Magical, is how outgoing ACC President B. Hadley Wilson, MD, FACC, describes his past year as the College's 72nd president. A year that had him literally traveling around the world on behalf of the College and brought with it a number of critical opportunities to leave a lasting impact on the ACC's future.

"I have so many great memories of this past year, including assisting a hot air balloon landing on the parking lot of the New Mexico ACC Chapter Meeting; attending the grand opening ceremony of the Egyptian Society of Cardiology's Heart House in Cairo; meeting with the ministers of health in Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Germany, Singapore and India; presenting ACC's plan to help reduce global cardiovascular disease significantly by 2030 before the United Nations – the list goes on," says Wilson.

No Member Left Behind

Wilson started out his presidential year most looking forward to increasing member value, growth and engagement in the College – and he delivered. A Member Engagement Task Force commissioned by the Board of Trustees and led by incoming President Cathie Biga, MSN, FACC, and Membership Chair Joseph E. Marine, MD, FACC, has been hard at work identifying ways to increase opportunities for member involvement and relevance in the ACC.

Key goals for the Task Force have included evaluating additional opportunities for members to serve the College through additional committee positions and activities, mentorship, advisory bodies, advocacy, section and state chapter participation, and more; ensuring underrepresented members have a voice and a home in the College; and examining ways to leverage new digital technologies and platforms, like the ACC DocMatter community, to help identify and link members to relevant opportunities for growth and development based on skill sets, competencies and past experiences.

"Recommendations from the Task Force will be presented in the weeks ahead and I promise they will be exciting for members," says Wilson. "We look forward to making these recommendations, which I like to call the 'No Member Left Behind Strategy,' a reality in the year ahead."

Delivering on Strategic Priorities

Under Wilson's leadership, the ACC also made significant gains in key strategic areas of health equity, digital transformation, NCDR and clinical guideline optimization, innovation and global acceleration.

On the health equity front, the College held its first-ever Health Equity Summit in 2023 and transitioned the Health Equity Task Force to a permanent committee of the College. Globally, a separate Board of Trustees (BOT)-appointed task force is currently working on a roadmap for further expanding the College's international growth and activities in the years ahead.

The ACC also launched an ACC Innovation LLC, "turbo-boosting the College's digital transformation efforts," says Wilson. Additionally, two new guidelines were released in 2023, reflecting the work of the ACC and American Heart Association (AHA) over the last several years to make the guidelines more relevant, timely and nimble. Wilson also notes the newest NCDR ASC (Ambulatory Surgery Center) Registry Suite and the debut of new registry dashboards.

"All of this work is integral to ACC's Vision of a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes," Wilson says. "I started my year thinking I would focus on one or two major areas, but it's been exciting and inspiring to see the tremendous progress in so many important areas."

One of Wilson's greatest memories from the past year occurred in September with the announcement of the joint society effort to request a new, independent Board of Cardiovascular Medicine from the American Board of Medical Specialties.

"At the kickoff I hosted a special Heart-to-Heart Presidential Discussion that included ACC Past President Edward T.A. Fry, MD, MACC, BOT Member Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD, FACC, and leaders from the AHA, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Rhythm Society, and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention to share plans for the new Board and what we hope it will accomplish," says Wilson. "The excitement surrounding this entire effort reminds me of the excitement leading up to a Super Bowl. It's truly the right time and I'm so proud to be a part of this joint society collaboration for the entire house of cardiology."

Hopes For the Future

As he passes the baton to Biga, who will officially be installed as ACC president during Convocation at ACC.24, Wilson has high hopes for the future.

"The ACC has great leadership under Cathie Biga, ACC CEO Cathleen C. Gates, and the entire BOT," he says. "I can't think of a better group of individuals to lead us into our 75th year and the start of our new Strategic Plan for 2024-2028."

According to Wilson, the College will continue to focus on growing its membership, both internationally and among the broader cardiovascular care team, while also working to transform and sustain a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion that benefits clinicians and patients alike.

He also highlights the importance of solving for the current workforce crisis, which will involve care transformation leveraging digital health and artificial intelligence as well as the expanded cardiovascular team.

"At the end of the day, we will continue to grow and lead as the largest global cardiovascular society by individual memberships," says Wilson. "I am proud of so many things we have accomplished this year. I hope my legacy is that ACC can achieve big audacious goals for its members and patients through connectivity with all and positivity for all."

Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, Leadership, Patient Care, Health Equity, Growth and Development, Mentors, Goals