificSession.org.

Call For Papers on Immune Therapy

With the growing evolution of immune therapies, JACC: CardioOncology is seeking papers spanning the topic as well as current trends for a special focused issue planned later this year.

The journal is seeking original research manuscripts, research letters and clinical case changes addressing immune therapy and cardiovascular disease, including a focus on the epidemiology, screening, diagnosis, risk stratification and clinical management. Moreover, basic studies focused on advancing our understanding of disease mechanisms and pathophysiology are also of interest. Authors interested in submitting a state-of-the-art review or primer (short or long form), must first send a query to the editorial board office at jaccco@acc.org.

All submissions are due on or before May 1 via JACCSubmit-cardiooncology.org. When entering manuscript information, please include "Immune Therapy Call for Papers" in the manuscript comments.