The Pulse of ACC | Remembering Robert L. Frye; ACC.27-WCC Registration Countdown, More
In Memoriam: ACC Past President Robert L. Frye, MD, MACC
The ACC mourns the loss of Robert L. Frye, MD, MACC, a distinguished physician, investigator, educator and leader whose career helped shape modern cardiovascular medicine and the College. Frye, who served as ACC President from 1991–1992, is remembered for more than seven decades of service to patients and the profession.
Frye earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. There, he first met Eugene Braunwald, MD, MACC, a fellow resident who later recruited him as the first physician research fellow and clinical associate at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Frye contributed to seminal physiological studies on Starling's law of the heart and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
"Dr. Frye holds a unique place in the history of cardiovascular medicine," said Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC. "As the first Braunwald Fellow at the NIH, he helped lay the foundation for a generation of clinical discovery that transformed our field. His intellect, collegiality and unwavering commitment to patients and science leave a lasting legacy that continues to inspire us all."
Frye spent much of his career at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, where he practiced, taught and became one of the institution's most respected cardiovascular leaders. He cared for countless patients while mentoring trainees, guiding colleagues and advancing standards of cardiovascular care.
"In a world bereft of giants, we have lost another one," said ACC Past President David R. Holmes Jr., MD, MACC. "He superseded all the metrics which define giants. He was incredibly skilled in relating to patients, families, friends, medical students, trainees and colleagues from around the world. It is hard to imagine a world without him, without all of the wonderous humility and honesty that he always brought with him."
Frye also devoted significant energy to the ACC, serving in numerous leadership roles, including as chair of the Scientific Session Program Committee and a member of the Nominating Committee. He participated in several Bethesda Conferences, helping address issues such as access to cardiovascular care and the specialty's future workforce needs.
As ACC President, Frye championed the College's responsibility to provide leadership for the profession, ensure high-quality and accessible cardiovascular care and continually act in the best interests of patients. The College recognized his extraordinary contributions with the ACC Distinguished Fellowship Award in 1995.
"Dr. Frye's legacy lives on through the discoveries he advanced, the physicians he mentored and the profession he helped lead," said ACC President Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC. "He belonged to a pioneering generation of cardiovascular physicians whose work transformed the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease."
Inaugural Fellow Focuses on Rural Gaps in Congenital Heart Care
Diagnosing and managing heart disease can be challenging in any setting, but rural communities face distinct barriers, including long travel distances and limited access to specialty care. For Plicy Perez-Kersey, MD, the inaugural recipient of ACC's Thad and Gerry Waites Rural Cardiovascular Research Fellowship Award, advancing research focused on improving cardiovascular outcomes in underserved rural populations is key to addressing these challenges.
For her one-year fellowship, Perez-Kersey, a pediatric cardiologist and clinical instructor at Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington School of Medicine, is focusing on maternal-fetal care and the social factors affecting both children and adults with congenital heart disease.
"Despite how relatively common congenital heart disease is, there are still significant geographic, racial and socioeconomic disparities," she says. Addressing these disparities, especially when it comes to expectant mothers and infants, is important because timely fetal diagnosis can support safe delivery planning and rapid stabilization of infants with critical congenital heart disease.
ACC's Rural Cardiovascular Research Fellowship offers up to $70K in funding and support for a Fellow in Training or early-career cardiologist passionate about advancing cardiovascular health in rural and underserved communities.
Read more about Perez-Kersey's work.
Learn more about the program and to apply by the Oct. 22 deadline for the 2027 Fellowship.
Registration Countdown: ACC.27-WCC Opens This Month
Registration for ACC.27 Together With WCC (ACC.27-WCC), in Houston, TX, from April 10-12, 2027, is launching this month.
The premier event will unite the global cardiovascular community in Houston for an unparalleled experience of discovery, connection and professional growth. Don't miss the hottest late-breaking science, focused pre-conferences on today's most pressing topics, hands-on learning opportunities and the latest advances transforming patient care.
Plus, ACC.27-WCC provides unique opportunities to engage with world-renowned experts, expand your network, celebrate colleagues and members across the profession, and help shape the future of cardiovascular medicine together.
Exclusive Member Registration opens on Wednesday, Oct. 14, followed by general Early Bird Registration on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Learn more.
ACC Leads Joint Statement on TAVR NCD
The ACC, along with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI), released a joint statement on the TAVR national coverage determination (NCD) finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in September.
The statement highlights the critical need "to preserve the quality framework" that has contributed to TAVR's success as it expands into new populations of patients with severe aortic stenosis, including the "preservation of the heart team, continued collaboration across specialties, collection of real-world evidence, outcomes monitoring and continuous quality improvement."
It also underscores the importance of "participation in national registries, externally benchmarked quality programs and rigorous outcomes reporting."
"The ACC, STS and SCAI appreciate CMS' efforts to evolve Medicare coverage for TAVR and enhance access to more patients as the evidence supporting this therapy continues to grow," said ACC President Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC, STS President Vinay Badhwar, MD, FACS, FACC, and SCAI President J. Dawn Abbott, MD, MSCAI. "The societies will continue to support the STS/ACC TVT Registry and other quality initiatives that promote evidence generation, patient safety, continuous improvement and health care value across the cardiovascular community."
Clinical Topics: Cardiac Surgery, Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology, Invasive Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention, Cardiac Surgery and CHD and Pediatrics, Congenital Heart Disease, CHD and Pediatrics and Interventions, Interventions and Structural Heart Disease
Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, CM-Oct-2026, Awards and Prizes, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, In Memoriam, Fellowships and Scholarships, Heart Defects, Congenital, ACC27
