I recently spoke with the Houston Chronicle, my hometown newspaper, about the need for physicians to take a more active role with our patients. I discussed how aligning incentives for physicians will provide better care for patients, the need to encourage health professionals to use technology, as well as the need to collaborate with other health care professionals to encourage prevention and to improve overall outcomes.

I also shared how obesity will start to cancel out some of the “wins” we’ve had in the field by bringing on high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol and diabetes at an earlier age if we aren’t proactive now and encourage lifestyle changes. This is why the ACC is partnering with groups like Million Hearts and are growing CardioSmart, which empowers health care professionals and patients to partner effectively to achieve better cardiovascular outcomes.

Lastly, I also touched on sudden cardiac arrest in student athletes and discussed how it is important to know about family history of heart and vascular disease. The ACC is offering a course, Sports Cardiology Summit: Protecting the Heart of the American Athlete, from October 19-20, which will help attendees enhance their knowledge in the practice of cardiovascular care for athletes. The program will examine screening programs that identify at-risk athletes and provide recommendations for safe participation, initiate research in sports and exercise cardiology, examine opportunities for cardiac care teams to enhance the cardiovascular care of athletes of all ages, and more. If this is an area of interest, you can also join the Sports and Exercise Cardiology Section of the ACC.

Check out the complete Houston Chronicle article here. We can each make a difference, engaging beyond our daily activities in our community and the population at large.