January 24, 2021
The ACC is honored to celebrate 40 years of providing critical research fellowships to Fellows in Training and Early Career clinicians in partnership with Merck.
January 24, 2021
The newest issue of JACC: Case Reports features the second part in a procedural complications series, as well as four mini-focus issues spotlighting recent hypertrophic cardiomyopathy guideline cases, imaging, electrophysiology and chest wounds.
January 19, 2021
In March 2020, it was clear that COVID-19 was here to stay and would impact every aspect of our lives. Faculty members Matthew J. Feinstein, MD, FACC, and Kannan Mutharasan, MD, came up with a simple idea to keep the cardiology department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital connected in an otherwise isolating moment in the world: they invited around 400 faculty members and fellows to a Zoom meeting named Coffee Talk.
January 19, 2021
What is the largest audience you have ever taught? Until recently, my answer was in the double digits. However, the world is changing.
January 19, 2021
As we transition from a year of the pandemic that has deeply tested our resilience as front line workers, into a new year filled with promise and hope, I wish to reflect on this path as a foundation for ‘Ikigai’ – a Japanese term meaning “a reason for being.”
January 19, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all – directly or indirectly. Some of us have experienced the loss of a patient, family member or friend affected by this disease. Many others have had to face new challenges such as juggling remote working conditions while homeschooling, filing unemployment, or experiencing physical and mental distress.
January 19, 2021
Like many conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic, the recent Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) Virtual Conference was like no other. The virtual format has resulted in a larger audience and provided more flexibility, especially for the busy Fellows in Training. In this piece, I wanted to share some of the highlights from the TCT Virtual Conference.
January 16, 2021
Are you attending ACC’s Advancing the Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient Virtual meeting?
January 16, 2021
To celebrate 40 years of partnership, the ACC and Merck are joining forces with the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) to offer three Research Fellowships in the amount of $100,000 each.
January 12, 2021
A recent blog post from JACC Journals’ publisher, Elsevier, breaks down the tips shared by Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, editor-in-chief of JACC, and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM, FACC, during their popular webinar.
January 12, 2021
Minor modifications in workflow may go a long way in keeping young left-handed trainees on course to realize their potential in this procedural specialty, according to a Fellows in Training (FIT) and Early Career Page published Jan. 4 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
January 4, 2021
If you are anything like me, the thought of life and disability insurance is many things. Daunting? Yup. Confusing? Yes sir.
December 21, 2020
A special focused issue of JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology offers insights into new clinical research and commentary surrounding atrial fibrillation (AFib).
December 21, 2020
The new issue of JACC: CardioOncology, is now available online via open access.
December 21, 2020
As data emerge, we are starting to identify risk factors for developing COVID-19 infection, as well as the populations that appear to be at a higher risk for developing complications.
December 15, 2020
If you are like the average trainee, you have a lot of debt. The latest numbers show that the average medical school debt is $201,490-$232,300 (1,2), and total student loan debt has doubled since around 1999 (3). Most finance books encourage readers to get out of debt as soon as possible; while this is typically good advice, future cardiologists have a unique situation.
December 15, 2020
The earliest mention of the impermeable glass ceiling, or something akin to it, was in 1839. The French feminist George Sand wrote about the "une voûte de cristal impenetrable" or an impenetrable crystal vault. The specific term "glass ceiling" was first used in 1978 to describe patterns of discriminatory promotion.
December 15, 2020
As the global burden of cardiovascular disease continues to increase on the international stage, what role does a cardiologist have in global cardiovascular health?
December 15, 2020
The first smartwatch released by Apple Inc. was back in 2015. Since then, Apple has had multiple iterations on this now iconic piece of technology. The Apple Watch Series 6 is the company’s newest edition in this line of devices, which released on Sept. 18.
December 15, 2020
When I opened the exam room door, I found Sarah fidgeting nervously, hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles were blanched a ghostly white. Her fear was unmistakable even from behind her surgical mask.
December 15, 2020
After spending two weeks as a general cardiology fellow on a busy heart failure rotation, sleeping well was not a priority. Getting to know all my patients, analyzing left-ventricular assist device settings and dosing tacrolimus post-transplantation became my daily routine. I had a sore neck every morning, which I attributed to poor sleeping posture and did not make much of it.
December 14, 2020
Join the ACC Interventional, Early Career and Fellows in Training Section Leadership Councils for webinar, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. ET, discussing bifurcation techniques.
December 14, 2020
A newpreprint server platform, First Look, offers JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology authors the opportunity to showcase their accepted research while it undergoes the peer review process.
December 9, 2020
Immerse yourself in an educational experience featuring the latest cardiovascular management and leadership strategies at ACC’s Cardiovascular Summit Virtual!
December 8, 2020
In the July 2020 issue of Cardiology, the topic of LGBTQIA+ health was celebrated and members were excited to see the ACC commit to educating cardiologists on this often-overlooked topic.
December 8, 2020
Is space travel bad for the heart? What happens to hemodynamics in microgravity? Does living in outer space age the heart prematurely? How much time in space is too much time? And how deep in space is too deep?
December 7, 2020
Every Fall, members of the ACC typically gather in Washington, DC, to advocate for patients with cardiovascular disease and meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s ACC Legislative Conference looked a little different, with "tele-advocacy" taking center stage.
December 5, 2020
Responding to the need for expanded knowledge on emerging trends, novel treatment approaches and outcomes for patients with AL and ATTR amyloidosis, JACC: CardioOncology will publish a special focus issue on this topic in 2021.
November 25, 2020
The new 2020 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, offers recommendations on the evaluation and management of patients with HCM, encourages shared decision-making between the clinician and patient when determining treatment course, and updates recommendations for sudden cardiac death risk assessment and HCM center referrals based on the latest evidence.
November 23, 2020
ACCEL audio journal is a comprehensive educational resource that delivers what every cardiovascular professional today needs.
November 23, 2020
ACC’s Campaign for the Future is your chance to shape the future of the cardiology profession, and your support matters now more than ever before.
November 22, 2020
Editorial board members from JACC: Case Reports, JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging and JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions will host a join Virtual Journal Club on Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 12 – 1 p.m. ET, discussing research on valvular heart disease and structural interventions.
November 22, 2020
The newest issue of JACC: CardioOncology recently published, which is available entirely online for free via ppen access and features new summary podcasts recorded by Journal associate editors.
November 22, 2020
In the latest installment of the long-standing expert round-table discussion, ACC Cardiology Hour, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, leads expert panelists in discussion on top late-breaking clinical trials released during the AHA Scientific Sessions 2020.
November 18, 2020
As a Woman in Cardiology (WIC) editorial fellow for the ACC Fellow in Training (FIT) editorial board, I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude and responsibility to be a voice of insight and conviction for the FIT community.
November 18, 2020
In April 2018, Noelle Garster, MD, and I went to Nepal for a month-long rotation at Patan Hospital, one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country.
November 18, 2020
Cardiologists in all practice environments must be able to communicate clearly, persuasively and memorably to diverse audiences.
October 30, 2020
The ACC is excited to introduce the newly redesigned online home for JACC Journals.
October 27, 2020
This article was authored by Yuvraj Chowdhury, MD, chief cardiology fellow at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.
October 22, 2020
Like all therapies, the wearable cardioverter defibrillator is most effective when used as prescribed, but this requires continuous adherence for up to 90 days and constant attention towards the various device alarms that may become activated at any given moment.
October 21, 2020
With the election day less than a month away, many American citizens are deciding how, when and where they will vote. Early voting and voting by mail are processes meant to permit more citizens to take part in this important right and privilege.
October 21, 2020
"I'm pregnant!" The young patient sitting before me beamed with excitement. It was my first time meeting Anna, and I was rushed when I prepared for her clinic appointment, scrolling through her many notes to learn her story.
October 21, 2020
Transitioning from residency to fellowship is both an exciting and terrifying time for everyone. In the weeks before moving to a new state and starting my fellowship, I often wondered how I was supposed to prepare for the transition.
October 21, 2020
The months of September to November evoke a mix of feelings in the minds of internal medicine residents seeking a fellowship position, as well as the program leadership responsible for interviewing candidates.
October 20, 2020
Join Journal Editor-in-Chief Christopher M. O’Connor, MD, MACC; members of the Journal editorial board; and expert panelists for a Virtual Journal Club on Friday, Oct. 30 from 12 – 12:45 p.m. ET, discussing a recently published manuscript further examining the findings of the VICTORIA Study.
October 5, 2020
MedAxiom, an ACC Company, invites you to participate in the CV Transforum Fall'20 Virtual conference, taking place Oct. 8 – 10.
October 5, 2020
JACC: Case Reports is accepting applicants for a new mentoring program geared toward Fellows in Training and Early Career members interested in becoming reviewer mentors.
October 5, 2020
While pursuing a career as a physician-scientist can be daunting, the pathway can provide personal and professional fulfillment and dynamism, if the individual is equipped with a roadmap for success.
September 24, 2020
For cardiovascular professionals, rapid change is nothing new – it's that sort of dynamism that draws aspiring physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses and others to the field in the first place! However, no amount of new research, advances in treatment methods or policy changes could have prepared us for 2020.
September 24, 2020
As global health measures designed to control the transmission of COVID-19 have limited public gatherings, the continuum of athletics has been necessarily disrupted.
September 24, 2020
Join the ACC Geriatric and Interventional Cardiology Sections for case-based presentations, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. ET, showing the many intersections between the care of the geriatric patient and interventional cardiology.
September 24, 2020
Mohsin Chowdhury, MD, is an interventional cardiology fellow at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, MA. He earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Northern Illinois University and his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
September 24, 2020
In a recent Cardiology article, Edward Chu, MD, describes how one of the toughest decisions he made in medical school was telling his research mentor and program director of the general surgery residency that he would be applying into internal medicine The learning curve in procedural specialties is undoubtedly steep.
September 22, 2020
Looking for tips on the virtual interview process?
September 22, 2020
Are you attending ACC's 2020 Virtual Legislative Conference from Oct. 4 – 6? Make sure you are prepared by participating in the FIT and Early Career meeting before the conference begins, taking place on Saturday, Sept. 26 at noon ET.
September 22, 2020
Now live via online open access, the September issue of JACC: Case Reports is divided into three mini-focus issues highlighting coronary pathology, congenital heart disease (CHD) and electrophysiology clinical cases.
September 15, 2020
With social distancing in full force, video conferencing has largely replaced in-person meetings. There is no shortage of great systems that can be used for video conferencing, and this is a perfect time to take things a step further and use the technology to its full potential by creating video recorded lectures.
September 15, 2020
"Okay, we are all done. Her filling pressures are low and her cardiac output is more than adequate on the pressors she is on. I got rid of the sharps." As I broke scrub and gave the cath lab staff a quick update, I felt good about the information we gleaned from Ms. Smith's right heart catheterization. She had developed acute respiratory failure of unclear etiology over the weekend and was now breathing on a ventilator, but the data I obtained seemed to imply her heart was not the culprit, even with her known severe left ventricular dysfunction.
September 15, 2020
As part of a busy cardiology training program, it may feel like the people who provide mentorship are always around. However, it is important to remember that this will not always be the case.
September 15, 2020
Our previous article, titled "Stock Market Dip? Portfolio Adjustments to Consider," focused on actions to consider with your investment portfolio during temporary declines in the stock market, as we experienced in early 2020. Unfortunately, the global pandemic is still around, and the COVID-19 pandemic is causing a significant impact on our health, the real economy and financial markets.
September 9, 2020
Whew! The last few months in the stock market have not been for the faint of heart. The global economy, and by extension the equity markets, have been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
September 9, 2020
Catch up on the recent Virtual Journal Club during which the recent case "Roadmap to the Mechanisms of Aortic Regurgitation on Echocardiography," by Karima Addetia, MD, FACC, and Roberto M. Lang, MD, FACC, was discussed.
September 9, 2020
In the latest installment of the long-standing expert round-table discussion, ACC Cardiology Hour, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, leads expert panelists in discussion on top trials released during ESC Congress 2020.
September 2, 2020
This is the second year that advanced heart failure and transplant fellowships are participating in the match process. While programs are still in a transition phase of adjusting to this application process, there is yet another layer of having to adapt this year to a remote virtual interview format in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
August 31, 2020
ACC’s COVID-19 Hub is your resource for “Quick Tips” videos that address emerging and persistent issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
August 26, 2020
While increasing recognition of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) has improved understanding of the disease process and highlighted shortfalls in evidence, prospective and collaborative research across centers and geography are still needed to advance the science, according to a state-of-the-art review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
August 26, 2020
The latest issue of JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, and second under the leadership of new Editor in Chief Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD, FACC, features a mini focus issue on catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, informative imaging in electrophysiology cases and a basic and translational science manuscript examining subcellular Ca2+ signals within and among cells comprising the sinoatrial node (SAN) tissue.
August 26, 2020
Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic requires a coordinated plan that balances quality patient care with the safety of health care workers, all while maintaining consistent access to care for patients with and without COVID-19.
August 19, 2020
Registration is now open for the ACC's 2020 Virtual Legislative Conference from Oct. 4 – 6. This year's conference occurs at an unprecedented time. Over the last several months, COVID-19 has underscored the importance of ACC's advocacy work on behalf of clinicians, patients and the entire medical community, This year's conference will provide the inside scoop on regulatory changes, legislative action and the current state of cardiology.
August 19, 2020
ACC's COVID-19 Hub is your resource for "Quick Tips" videos that address emerging and persistent issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
August 17, 2020
During medical school or post graduate training, we receive some formal training in designing and running complex programs like research projects or clinical trials.
August 17, 2020
The connection between cardiology and obstetrics has never been closer than in the current era.
August 17, 2020
The year of 2020 has provided life-altering events for everyone, and as we start a new year in cardiology fellowship, let's reflect on what motivated us to be here. Why did we want to be cardiologists?
August 11, 2020
The ACC Imaging section and JACC: Case Reports will host a Virtual Journal Club on Wednesday, Aug. 26, from 12 – 12:30 p.m. ET. This live, interactive webinar will feature a presentation and discussion on the case, "Roadmap to the Mechanisms of Aortic Regurgitation on Echocardiography," publishing in the Journal's August issue.
August 11, 2020
JACC: Case Reports will publish a special themed issue on complications this December. Authors are invited to submit cases representing interventional, electrophysiology and transcatheter complications for consideration on or before Monday, Sept. 7.
August 11, 2020
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACC Iowa Chapter and ACC Iowa Fellows in Training (FIT) Council have made continuing fellow education a priority. The general cardiology board-oriented lecture series – first conceived by ACC Iowa Chapter President Mahi L. Ashwath, MD, MBA, FACC, and planned with Shubha Deep Roy, MD, and Nancy Adams – ran every Saturday for 12 weeks, starting May 2nd and ending on July 25th, with 39 talks by 30 speakers across four states.
August 4, 2020
The results of the ISCHEMIA trial were published on March 30, amidst the coronavirus pandemic. In brief, the study showed no significant difference in death, myocardial infarction, resuscitated cardiac arrest or hospitalization for unstable angina or heart failure during follow-up.
August 4, 2020
With roughly 10 million adults in the U.S. identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and more, the LGBTQ+ community is one of the populations arguably among the most underserved when it comes to health care.
August 4, 2020
The College is working to improve the ACC.org homepage experience for all ACC members – and we need your help! Take two to three minutes to fill out a brief survey letting us know what information that matters most to you on ACC.org.
August 4, 2020
Writing manuscripts, submitting grants and presenting at conferences in the first few years of clinical practice is hard to maintain without structure and appropriate support.
August 4, 2020
How does one know whether information accessed through the internet is accurate? A recent Cardiology article discusses how accessing accurate and high-quality medical information has become a challenge in today's era of self-purported experts propagating medical information, or likely misinformation, with limited evidence-base over the Internet.
August 4, 2020
When Mount Sinai Hospital in New York decided to reassign house staff to the front lines, the cardiology fellows were initially protected to maintain adequate staffing on presumably essential cardiovascular services: it seemed unlikely that patients were going to stop developing heart attacks, congestive heart failure and lethal arrhythmias.
July 28, 2020
In ACC's "Quick Tips for Fast Thinking" video library, ACC thought leaders provide structured reviews of emerging science, perspectives from the front line, guidance on nonclinical issues and sharing of best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 28, 2020
A letter published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology examines data from the 2019 Cardiovascular Disease Program Director Survey and addresses parental leave in cardiovascular disease training programs.
July 16, 2020
July 15, 2020
The ACC and American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) have extended the deadline for meeting 2020 Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP) requirements into 2021 to provide physicians with the flexibility to focus on their patients and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 15, 2020
The ACC on July 14 released the 2020 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on Management of Bleeding in Patients on Oral Anticoagulants in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
July 15, 2020
Recordings and key takeaways from two recent JACC: Heart Failure Virtual Journal Clubs are now available.
July 15, 2020
Join the ACC FIT Section for a webinar, July 29 at 7 p.m. ET, on tips for a successful Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Fellowship.
July 14, 2020
On the night of May 7, 2020, the COVID-19 curve was going down but New York City was still under official lockdown. I was the cardiology fellow on-call for the night shift.
July 14, 2020
You have just finished a tough day on the cardiology consult service. You walk through your front door, exhausted, only to be greeted by a sink full of dishes, laundry to fold and missed phone calls from loved ones to return.
July 14, 2020
I am sure you are excited about starting this new chapter in your training. During this year, you will gain the clinical and procedural skills to become a competent interventional cardiologist.
July 14, 2020
All of us trainees embarked on the cardiology training pathway because we loved our field. However, during the busy call nights, endless daily work and long procedures, that love can certainly be tested.
July 10, 2020
Learn techniques and strategies for publishing in JACC Journals during a free webinar presented by JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions Editor-in-Chief David J. Moliterno, MD, FACC, on Thursday, July 30 at 9 a.m. ET.
July 10, 2020
Join moderators Nosheen Reza, MD, and J.D. Serfas, MD, along with several panelists for a webinar on July 15 at 7 p.m. ET discussing the unique obstacles and opportunities for FITs as they plan to complete training and enter the cardiology workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 8, 2020
In a recent Cardiology article, Edward Chu, MD, cardiology Fellow in Training at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, discusses his top takeaways from HRS 2020 Science Online, which highlighted the impressive scientific advancements made by the EP community.
July 8, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a dramatic source of stress for physicians in the U.S. The pandemic has created an abrupt increase in workload, exposed physicians to personal risk of infection, forced many to practice outside their typical area of expertise, and exposed them to tremendous moral distress and human suffering.
July 8, 2020
Complimenting the theme of the latest JACC: Case Reports issue, Editor-in-Chief Julia Grapsa, MD, FACC, has recorded a series of informative clinical case review videos on cardiovascular complications.
June 26, 2020
Don't miss the June JACC: CardioOncology Patient Perspective Podcast. Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, FACC, talks with husband and wife physicians, Jagmeet P. Singh, MD, PhD, FACC, and Noopur Raje, MD, about their personal experience with COVID-19.
June 26, 2020
Join the ACC Electrophysiology (EP) Section Leadership Council for a webinar, June 29 at 7 p.m. ET, on the nuances of EP fellowship application.
June 23, 2020
The ACC is excited to announce a whole new board prep option — ACC Cardiovascular Overview and Board Prep Virtual Experience and ACC/SCAI Interventional Cardiology Overview and Board Prep Virtual Experience.
June 23, 2020
The newly published issue of JACC: CardioOncology features an impressive lineup of content on heart failure and pregnancy in cancer survivors; imaging cardio-oncology; strain in AL Amyloidosis; CAR T therapy; cardiac monitoring in HER2+ therapy; resiliency in cardio-oncology; and more.
June 23, 2020
In the first installment of a new video series, JACC: CardioOncology Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, FACC, is joined by Associate Editor Ron Witteles, MD, FACC; Wilson Gonsalves, MD; and Rola Khedraki, MD, for two insightful, informative 30-minute discussions on the topic of Amyloidosis.
June 16, 2020
Watching the final moments of George Floyd's life was bearing witness to a complete disregard for human life. What makes the kind of total disregard for an entire population of human beings in this country possible is the denial of the very notion that Blacks are human at all. Black people have been systematically dehumanized in this country for hundreds of years.
June 16, 2020
I awake suddenly to the alarm clock blaring for my attention. With my eyes still shut, I clumsily feel around on my nightstand for my cellphone and the blinding light emanating from it snickers at me that it is 6 a.m. As I work to summon the strength to get out of bed, I procrastinate by scrolling through my social media feed. I impatiently scan through numerous articles chronicling the tumultuous year that 2020 has been, looking for some semblance of good news to start my day. Instead, the picture of a man and the accompanying caption grabs my attention, and I am overtaken by weakness. The headline above his head reads "Unarmed Black Man Dies in Police Custody."
June 16, 2020
The year 2020 has felt relentless with two pandemics gripping the U.S. The first, coronavirus disease-2019 (also known as SARs-COV-2), struck as an invisible enemy, responsible for more than 100,000 U.S. deaths and the loss of millions of jobs.
June 12, 2020
Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, FACC, will host the inaugural JACC: CardioOncology Virtual Journal Club on Tuesday, June 30 from 10 – 11 a.m. ET.
June 12, 2020
Many nonurgent tests and procedures have been put on hold because of COVID-19. Potential delays can worry patients living with a heart condition. ACC's CardioSmart team has created a second Coronavirus and Your Heart infographic to help patients cope with postponed procedures.
June 5, 2020
The publications team is conducting reader surveys to gain insights and opinions on two JACC Journals.
June 1, 2020
In a recent Cardiology article, Edward Chu, MD, Fellow in Training (FIT) at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY, explains how although recent measures have ameliorated the debt accrued during medical school, none have addressed the extensive and perhaps unnecessarily long length of medical training, particularly to become a cardiology subspecialist.
June 1, 2020
The global pandemic caused by disease from the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has had an unparalleled impact on our society, health care systems and cardiovascular community, including fellows-in-training (FITs).
June 1, 2020
In late March, a series of live video webinars held through a collaboration of the ACC and the China Cardiovascular Association brought early insights on managing COVID-19 from the front lines in Wuhan, China.
May 27, 2020
Register today for ACC's Care of the Athletic Heart virtual meeting and experience a combination of live and On Demand sessions.
May 19, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of life around the world and restructured our priorities and focus. In health care, cardiology fellows joined their colleagues on the frontlines of the battle and became part of the heroic coalition fighting the invisible enemy.
May 19, 2020
"What have you been doing with anticoagulation?" My residency WhatsApp group lights up with responses from group members in a matter of minutes with personal experiences, links to case studies and hospital policies from various institutions. Like the rest of the world, they are learning day-by-day how to manage COVID-19 patients.
May 19, 2020
With COVID-19 sweeping the nation and the subsequent need for physical and social distancing, traditional educational efforts based on in-person didactic conferences have been directly impacted.
May 19, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced an increasing number of physicians to work from home and maintain social distancing. It is anticipated that even when we return to our normal routine, telemedicine will continue to have a major and ever-expanding role. Therefore, we need to adapt to the concept of working from home.
May 8, 2020
Watch expert analysis and discussion on the JACC: Case Reports April mini-focus issue on valvular heart disease and structural interventions.
May 8, 2020
Careers in cardiology are demanding – and the global pandemic has only highlighted some of the challenges that cardiovascular professionals face.
May 8, 2020
Welcome! You are about to embark on the ride of a lifetime – training in this great field is exciting, challenging and rewarding, and will open your eyes to the incredible breadth of cardiovascular medicine. And all along the way, we in the ACC FIT Leadership Council aim to be your go-to source for information and updates on all things relevant to life as a fellow.
May 5, 2020
DAPT after PCI improves morbidity and mortality by reducing ischemic events but increases bleeding risk, especially for high bleeding risk patients. Nearly one-third of patients treated with PCI are considered to be at high bleeding risk, but these patients are frequently excluded from stent trials.
May 5, 2020
Several important trials were presented during the ACC.20 Together With World Congress of Cardiology virtual experience that may change treatment and guidelines for coronary artery disease management, PAD and coronary artery interventions.
May 5, 2020
As cardiovascular professionals work on the front lines to treat patients with COVID-19, JACC Journals has been compiling a collection of manuscripts with the goal of providing guidance on the novel coronavirus for clinicians.
April 29, 2020
Submit your abstract for ACC Quality Summit, scheduled for Oct. 7 – Oct. 9 in Orlando, FL.
April 21, 2020
In a new Editor's Page published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), Editor-in-Chief Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, and Justine Turco, ACC's divisional senior director of publishing, provide a look on how COVID-19 has impacted clinical care and peer-review publishing.
April 14, 2020
Dear Cardiology FITs, This month's edition of the ACC On-Call for FITs Newsletter is like almost everything else you read at this time – COVID-19 themed.
April 14, 2020
Over the last few months, hospitals across the country made valiant efforts to prepare their institutions for a surge of potential cases of COVID-19. An "all hands-on deck" philosophy has been implemented at hospitals to stay ahead of anticipated high volumes.
April 14, 2020
On my way home from the airport on returning from vacation on March 20, I found myself coming back to a New York City that had totally transformed from the one I left – empty roads at peak rush hour, closed cafes and no riverside runners.
April 14, 2020
As New York City's medical community was learning about the earliest local COVID-19 cases, the first week of March 2020 was filled with mixed feelings of fear, anxiety, skepticism and frustration.
April 14, 2020
Fellows in Training (FITs) and medical residents are an integral part of responses to medical catastrophes. Medical trainees have a unique perspective of patient care from the front lines, and often work shoulder-to-shoulder with other essential medical personnel.
April 14, 2020
From social distancing to "flatten the curve" and recent holidays celebrated over Zoom, there is no facet of our lives left untouched by the COVID-19 outbreak. Most pertinent to Fellows in Training (FIT), however, is the pandemic's impact on our programs and how structural changes in fellowship affect our development as cardiologists.
April 14, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is an extraordinary and unprecedented international health crisis which has brought about drastic changes in the landscape of health care, including the implementation of telemedicine.
April 14, 2020
Here we are, Spring 2020, eleven years after the stock market bottomed out in March of 2009 following the Global Financial Crisis. While the past decade has generally exhibited falling unemployment, rising stock prices and other positive economic indicators, it may have also lulled investors into complacency after an extended period of relatively tranquil capital markets.
April 14, 2020
Are you preparing for certification in cardiovascular disease? If so, join the ACC Cardiovascular Overview and Board Review Course for an intense review designed to cover everything on the ABIM exam blueprint and much more.
April 9, 2020
They handed me the EKG. Normal rhythm...no signs of ischemia... but something jumped out. A subtle, sloping, early rise in the QRS complex with a short PR interval. A delta wave. Preexcitation. The patient had undiagnosed Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and it had just finished trying to kill him.
April 9, 2020
Dec. 4, 2019: The declaration resonated through academic hospital hallways and social media posts – "I matched!" In that moment, 1,008 physicians joined our ranks as future Fellows in Training (FITs).
April 9, 2020
In this day and age, physicians perform their clinical, research and administrative tasks within a narrow physical space and with limited interaction with clinicians outside their medical team.
March 28, 2020
Let the ACC help you take the next step in your career by visiting the Cardiology Careers page. With more than a thousand job listings and dozens of career-focused articles, Cardiology Careers will help you find your next job or succeed at the one you have now.
March 25, 2020
In an effort to help inform and educate our medical community on improved patient care related to the COVID-19 pandemic, JACC: Case Reports offers a publication avenue for sharing this knowledge with less preparation time than traditional manuscripts and fast-tracked review.
March 25, 2020
As the future holds great promise for improved multidisciplinary collaborations between cardiology and obstetrics, cardio-obstetrics may present a unique opportunity for Fellows in Training (FITs) and early career professionals to develop a niche in this expanding subspecialty, according to an FIT/Early Career Page published March 16 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
March 25, 2020
Cardiology fellowship programs may need to expand their curriculum to include cardio-rheumatology didactics, clinical rotations and mentoring opportunities for fellows to explore their interests in this field, according to a Fellows in Training (FIT) and Early Career Page published March 23 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
March 25, 2020
The newest issue of JACC: Case Reports contains a wide variety of clinical cases, imaging vignettes, editorial comments and viewpoint articles providing actionable science for cardiovascular clinicians of all experience levels.
March 18, 2020
I know that you are, like me, disappointed that you won't be able to share your science, network and learn in person at ACC.20 Together With World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC). However, with the COVID-19 epidemic, there's no doubt that canceling the conference was a difficult but necessary measure to protect the health of our members.
March 18, 2020
In the first installment of the "Program Spotlight" series, which we highlight programs that have undertaken innovative initiatives in fellow education and training, Prashanth Thakker, MD, chief Fellow in Training (FIT) at Washington University in St. Louis shares the multifaceted approach that the Washington University cardiology FITs have taken to improve fellow wellness.
March 16, 2020
Early exposure and training in cardiometabolic medicine may help prepare emerging clinicians with the tools and knowledge needed to deliver optimal and unified care to this high-risk cohort, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career Page published March 9 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
March 16, 2020
As a new year is well underway, the Fellows in Training (FIT)/Early Career Page, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, will be running a new series featuring work from early career leaders in emerging cardiac subspecialties.
March 13, 2020
The young physician on the path to becoming a cardiologist is familiar with how scholarship is interwoven with the discipline. Although the academic productivity of the field is apparent, the path to becoming a cardiovascular investigator might seem elusive.
March 13, 2020
I knew I wanted to become a cardiologist from a very early age; I was in part influenced by my father who is a cardiologist and my mother who is a nurse. I still remember my first day of cardiology fellowship vividly – feeling fortunate to be able to do fellowship in what was considered the best academic hospital of my home country of Venezuela, the Hospital Universitario de Caracas (HUC).
March 13, 2020
Throughout my entire medical training, I had been fixated on one thing: becoming a noninvasive cardiologist. However, as I started the job search, I had to think for the first time about the nuances of what I want my job to look like and what practice environment would be best for my professional growth. This journey has been challenging, but rewarding and worthy of reflection.
March 13, 2020
In modern medicine, we are frequently challenged with situations that we are ill-prepared to handle. This often stems from lack of essential knowledge that is beyond the confines of traditional education received during medical school, residency or fellowship.
March 13, 2020
Each year, thousands of residents in the U.S. apply to fellowship programs through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), a centralized online application service. Programs then invite selected applicants for interviews.
March 13, 2020
With advances in the diagnosis and management of congenital heart disease (CHD), there is an increased prevalence of adults who develop ventricular dysfunction and subsequent advanced heart failure. As cardiology trainees, we will be caring for these adults who are very different compared to patients with other forms of heart failure.
March 2, 2020
The latest issue of JACC: Case Reports is now available online, featuring a mini focus issue on myocardial and pericardial inflammation, second mini focus issue on electrophysiology, new Technical Corner, and wide variety of clinical cases.
March 2, 2020
Despite all the hype (and fear) that AI could replace clinicians, we are far from this scenario. Much of the technology exists to execute pieces of such a clinic visit, but that is a long way from implementation of safe, effective and efficient "AI for health care" solutions.
March 2, 2020
The field of cardiology has grown tremendously in the past two decades. No longer are cardiology fellows only pursuing the traditional subspecialties of intervention, electrophysiology or heart failure. Now they are actively creating their own niches, and the newest area of interest that has caught the attention of budding cardiologists is cardiac critical care.
March 2, 2020
Transitioning from medical school to residency and from residency to fellowship follows an established, comfortable template. Transitioning from training to full-time employment is a different animal. Gone is the warm blanket of the clearly-defined timeline and process, which can be appropriately anxiety-provoking for graduating fellows.
March 2, 2020
ACC's Annual Scientific Session is always evolving to make the most out of new technologies, educational formats, new science and more. No meeting is the same as the one before, and this year is no exception.
February 26, 2020
As part of the latest issue of JACC, Editor-in-Chief Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, has published his annual Editor-in-Chief's Top Picks. Each year, Fuster personally selects the top 100 papers from the previous year, including both original investigations and review articles from 15 distinct specialties.
February 26, 2020
In the newest episode of ACC's Practice Made Perfect podcast, Alison Bailey, MD, FACC; C. Michael Valentine, MD, MACC; and Cathie Biga, MSN, RN, FACC, discuss what medical liability is and tips for preparation and prevention to stay out of trouble. Listen here.
February 26, 2020
Did you know the ACC has a resource for members that offers news, career advice and opportunities with employers looking for top talent? Visit ACC's Cardiology Careers whether you are looking to find your next career opportunity or find new employees.
February 18, 2020
JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging has recently published two special issues: one dedicated to the topic of noninvasive imaging for the evaluation of diastolic function and the second to the value of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in cardiology.
February 18, 2020
Every day, new television advertisements, journal articles, books, podcasts and companies pop up, touting machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) as the next wave of change in our modern society. Experts believe ML and AI can answer challenging questions, create novel insights and accomplish arduous tasks that were never before possible.
February 18, 2020
Ankit Bhatia, MD, is a third-year cardiology Fellow in Training (FIT) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, and will be staying on for an advanced heart failure and transplant fellowship during the upcoming academic year.
February 18, 2020
This tribute begins with an apology. We would like to apologize to those of you who never had the opportunity to meet David O. Taylor, MD, FACC. A tall, thin man from New Mexico, he had a warm, yet slightly mischievous smile, and a guffaw that will never be forgotten. You could not miss him – he was the man wearing the green scrub shirt, tucked into khaki cargos with dress shoes.
February 18, 2020
When I started my cardiology fellowship just a few months ago, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to get involved with the ACC as early as this year. However, thanks to my superwoman Associate Program Director Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS, FACC, who introduced me to the local ACC chapter, I have had the opportunity to be the ACC Fellow in Training (FIT) representative on the planning committee for the third Annual ACC Midwest Women In Cardiology (WIC) Symposium.
February 11, 2020
Professional conferences are an important part of fellowship and continuing education for physicians at all stages in their careers. They provide an opportunity to keep up to date with innovations and research, and are a great opportunity for networking with people who have shared interests.
February 11, 2020
I wanted to explore why women's cardiovascular health programs are important, so I spoke with three physicians that have spent a large part of their careers focusing on women's cardiovascular health: Lori B. Croft, MD, FACC, associate professor of medicine and director of the echocardiography lab at Mount Sinai; Katharine French, MD, FACC, assistant professor of medicine and director of the women's cardiac center at Brown University; and Annabelle S. Volgman, MD, FACC, professor of medicine at Rush University Medical Center and medical director of the Rush Heart Center for Women.
February 11, 2020
Patients with cardiovascular disease have become increasingly complex with elevated risk of morbidity and mortality. The therapeutic interventions available continue to experience innovative and disruptive technologies requiring multidisciplinary efforts.
February 11, 2020
Whether you are a Fellow in Training (FIT) who has just finished 6 – 8 years of training and starting your first job, or an early career who has been at the same job for a few years, at some point in your career you will find yourself wondering how you can negotiate a salary increase.
February 11, 2020
We have had a great success with educating our colleagues of myocardial infarction and stroke, but we tend to forget about peripheral arterial disease. We know all about heart attacks and brain attacks. Now, it is time to recognize "leg attacks."
February 11, 2020
Cardiovascular medicine is a broad and diverse medical science. Between general cardiology, interventional cardiology, advanced heart failure, cardiac imaging, critical care cardiology, adult congenital heart disease and clinical cardiac electrophysiology (CCEP), in addition to new emerging fields such as preventive cardiology and cardio-oncology, training programs work hard to provide general cardiology fellows with a decent exposure to the different subspecialties of cardiovascular medicine.
January 31, 2020
Don't forget to submit NCDR research proposal applications (RPAs) by Monday, Feb. 3. NCDR is accepting AFib Ablation Registry RPAs for the first time this year. Also, beginning this year, NCDR is changing its Research & Publications (R&P) cycle to offer one annual research proposal deadline and one annual review meeting for all NCDR registries, except the STS/ACC TVT Registry, PINNACLE Registry and Diabetes Collaborative Registry.
January 31, 2020
Everyone, including physicians and other health care professionals, has implicit (also called unconscious) biases that affect how they view the world and interact with others. A recent Cardiology magazine article deep dives into the several definitions of implicit bias that all come down to the same thing: attitudes or decisions that lead to unintended disparities and inequalities and reinforce cultural biases, resulting in "unintended consequences."
January 31, 2020
In a recent Cardiology article, Naomi F. Botkin, MD, FACC, shares her story about how a wearable device may have saved her life when she was experiencing moderate-intensity chest discomfort at work. After turning to her Apple watch for an ECG, she noticed an ST elevation on the single lead tracing, and was later diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction secondary to spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
January 23, 2020
The creation of a formal and structured women's cardiovascular health curriculum within fellowship training programs is key to ensuring clinicians understand and gain expertise in sex- and gender-specific cardiovascular care, according to a JACC: Case Reports viewpoint.
January 23, 2020
The newest issue of JACC: Case Reports is entirely dedicated to the topic of cardiovascular disease in women.
January 23, 2020
Are you on social media? Join the ACC for a webinar, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. ET, to discuss the reach and utility of social media to advance knowledge, as well as how to successfully promote oneself and collaborate with others with similar interests to advance their careers.
January 23, 2020
In a Leadership Page published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Akshay Khandelwal, MD, FACC; Laxmi Mehta, MD, FACC; Scott Lilly, MD, FACC; and Poonam Velagapudi, MD, FACC, discuss the importance of addressing burnout and clinician well-being and the necessity to address systemic issues that improve clinician efficiency while reducing unnecessary administrative burdens.
January 23, 2020
Learn side-by-side with peers, participate in interactive case discussions on evidence-based treatment strategies and build your cardio-oncology community at ACC's Advancing Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient course, taking place Feb. 14 – 16 in Washington, DC.
January 23, 2020
As clinicians, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about risk. While risk-related concepts may seem clear to us, they can register with patients as a confusing assortment of jargon and numbers. Moreover, patients' comprehension of and reactions to risk are influenced by a host of factors that are not always well understood by clinicians.
January 23, 2020
Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality in Italian Adults by Marialaura Bonaccio, PhD, et al. received the most online attention among research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) in 2019.
January 14, 2020
Join Glenn N. Levine, MD, FACC, recent chair of the DAPT Guideline Focused Update and chair of the ACC/AHA Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines, for a webinar on Monday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. ET.
January 14, 2020
In this feature interview, Lucy Roche, MD, adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) fellowship director at the Peter Munk Cardiac Center in Toronto, Canada, and pioneer of the combined ACHD-heart failure (HF) clinic shares her perspectives regarding this subspecialty.
January 14, 2020
As medical trainees, we are all familiar with the match process. It proceeds in a predictable way: talk to mentors, submit your CV, receive interview invitations, attend interviews, rank your choices and cross your fingers. All steps are completed within a pre-specified period of time and with a clearly defined process in place.
January 14, 2020
Find answers to frequently asked questions posed by Women in Cardiology fellows who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant in this informative feature.
January 14, 2020
A new era is upon us in the fields of cardio-oncology, amyloidosis and cardiac sarcoidosis. This is especially true of transthyretin amyloidosis with the recent advancements both in diagnosis and management. From a treatment viewpoint, advent of a new class of drugs – transthyretin stabilizers – has shown significant improvement in outcome measures in this patient cohort.
January 10, 2020
Recent episodes of ACC's Practice Made Perfect podcast, covering conflict management in the CV Workplace and medical professionalism, are now available for streaming. Find out how to download, subscribe and listen to this and other ACC podcasts.
January 8, 2020
In a recent Cardiology article, Colin Hirst, MD, discusses how a new, combined training program, interventional heart failure, has emerged – ad hoc – from increasingly complex clinical and procedural needs of the contemporary advanced heart failure patient.
January 6, 2020
In a recent Cardiology article, John Lisko, MD, MPH, Fellow in Training at the Emory Structural Heart and Valve Center, discusses how in an effort to improve outcomes in patients without suitable femoral arterial access, alternative access strategies have been developed.
December 18, 2019
In a new Editor's Page published in the JACC: CardioOncology, Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, FACC, discusses the critical importance of building the pipeline of young, motivated investigators and clinicians who want to make a difference. Ky also sat down with Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MACC, recently to discuss the importance of mentorship.
December 18, 2019
The newest episode of ACC's Practice Made Perfect podcast is now live. Evan D. Ownby, MD, FACC, hosts ACC CEO Tim Attebery, DSc, MBA, and Thomas M. Maddox, MD, MSc, FACC, to discuss population health, the impact on patient care and measurable outcomes. Listen now.
December 18, 2019
Connect with institutions and organizations across the U.S. at the Career Fair at ACC.20/WCC!
December 16, 2019
Cardio-oncology is neither the science nor the practice of treating heart tumors, rather an emerging multidisciplinary field that focuses on the cardiovascular management (prevention, diagnosis and treatment) of patients with cancer. The core objective of the cardio-oncology discipline is to ensure that "the cancer patient of today does not become the heart patient of tomorrow."
December 16, 2019
Kashif Shaikh, MD, interviews Dee Dee Wang, MD, FACC, covering structural cardiac imaging and other topics of interest.
December 16, 2019
As a trainee, I had never considered myself an advocate in any formal capacity. However, I always advocated for my patients when I spoke on their behalf with insurance companies to request authorization for medications that would make a difference in their life. Perhaps for this reason, I did not think twice when offered the chance to travel to DC as part of ACC's 2019 Legislative Conference, and formally advocate for patients and physicians on a broader scale.
December 16, 2019
We all face multiple transition points within our training career. However, the transition from general cardiology to interventional cardiology is quite unique. For the first time, we turn from a clinically-heavy training program to a lab-based, procedural training environment. I have highlighted four steps to best prepare you for the rigors of an interventional cardiology fellowship and beyond.
December 16, 2019
Every Fall, members of the ACC unite in Washington, DC, to advocate for patients and meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. This year's ACC Legislative Conference included a record-breaking 94 cardiology fellows. As a first-year cardiology fellow, this was the first time I immersed myself in the experience. During my college and medical school years, I developed a passion for health policy and bringing about a positive change through advocacy, which made being able to attend the ACC Legislative Conference a particularly special opportunity.
December 13, 2019
Submit to JACC: Case Reports by Dec. 31, and your case could be selected for presentation during the Journal's Best of 2019 session at ACC.20 Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. All cases submitted in 2019 will be considered. Learn expert tips and tricks for writing clinical cases in this video with JACC: Case Reports Editor-in-Chief Julia Grapsa, MD, PhD, FACC, and Associate Editor Mary Norine Walsh, MD, MACC.
December 13, 2019
"Cardiovascular medicine is among the most gender-imbalanced medical specialties in the United States. Over the last 12 years, the proportion of women in U.S. cardiology fellowship programs has remained stagnant around 20 percent," write Jenna Kay, MD, Nosheen Reza, MD, and Frank E. Silvestry, MD, in a recent "Voices in Cardiology" piece in JACC: Case Reports.
November 26, 2019
The ACC is launching a year-long structured mentoring program to provide real-world support and coaching for early career members.
November 26, 2019
Submit to JACC: Case Reports by Dec. 31 and your case could be selected for presentation during the Journal's Best of 2019 session during ACC.20 Together With the World Congress of Cardiology.
November 26, 2019
The second episode in the two-part conversation, Negotiation Skills: Helping Leaders Get Ahead, is now live. Practice Made Perfect podcast host Alison L. Bailey, MD, FACC, and guests Cathleen Biga, MSN, RN, FACC, and Peter L. Duffy, MD, FACC, continue their conversation on contract negotiation at any career stage, from first job to retirement.
November 26, 2019
Having covered a rebalancing example in our previous article, we will build on those concepts by reviewing risk and return characteristics, as well as the concept of correlation.
November 19, 2019
During this year's ACC Legislative Conference, attendees had the fantastic opportunity of participating in the ACC Women in Cardiology (WIC) Leadership Workshop. Female cardiology Fellows in Training (FITs) spent an afternoon with mentors from across the country to share experiences, connect and discuss wide-ranging topics such as career transitions and planning, interacting with news media, and recognizing priorities.
November 19, 2019
The field of cardiology has grown tremendously in the past two decades. No longer are cardiology fellows only pursuing the traditional subspecialties of intervention, electrophysiology or heart failure, but they are actively creating their own niches. Not all fellows are training at institutions with patients who require advanced mechanical support; however, they may obtain jobs at these institutions and want to take care of such patients. The question is, how? The answer may be in cardiac critical care – a subspecialty that is in its infancy but growing in popularity. There are only a few places in the country that offer dedicated cardiac critical care programs (Cedars Sinai and the Mayo Clinic, for example).
November 19, 2019
I never expected to be involved with the ACC beyond using ACCSAP and attending the Annual Scientific Sessions. Little did I know, this was all going to change because of an e-mail. Like many previous and current attendees, I was first introduced to the ACC Legislative Conference through my state chapter. I filled out the application for a travel grant to the conference and wrote an essay on why I was interested. To my great surprise, I was accepted to attend. I was awestruck by the shear breadth of advocacy that the ACC was participating in on behalf of not only our patients but also physicians and ancillary staff.
November 5, 2019
Engaging in cardiovascular-specific education science may present an opportunity for Fellows in Training (FIT) and early career cardiologists to make novel contributions to a nascent field with potential for collaboration across specialties, according to an FIT/Early Career Page published Oct. 28 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
November 5, 2019
Join the ACC for a webinar, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. ET, to shed light on what it takes to get published.
October 28, 2019
Easily access some of ACC's Quality Improvement for Institutions' premier resources! Check out two of the most popular tools: the QI Toolkit which features step-by-step tools for completing quality improvement projects, and the QI Abstracts and Poster Tools and Resources.
October 28, 2019
Toniya Singh, MBBS, FACC, and Tina Shah, MD, FACC, are two busy cardiologists. They are also women who have a family and make time to be active volunteer members of the ACC. In a recent Cardiology article, Singh and Shah talk about making it all work, progress made for women and unfinished business, and advice for their younger self.
October 28, 2019
There are a lot of big ways to get involved with the College – being on a Section Leadership Council, participating on a taskforce or committee, or serving as faculty for a live course, to name a few. However, we know that not everyone has the time for some of these larger-scale commitments. That's why the ACC is excited to announce the launch of our Microvolunteering Platform.
October 18, 2019
Applications are now being accepted for the ACC Leadership Academy Cohort IV, which will launch at ACC.20/World Congress of Cardiology in Chicago, IL.
October 18, 2019
Are you attending ACC's 2019 Legislative Conference? Join us for a webinar, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. ET, to hear from ACC Advocacy leaders about the College's ongoing advocacy activities and details for conference.
October 18, 2019
Submissions for a JACC: Case Reports special issue on cardiovascular disease in women are due on or before Oct. 31. Clinical cases, clinical case series and Voices in Cardiology will be accepted, as well as commentaries and perspectives if sufficiently rigorous and impactful.
October 16, 2019
As she lay on the hospital bed, her chest rose exhaustedly with each breath. She was cool to the touch and clearly in cardiogenic shock. One of the residents returned with dobutamine, his brow gleaming with sweat from running to the ICU in the Caribbean heat. I knew that the odds were against this 19-year-old woman with severe peripartum cardiomyopathy. In Haiti, our resources were severely limited, but we worked tirelessly to stabilize her.
October 16, 2019
As a first-year Penn cardiology fellow, I had just finished work rounds in the VA CCU when a staccato message displayed across my iPhone, "New consult: Patient with known HFrEF, concerns for shock." I immediately went down to see the patient on the medicine floor. He was altered from his normal baseline, his extremities were cool, his radial/brachial pulses were weak and thready, and his blood pressure was 108/54 mmHg.
October 16, 2019
Congratulations – you have overcome the challenges that arise with the start of your first year of cardiology fellowship! For many of you, those challenges include moving to a new city, navigating an unfamiliar institution, and adjusting to the jarring shift from expert senior medicine resident to humble first-year cardiology fellow – all while studying for the medicine boards.
October 16, 2019
Every August, first-year fellows around the country meet in Houston to attend one of the largest Cardiovascular Fellows' Boot Camp. The saying goes, "everything is bigger in Texas," and this meeting definitely lives up to the reputation.
October 16, 2019
Noted cardiologist and medical educator J. Willis Hurst, MD, once commented that for motivated trainees, achievement might be best supported by open-ended fellowship programs with minimal structure. "But," he lamented, "because we do not live in Camelot, where all is perfect, we must set basic standards."
October 11, 2019
Join the ACC for a complimentary lunch session, Nov. 2 at Heart House in Washington, DC, to enhance your knowledge, competence and skills within the domains of Real World Data use and Real World Evidence application relative to clinical decision-making.
October 11, 2019
Join your colleagues for ACC's Cardiovascular Summit, taking place Feb. 6 – 8, 2020 in Washington, DC, for an educational experience featuring the latest cardiovascular management and leadership strategies.
October 11, 2019
Want to learn about novel career paths in cardiology and the respective training pathways? Join the ACC webinar on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. ET, to hear from two recent graduates about their experiences in training for sports cardiology and adult congenital heart disease interventions.
October 4, 2019
In the latest issue of Cardiology, read how the value derived from membership is as varied as the paths of nine different members leading to a career in cardiovascular medicine, and how being a part of the "ACC Family" brings unique opportunities, like it did for Yan Wang, MD, PhD, in China, who is being mentored by ACC Vice President-Elect Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC.
October 4, 2019
Join world-renowned cardiologist and course director Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, at ACC's New York Cardiovascular Symposium, taking place Dec. 6 – 8.
October 3, 2019
The first issue of ACC's newest JACC Journal, JACC: CardioOncology, is now online, providing a comprehensive new resource to better understand and apply evolving research surrounding the cardiovascular health of cancer patients and survivors.
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September 24, 2019
The ACC is seeking one to two members to participate in the American College of Physicians Care Coordination Workgroup. The goal of the workgroup is to develop principles for how patient care is shared between primary care and specialty care practices.
September 24, 2019
Interested in advocacy? The ACC PACers program serves as an opportunity for FIT Section members from the U.S. to engage in ACC's advocacy program and have a voice in shaping health care policies on Capitol Hill.
September 24, 2019
In order for cardiologists to be well versed in managing complex patient issues related to primary and secondary ASCVD prevention, the current preventive cardiovascular medicine training model for cardiology Fellow in Training (FITs) may need to be enhanced, according to an FIT/Early Career Page published Sept. 16 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
September 23, 2019
Many articles on personal finance and investing provide valuable insight into the mechanics – what is a mutual fund? Why is diversification important? Why and how to rebalance your portfolio? However, writing about investments today would be incomplete without discussing the most important factor – you, as the investor, and actions you may or may not take that affect the long-term success of your investment strategy.
September 17, 2019
Each month, the ACC On-Call For FITs newsletter highlights the achievements of one Fellow in Training (FIT). The Section would like to recognize Nosheen Reza, MD, adult cardiology FIT at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.
September 17, 2019
Practicing telehealth, in particular synchronous video visits, requires a distinct set of skills. The same etiquette used during in-person visits still applies, but must be augmented to fit the technology and optimized for user experience. For fellows interested in providing telehealth services, below are a few suggestions based on my own experiences and inspired by published guidelines.
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September 17, 2019
This FIT Mentor Spotlight focuses on Srinath Adusumalli, MD, MSc, FACC, an early career cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his numerous academic accomplishments, Adusumalli is also a champion for all FITs, including women. Click here for Part 1 of this interview.
September 17, 2019
I expect that the most common reason given on personal statements for pursuing medicine is, "I want to make a difference." Unfortunately, as we progress through months and years of training, the reality of the health care work environment often grinds down this noble ideal. We soon start referring to incoming interns as "not jaded yet."
September 4, 2019
Taking some time as a hospitalist to develop as a physician and an individual may be rewarding for a future cardiologist, according to a Fellow in Training/Early Career Page published Sept. 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
September 4, 2019
The ACC Health Care Innovation Section is partnering with the ACC California Chapter for the Colloquium on Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Innovation and the Future of Cardiology. The symposium takes place on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco, CA, and will include engaging discussions on the future of digital medicine.
August 29, 2019
The second issue of JACC: Case Reports is now online. Accompanied by a summary podcast from Editor-in-Chief Julia Grapsa, MD, PhD, FACC, the issue includes a mini-focus issue on interventional complications and their management, a heart care team/multidisciplinary team live case, clinical vignettes and more.
August 29, 2019
In a recent Cardiology article, Khanjan Baxi Shah, MD, MPH, who completed her general and interventional cardiology fellowships at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School this year, provides a first-hand experience of pregnancy and motherhood during her training.
August 26, 2019
As one's career progresses, mentoring and sponsoring junior colleagues may become an essential part of this selfless tradition and remain a collective responsibility for all, according to a "Voice of Cardiology" viewpoint published Aug. 21 in JACC: Case Reports.
August 26, 2019
Electronic consultations (e-consults) may be helpful in addressing the increasing need for cardiology consultative care, according to a Fellow in Training (FIT)/Early Career Page published Aug. 19 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
August 20, 2019
I hope that the start of this new academic year has been good to you all! I want to send a special welcome to new FITs across the globe as they enter the field of cardiology and the ACC, which will be their professional home for the rest of their careers. My name is J.D. Serfas, MD, and I'm honored and excited to serve for the next year as editor-in-chief of the ACC On-Call for FITs newsletter.
August 20, 2019
The last two decades have shown considerable progress in reducing gender disparities in medicine. However, the under-representation of women in cardiology continues to persist. Women now make up half of U.S. medical school student body, yet only 20 percent of cardiology fellows and 12 percent of board-certified cardiologists are women.
August 20, 2019
Health professionals involved in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) care all over the world recently attended the 29th International Symposium on Congenital Heart Disease in the Adult in Stevenson, Washington. This annual symposium is one of the largest gathering of ACHD professionals internationally and is a premier opportunity to learn about the biggest issues and newest advances in ACHD.
August 20, 2019
This is the first installment of a two-part series about telehealth and addresses fundamentals. Part two will address best practices when providing telehealth services.
August 13, 2019
Register for ACC's Cardiovascular Overview and Board Review Course, Sept. 3 – 7 in Chicago, IL, and refresh your knowledge of the entire field of cardiovascular disease with exam-oriented lectures, case-based reviews, online practice questions, as well as interactive case studies and question challenges.
August 13, 2019
In the face of endovascular transformation, trainees may need to learn to interpret and predict changes in the landscape of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery to set the "right" career course, according to an FIT/Early Career Page published Aug. 5 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
August 1, 2019
To address the largely underexplored topic of cardiovascular disease in women, JACC: Case Reports will publish its first special issue on this topic in January 2020.
August 1, 2019
Join Akshay Khandelwal, MD, FACC, and Hena Patel, MD, for a webinar on Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. ET, to discuss why it is important to get involved with your local ACC chapter.
July 26, 2019
Join JACC Editor-in-Chief Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, and a team of expert faculty for ACC’s How to Become a Cardiovascular Investigator, Nov. 1 – 2 in Washington, DC, as they guide you through the challenges of beginning a successful research career.
July 26, 2019
Beginning this August, JACC: Basis to Translational Science publication will increase from six to 12 issues per year. The increased frequency will allow Editor-in-Chief Douglas L. Mann, MD, FACC, and the editorial board to publishing even more research with the potential to translate into new therapies for patients affected by cardiovascular disease.
July 26, 2019
The detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease and applications of medical and device therapies have been limited, and there are significant differences in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors and outcomes in women, as well as in clinical presentations that may be unique to women.
July 26, 2019
In the latest issue of Cardiology, learn about the drug abuse crisis intersecting with heart disease, a boot camp that provides a foundation for successful fellows, and how the Best of ACC in China program is providing education and a dialogue between American and Chinese cardiovascular professionals.
July 26, 2019
Sports cardiology experts from around the world convened at ACC's Care of the Athletic Heart course last month to provide contemporary care and practice management strategies needed to care for patient athletes.
July 23, 2019
Cardiology is the ACC's flagship member magazine — your member magazine — providing cardiovascular professionals with a comprehensive source for clinical and professional news. Find links to all of the July issue's articles and share on social media!
July 16, 2019
In early April, female cardiology Fellows in Training (FITs) and mentors met for an eventful weekend at the annual ACC Southeast Regional Women in Cardiology (WIC) Conference in Fairhope, AL. The charming, quaint town fostered the perfect environment for attendees to bond over common experiences at work and in life.
July 16, 2019
The journey from medical school to joining an internal medicine residency program is challenging. However, the journey does not stop there, and many residents will choose to pursue subspecialty training. This poses the question: how can a medicine resident improve his or her resume to become a stronger candidate for cardiology fellowship?
July 16, 2019
Martin B. Leon, MD, FACC, director of the cardiac catheterization laboratories at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, discusses his early career days and offers advice for interventional fellows in this informative interview.
July 16, 2019
We are in home buying season, with the majority of purchases occurring during the spring and summer. We have previously discussed home buying considerations for new physicians with detailed important factors to consider throughout the home buying process. This article will focus on the financing side of becoming a homeowner.
July 16, 2019
Fabio V. Lima, MD, MPH, reviews ACC's TreatHF app, which was developed by a multidisciplinary work group part of ACC's Succeed in Managing Heart Failure Initiative.
July 3, 2019
Confronting a patient's death by contacting family members may be an important step toward healthy coping and avoiding burnout, according to an FIT/Early Career Page publish July 1 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
June 27, 2019
For researchers examining the complex and growing field of cardio-oncology, JACC: CardioOncology offers an excellent opportunity to publish in the highly read, highly ranked JACC Journals family.
June 20, 2019
In a "Voice of Cardiology" viewpoint article in the inaugural issue of JACC: Case Reports, Hatem Soliman Aboumarie, MS, writes that over the last several decades as health care has evolved into more of a business model, it still remains that "few other professions bear such responsibility, accountability and daily stresses."
June 20, 2019
In a "Voice of Cardiology" viewpoint article in the inaugural issue of JACC: Case Reports, Editor-in-Chief Julia Grapsa, MD, PhD, FACC, writes about the importance of this journal as a way to embrace fellows-in-training and early career cardiologists, and to build bridges between junior and senior cardiologists through clinical cases.
June 20, 2019
The first issue of JACC: Case Reports – the newest JACC Journal – is now live.
June 19, 2019
In the medical intensive care literature, there has been significant discussion of post-intensive care syndrome – the physiologic and psychologic sequelae of critical care treatment.
June 19, 2019
While covering the inpatient service a few weekends ago, a nurse called to inform me that a patient's mother wanted to talk before her daughter was discharged. When I asked if there was a specific question or concern, she replied, "Mom doesn't understand what happened in the procedure yesterday and she wants someone to explain it to her."
June 19, 2019
The incremental understanding of cardiovascular disease over the past three decades has led to advances in its risk factor modifications and treatment strategies. Therefore, newer guidelines on prevention and treatment measures related to lipids, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, thrombosis and vascular diseases have exponentially increased.
June 13, 2019
The ACC has made a select number of travel awards available to cover expenses for members to travel to ACC's 2019 Legislative Conference, Nov. 3 – 5, in Washington, DC.
June 13, 2019
You have completed medical school and are almost done with your residency or fellowship. Finding a great physician job is next on your to-do list.
June 11, 2019
As a result of ACC's Teaching Tomorrow's Teachers (3T) program, future Fellows in Training (FIT) and early career teachers may be more prepared to approach the future of medical education, according to an FIT/Early Career Page publish June 3 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
May 23, 2019
In a recent Cardiology article, Lina Ya'qoub, MD, cardiovascular disease fellow at Ochsner-Louisiana State University in Shreveport, LA, describes her experience with left main coronary artery (LMCA) PCI.
May 23, 2019
In the latest issue of Cardiology, learn more about ACC's health systems strategy, the role of MedAxiom, and key takeaways from its Spring '19 CV Transforum.
May 23, 2019
JACC: Case Reports Editor-in-Chief Julia Grapsa, MD, PhD, FACC, and Associate Editor Mary Norine Walsh, MD, MACC, have recorded an informative webinar on how clinicians and members of the care team can develop a high-quality case report submission.
May 23, 2019
As we mark National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Cardiology magazine featured photos of activities that members enjoy in their pursuit of being fit.
May 16, 2019
The structure of most cardiology fellowships across the country is deliberately well-organized, not always allowing for training to be modulated according to a fellow's career goals.
May 16, 2019
Interested in presenting your research to leaders in cardiology at the ACC.20/World Congress of Cardiology (WCC) in Chicago?
May 14, 2019 | Andriana Nikolova, MD
The exciting part about being medical professionals is the versatility of career paths we have in front of us. Entrepreneurship is an example of one such choice that can be independent with or coexistent with our medical practice.
May 14, 2019 | Rimsha Hasan, MBBS, FACC ; Gaurang N. Vaidya, MD, FACC
With the support of the ACC Arkansas Chapter and ACC Kentucky Chapter, we were recently given the privilege to attend the 2019 Big Sky Teaching Tomorrow's Teachers (3T) conference.
May 14, 2019 | Kevin Shah, MD, FACC
The process of seeking out your first job after seven years of post-graduate training is not nearly as straightforward as other career decisions up until this point. Unlike matching into training programs, the job search does not seal your fate with a nonnegotiable email directing you where to train. The selection of the best fit job is more about the interview "with yourself" than others. Determining your values and priorities for your first position out of training is the most critical aspect of securing a position that aligns with your early career goals – how to determine these may not be as easy as it seems. Below are five repeated pieces of advice I have learned along the way.
May 14, 2019 | Edward Chu
At the age of 21, fresh out of college with a degree in biomedical engineering, I found myself working in the health care industry as a representative of the largest medical device company in the world. Like Jamie Randall from Love & Other Drugs, I was trained to pitch my company's products to electrophysiologists over brief conversations at the scrub sink and during short walks between patient rooms.
May 2, 2019
Register for ACC's Cardiovascular Overview and Board Review for Certification and Recertification course, Sept. 3 – 7 in Chicago, IL, and receive a comprehensive review in cardiovascular disease to ensure you're ready for the Cardiovascular Boards.
April 18, 2019
In a new Leadership Page published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, ACC President Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FACC, discusses the importance of the professional bond that exists among members of the College.
April 18, 2019
Join ACCPAC and ACC advocacy leaders for a webinar, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET, to learn about the ACC PACers program.
April 16, 2019 | Fabio V. Lima, MD, MPH
The purpose of the ACC CathPCI Bleeding Risk Calculator App is to quickly provide a bleeding risk stratification score for patients undergoing PCI.
April 16, 2019 | ; Mrinali Shetty, MD
FITs Yuvraj S. Chowdhury, MD, and Mrinali Shetty, MD, interview John B. Kostis, MD, FACC, a cardiologist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ, where he established the Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) of New Jersey.
April 16, 2019 | Jignesh A Patel, MD
Creativity is essential to human existence. The rigorous process of pursuing an ambitious career through years of medical school, residency and fellowship – only to be followed by responsibilities of patient care – puts our creative soul in shackles.
April 16, 2019 | Nosheen Reza, MD , FACC
Julia Grapsa, MD, PhD, FACC, is the editor-in-chief of one of the newest JACC journals, JACC: Case Reports.
April 4, 2019
Unlock the power of your ACC network with ACC Member Hub – designed to help you connect, collaborate and create! Get your career questions answered, learn from those who have gone before and connect with those who understand what you are going through now.
April 4, 2019
Since cardiac critical care is a specialized clinical practice that is rapidly developing within cardiovascular medicine, early career cardiac intensivists may need evaluate how their career aspirations integrate with the various models for delivery of care, according to a Fellow in Training (FITs)/Early Career Page publish April 1 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
April 4, 2019
Researchers, early career cardiologists and members of the cardiovascular care team have a new publication vehicle for case reports, imaging vignettes, global health reports and voices in cardiology centered on clinical problem solving.
April 2, 2019
The ACC and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) have announced a new Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP) option for certified cardiologists who wish to maintain their board certification.
April 2, 2019
In a new Leadership Page published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, ACC Past-President C. Michael Valentine, MD, MACC, reflects on his year as president of the College and looks to the future as the ACC nears its 75th anniversary.
April 2, 2019
In the world of medical specialization where prolonged post-graduate education has become the norm, the process of board certification for Fellows in Training (FITs) could be made significantly less onerous with a few changes, according to an FIT/Early Career column published March 18 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
March 26, 2019 | Sravya Chirumamilla, MD, FACC ; Martha Gulati, MD, MS, FACC
Martha Gulati, MD, MS, FACC, is the division chief of cardiology for the UA College of Medicine – Pheonix, and physician executive director for the Banner – University Medicine Heart Institute.
March 26, 2019 | Nehal N. Mehta, MD, FACC ; Amit Dey, MD
Nehal N. Mehta, MD, MSCE, FACC, was the first recipient of the Lasker Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He joined the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to use the NIH Clinical Center and begin a comprehensive cardio metabolic phenotypic program. Mehta also initiated the first large prospective cohort study of psoriasis to better define cardiovascular disease and metabolic pathways modulated in varying states of inflammation that may lead to a better understanding of the development of cardio metabolic diseases. In this feature interview, conducted by Amit Dey, MD, Mehta shares advice on pursuing a research career as a young investigator.
March 26, 2019 | Ayodipupo Oguntade
Mentoring has been conceptualized as a process in which one person (the mentor) shares their knowledge, skills and experience with another (the mentee) to advance career and life aspirations.
March 26, 2019
Here we are, roughly 18 months past October 2017, when your fellow borrowers were first able to apply to have their student loans forgiven through public service loan forgiveness (PSLF).
March 26, 2019 | Fabio V. Lima, MD, MPH
The purpose of ACC's CardioSmart Heart Explorer App is to bolster the modern physician-patient relationship at the point of care.
March 7, 2019
As use of focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) becomes an important diagnostic tool in the cardiology inpatient and outpatient settings, it may be imperative that cardiology fellowship programs and key stakeholders enhance training standards and develop a FoCUS curriculum tailored to Fellows in Training (FITs), according to an FIT/Early Career column published March 4 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
March 7, 2019
Aiming to grow the body of literature surrounding the important and emerging theme of heart failure in the elderly, JACC: Heart Failure will publish a special issue on the topic this December.
March 6, 2019
Julia Grapsa, MD, PhD, FACC, and Bonnie Ky, MD, FACC, have been named Editors-in-Chief of the two newest JACC Journals – JACC: Case Reports and JACC: CardioOncology – launching in June and September, respectively.
February 27, 2019
Share your #ACC19 experience and engage in continued discussions on social media with your fellow colleagues.
February 21, 2019
Since the medical decisions of Fellows in Training (FITs) and Early Career cardiologists have important, often acute ramifications – which directly impact patient safety, morbidity and mortality – cardiology-specific morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences may be of critical importance, according to an FIT/Early Career column published Feb. 18 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
February 20, 2019
ACC.19 is more than a meeting, it's an experience you won't want to miss! Immediately following the highly-anticipated Apple Heart Study, the first Late-Breaking Clinical Trial, don't miss an all new session – Digital Disruption at our Doorstep – Implications for Clinicians and Patients – focused on disruptive innovation in health care, its intersection with daily practice, and implications for patients.
February 19, 2019 | Sravya Chirumamilla, MD, FACC ; Martha Gulati, MD, MS, FACC
Martha Gulati, MD, MS, FACC, is the division chief of cardiology for the UA College of Medicine – Pheonix, and physician executive director for the Banner – University Medicine Heart Institute.
February 19, 2019 | Sena Kilic, MD
With ACC.19 quickly approaching, I wanted to give you all a snapshot of the sessions that might appeal to FITs.
February 19, 2019 | Jill M Steiner, MD , FACC
One of the most difficult tasks facing medical providers is estimating prognosis. Decades of research and innovation guide projections for some disciplines.
February 19, 2019 | Makoto Mori, MD
Electronic health records (EHR), along with the rapid refinement of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms, are increasingly challenging society to redefine the role of physicians.
January 31, 2019
While quality of marriage has been found to correlate with physician wellbeing at all stages of career, peer-reviewed medical literature may lack guidance for coping when marriage ends, according to an FIT/Early Career column publish Jan. 28 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
January 24, 2019
Join us at the ACC.19 All-Section Reception, March 17, from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m., at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Grand Ballroom A.
January 24, 2019 | Sarina Sachdev, MD ; Sravya Chirumamilla, MD, FACC
Sarina Sachdev, MD, and Sravya Chirumamilla, MD, report on their unique experiences at ACC's 2018 Legislative Conference.
January 24, 2019 | Kathir Balakumaran, MD ; Frantony Mercado, MD
We first heard of the ACC Advocacy Group after receiving an email concerning a potential travel grant for ACC's 2018 Legislative Conference.
January 17, 2019
As the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) celebrates its five-year anniversary of the Fellows in Training (FIT)/Early Career column, Shashank S. Sinha, MD, et al., reflect on the success of important topics that are specifically germane to the FIT and early career cardiologist community and demographic.
January 17, 2019
Directly addressing the unique barriers cited by women in interventional cardiology may provide the most impact in reducing gender imbalances in the field, according to a study published Jan. 16 in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
January 15, 2019
For cardiology Fellows in Training (FITs), learning about the governing bodies that regulate training in cardiovascular disease can taste like just another serving of alphabet soup.
January 15, 2019
ACC's 2018 Legislative Conference was an informative and educational experience for Fellow in Training (FIT) attendees. Over the course of the conference, we were introduced to the idea of health care advocacy, examined the issues affecting the geographic regions that we represent, and brainstormed ideas to promote and improve health care policy.
January 15, 2019
Cardiovascular medicine has a large foundation of evidence from which clinicians can make informed decisions. As a Fellow in Training in cardiology, content-rich guidelines are available with high levels of evidence.
January 15, 2019
The purpose of the ACC Guideline Clinical App is to function as a centralized resource for clinicians to access a diverse collection of guideline data and tools. The guideline data provides versatile features with users being able to take notes, insert bookmarks and export to email-friendly PDFs.
January 10, 2019
Looking for a way to connect with leaders in cardiovascular medicine and build leadership experience of your own? Getting involved in the ACC is the fastest way to jump-start your career, make connections and gain a wide variety of skills you can use as you grow as a cardiovascular professional.
January 9, 2019
New appropriate use criteria (AUC) released Jan. 7 by the ACC and several other partnering societies focus on the use of multimodality imaging in the diagnosis and management of cardiac structure and function in nonvalvular, or structural, heart disease.
December 18, 2018
For many years, scientific annual meetings have provided attendees with the opportunity to experience first-hand the hottest late-breaking science, focused research presentations and educational programming, as well as the ability to network with colleagues from around the world.
December 18, 2018
This month's ACC On-Call For FITs Newsletter features an interview with Rahul Bhardwaj, MD, who served as chief fellow during his general cardiology fellowship at UC-Irvine and electrophysiology (EP) fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital.
December 18, 2018
ACC's How to Become a Cardiovascular Investigator course convened at Heart House from Nov. 2 – 3 in Washington, DC.
December 18, 2018
Developing lifelong relationships with families is one of the joys of a career in pediatric cardiology – especially when it comes to patients with complex congenital heart disease who require a lifetime of interventions and follow-up.
December 18, 2018
Take advantage of free, online certified educational activities to fulfill your 2018 CME requirements and earn MOC credit at the same time!
December 18, 2018
As most medical trainees struggle with having limited time, group social media platforms may help enrich an emerging framework for fellowship education and lifelong learning, according to an FIT/Early Career column published Dec. 17 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
December 17, 2018
Returning for its second year at the Future Hub – taking place during ACC.19, March 16-18, 2019 in New Orleans, LA – the ACC will partner with AngelMD to host the ACC.19 Innovation Challenge.
December 17, 2018
The ACC Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Section and Cardiac Rehabilitation Work Group created a series of free webinars aimed at optimizing care for cardiac rehab patients.
December 7, 2018
The fifth in a series of patient case quizzes, The Very High Risk Patient With Diabetes, tests your knowledge of cardiovascular risk and diabetes.
December 4, 2018
In the latest issues of Cardiology, deep-dive into the emerging risk factors of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.
November 27, 2018
Engaging more Fellows in Training (FITs) in clinical trials may allow them to acquire new technical skills related to running a clinical trial, as well as increased access to mentorship and networking opportunities beyond their respective institutions, according to an FIT/Early Career column published Nov. 26 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
November 27, 2018
It all started when my mentor and I met at the beginning of my second year of cardiology fellowship – right after I emerged from the haze of my first-year call schedule – and asked, “What do you want your life to look like 10 years from now? Think about it, talk it over with your husband and let’s figure out how I can help you get there.”
November 27, 2018
In recent years, discussion regarding the need for training in cardiac critical care has advanced significantly. There are multiple training programs developing tracks in critical care, often involving a dedicated critical care training year in the medical critical care department, which culminates in critical care board eligibility.
November 20, 2018
This month's ACC On-Call For FITs Newsletter features an interview with Andrew P. Miller, MD, FACC, secretary and chair of the ACC Board of Governors and past-president of the ACC Alabama Chapter.
November 20, 2018
To frame the background of this article, I want to first share some words about myself. I was raised in Germany and completed medical school in Dusseldorf, Germany, before relocating to the U.S. for residency and cardiology fellowship.
November 20, 2018
As we draw closer to finishing cardiology training and moving into independent practice, we must decide where we wish to lay down roots and practice our craft. Throughout medical training, most young cardiologists lead a nomad life, traveling from one center of excellence to the next.
November 20, 2018
Nearly 450 ACC members joined together on Capitol Hill from Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 to advocate for patients at ACC's 2018 Legislative Conference.
November 19, 2018
As health care moves away from volume-based imaging to integration and value-based imaging, a collaborative approach unbound by subspecialization from the Fellows in Training (FIT) and early career level may be transformative for the medical field, according to an FIT/Early Career column published November 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
November 16, 2018
Don't miss FIT perspectives on the top takeaways from TCT 2018 and a closer look at the future of diagnosing ischemic heart disease with CCTA in the latest issue of Cardiology: Interventions.
November 16, 2018
The deadline to submit abstracts for ACC's Cardiovascular Summit has been extended to Monday, Nov. 26.
November 16, 2018
In this deep-dive video discussion, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC; Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC; Anne B. Curtis, MD, FACC; Peter Libby, MD, FACC; and Marc Ruel, MD, MPH, share their perspectives on the most significant science released during AHA.18.
November 9, 2018
The ACC held its annual sports cardiology conference, "Care of the Athletic Heart: Contemporary Concepts, Cases and Controversies," in June 2018 with more than 150 sports cardiology and sports medicine practitioners in attendance.
November 1, 2018
The deadline to submit abstracts for ACC's Cardiovascular Summit, taking place Feb. 14 - 16 in Orlando, FL, is Monday, Nov. 12. Don't miss the opportunity to showcase how your hospital or practice has found ways to advance care delivery, reduce costs, improve patient outcomes, implement science at the bedside, and thrive in the new value-based care environment. Abstracts from across the clinical care team are welcome.
November 1, 2018 | Mahmoud Abdelghany, MD , FACC
Greetings to all my co-fellows. I am Mahmoud Abdelghany, MD, a peripheral vascular interventional fellow at Yale University School of Medicine and editor of ACC's Peripheral Vascular Disease Section. I am delighted to serve in this position and hope I can discuss throughout this year the purpose and importance of vascular medicine and peripheral vascular interventional training.
November 1, 2018 | Ioanna Katsa, MD
Interventional cardiology has been a rapidly expanding field over the last few years, incorporating more procedures leading to longer training requirements. During general cardiology fellowship, fellows interested in interventional cardiology are facing the challenge of deciding which subspecialty route to follow after coronary training.
November 1, 2018 | Makoto Mori, MD
As an integrated cardiothoracic surgery intern at the time, my general surgery chief resident asked me, "How did you know so early on that you wanted to do cardiothoracic surgery?" To her, who decided on her subspecialty fellowship after seeing the breadth of surgical subspecialties through years of general surgery training, a medical student deciding on an integrated pathway to a subspecialty seemed too early and uninformed.
November 1, 2018 | Samah Alkharji, MD
The ongoing development of health care delivery and influx of cutting edge technology makes this an exciting time for cardiology trainees. The incorporation of digital health adds another dimension to patient care and the training of future cardiologists. Current Fellows in Training (FITs) use several digital health care outlets throughout their training.
October 23, 2018
In order to deliver high-quality care at the patient level, it may be essential for cardiovascular professionals to have the requisite tools and experiences to lead at a team- or systems-based level, according to a Fellows in Training (FITs)/Early Career column published Oct. 22 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
October 19, 2018
An innovative eight-part Cardiovascular Health Promotion Series published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) provides health care professionals with an in-depth examination of the eight risk factors and behaviors that contribute most to cardiovascular disease development.
October 19, 2018
Join Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), Nov. 29 at 9:30 a.m. ET, to learn techniques and strategies for publishing in high-impact journals.
October 15, 2018
Learn techniques and strategies for publishing in high-impact journals directly from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) Editor-in-Chief Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC.
October 12, 2018 | Sena Kilic, MD
Each month, the ACC On-Call For FITs Newsletter highlights the achievements of one FIT. The Section would like to recognize Gurukripa N. Kowlgi, MBBS, cardiology FIT at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. In this interview, conducted by Sena Kilic, MD, editor-in-chief of the ACC On-Call For FITs Newsletter, Kowlgi describes his involvement with the ACC, plans after fellowship, interests outside of cardiology and advice for other FITs.
October 12, 2018 | Hawkins Gay, MD
Purpose: The purpose of the ACC ASCVD Risk Estimator Plus App is to deliver the clinician or provider with an individualized, scientifically-derived estimate of the patient's 10-year risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) as well as their overall lifetime risk of ASCVD. The app is meant to serve as a starting point for shared decision-making discussions and can help guide the development of a custom intervention plan.
October 9, 2018 | Morgan Kellogg, MD, FACC
For many, quality and advocacy means an annual trip to Washington, DC, to share challenges of the day-to-day practice of medicine with policymakers, or a local project to improve quality metrics at their home hospital.
October 4, 2018 | Ayodipupo Oguntade
Postgraduate residency training in Nigeria is provided by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African College of Physicians.
October 4, 2018 | Jill M Steiner, MD , FACC
Most cardiology fellowship programs encourage fellows to participate in research; however, making arrangements for research time during fellowship may require some creativity.
October 4, 2018 | Kevin Shah, MD, FACC
Training in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology involves a deep dive into technology often not utilized in general cardiology training.
September 21, 2018
The September 2018 issue of Cardiology, YOUR member magazine, is now live! Cardiology provides cardiovascular professionals with comprehensive clinical, professional and health policy news; feature-length articles on the top trends and innovations in cardiovascular medicine; expert commentary from leaders in the cardiovascular field; quick-read summaries of the latest research from the JACC Journals and other major cardiovascular journals; profiles of ACC members, like you; and so much more!
September 19, 2018 | Karim Al-Azizi, MD, FACC
The first of July is an important date every year as Fellows in Training (FITs) at different levels of training are starting the year with new goals.
September 19, 2018 | Sena Kilic, MD
Purpose: The purpose of ACC's ManageAnticoag App is to assist the provider in planning periprocedural anticoagulation, manage an acute bleed and develop a restart approach for patients in whom anticoagulation has been or is planning to be interrupted in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.
September 19, 2018 | Heval Mohamed Kelli, MD ; Sena Kilic, MD
Each month, the ACC On-Call For FITs Newsletter highlights the achievements of one FIT. The Section would like to recognize Heval Mohamed Kelli, MD, an FIT at Emory University in Atlanta.
September 17, 2018
The American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIMs) competency-based pilot in internal-medicine cardiology may offer an opportunity for a paradigm shift in graduate medical education training of future cardiovascular specialists, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published Sept. 10 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
September 12, 2018
ACC.19 registration is NOW OPEN exclusively for ACC members. Nonmember registration will open Wednesday, Sept. 26. Register early for the lowest rates and best selection of hotel rooms!
September 7, 2018
A series of eight state-of-the-art reviews is now publishing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). One review is publishing each week, examining the top risk factors affecting the cardiovascular health of patients: diet, tobacco, lipid control/cholesterol, blood pressure, psychological health, weight, physical activity and blood sugar.
August 27, 2018
Learn more about articles from the August issue of Cardiology magazine, YOUR member magazine! View the “Dog Days of August” photo gallery featuring cardiovascular professionals and their dogs from around the world.
August 23, 2018
On Valentine’s Day 1994, I was 5 years old and carefully crafting a card for my grandparents in art class. I remember gluing a white lace heart onto a red sheet of construction paper, excited to share my masterpiece. My grandfather picked me up from the bus stop that afternoon. Once home, he held his chest and reported pain. He tragically died in route to the hospital from a massive myocardial infarction at the age of 61. While I cannot recall if my grandfather’s early death was the impetus for my longstanding aspiration to become a cardiologist, it undoubtedly influenced my interest in preventive cardiology.
August 18, 2018
Save the date for the next ACC Twitter Journal Club on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 3 - 4 p.m. ET! ACC Journal Club faculty members Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC, and John Ryan, MD, FACC. Itchhaporia AND Ryan will be joined by Annabelle Volgman, MD, FACC, ACC Cardiovascular Disease in Women committee member; Andrew Freeman, MD, FACC, ACC Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Section council member; and Dave Dixon, PharmD, FACC, ACC Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Disorder sub-section member, to discuss some of the hottest topics from ESC Congress 2018 in Munich.
August 16, 2018
The August 2018 issue of Cardiology, YOUR member magazine, is now live! Cardiology provides cardiovascular professionals with comprehensive clinical, professional and health policy news; feature-length articles on the top trends and innovations in cardiovascular medicine; expert commentary from leaders in the cardiovascular field; quick-read summaries of the latest research from the JACC Journals and other major cardiovascular journals; profiles of ACC members, like you; and so much more!
August 15, 2018 | Taimur Safder, MD
In these first few weeks as a new cardiology fellow, it feels like I have seen as many low ejection fraction left ventricles as I did in my entire residency.
August 15, 2018 | Olivia Hung, MD, FACC ; Anita Saraf, MD, PhD
As medical practice becomes more complex and biomedical research evolves as an amalgam of multiple disciplines, the path for those attempting to bridge medicine and research becomes more circuitous and difficult to navigate.
August 15, 2018 | Sena Kilic, MD
The practice of medicine is shifting toward value-based care, making it crucial that physicians play an active role in developing and participating in payments models that are flexible, innovative and outcome-focused.
August 7, 2018
Although complications can occur, Fellows in Training (FITs) and Early Career cardiologists may benefit from involving themselves in the subfield of “humanitarian electrophysiology” at home and abroad, according to an FIT/Early Career column published July 30 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Geoffrey Rubin, MD, describes his experiences training abroad and notes that it is eye-opening to leave the comfort zone and daily routines of a resource-laden U.S. medical center, especially for training physicians. MORE...
July 30, 2018
The latest issue of Cardiology looks at the impact of obesity on cardiovascular disease and tips on how to talk with patients.
July 23, 2018
Clinicians can now earn European Continuing Medical Education (ECME) credits by completing online activities for select Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) articles. The Journal is offering two ECME credits per month upon successful completion of related self-assessment questions for each article.
July 23, 2018
In the latest Practice Made Perfect podcast episode, Cathleen Biga, MSN, RN, provides an overview of the current value environment of patient care and how to transition from fee-for-service to an alternative payment model, with a focus on quality payment programs.
July 18, 2018 | Ahmad Masri, MD, FACC ; Mourad Senussi, MD
July 18, 2018 | Ahmad Masri, MD & Mourad Senussi, MD
Education
The first coronary care unit was established in the 1960s in an attempt to provide more intensive care and close monitoring to patients with acute myocardial infarction. The surprising part is that it took decades for the discipline of critical care cardiology to emerge.
July 18, 2018 | Jordan Awerbach, MD, FACC ; Thomas M. Bashore, MD, FACC
Jordan D. Awerbach, MD, MPH interviews Thomas M. Bashore, MD, FACC, who is a professor of medicine and senior vice chief of the Division of Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center. Bashore developed the Valvular Heart Disease and Adult Congenital Heart Disease programs at Duke while also showing an unparalleled commitment to teaching and mentoring Fellows in Training (FITs). Bashore previously served as the cardiology fellowship program director for 12 years and won the annual cardiology fellow teaching award so many times that it was eventually renamed the Thomas M. Bashore Annual Cardiology Fellow Award For Faculty Teaching in his honor.
July 17, 2018
By embracing change and evolution in design, echocardiography could lead diagnostic imaging and drive innovation, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published July 16 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
July 13, 2018
The JACC Journals editorial board is hosting their annual open board meeting and reception during ESC Congress to meet and engage with aspiring and established researchers and JACC Journals reviewers. All individuals interested in learning more about the JACC family of journals are invited to attend.
July 9, 2018
All health care professionals — regardless of specialty or degree — may need to more actively acknowledge the growing opioid epidemic and its impact on organ donation, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published July 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
June 28, 2018
The latest issue of Cardiology: Interventions highlights key trials and takeaways from SCAI, HRS and EuroPCR.
June 20, 2018 | Sena Kilic, MD
I am excited to serve as the new editor-in-chief for the ACC On-Call For FITs monthly newsletter. By way of introduction, I am currently chief cardiology fellow at Brown University in Providence, RI. I joined the ACC in 2014 as a medical resident and have been an active member ever since, beginning at my state chapter and expanding my engagement to the national level with a seat at the ACC FIT Section Leadership Council.
June 18, 2018
Providing the next generation of Fellows in Training (FITs) with knowledge and training in cardio-oncology may be necessary to address challenges in improving the quality of life and care of cancer patients, according to an FIT/Early Career column published June 18 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
June 15, 2018
A paradigm shift in cardiothoracic surgery training known as the "heart team" may have created an integrated educational approach between heart surgery and cardiology, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published June 4 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
June 14, 2018
The ACC is proud to support the next generation of cardiovascular research legends. Submissions are now being accepted for the 2019 Research & Career Development Awards, which help to fund six FIT and Early Career researchers with $70k in funding to pursue a year of research.
June 11, 2018
Through an institutional-level JACC Journals subscription, your entire organization can access the latest clinical findings, practice-changing science, visual abstracts and expert commentary uniquely provided by the family of JACC Journals.
May 29, 2018
Join Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), June 13 at 9 a.m. ET, for a webinar on techniques and strategies for publishing in high-impact journals. Fuster will share his expertise in working with researchers and authors throughout the research publishing cycle, how to develop papers for premium publications and how publishing in JACC provides the opportunity to broadly disseminate findings.
May 17, 2018
The second episode in a new podcast series developed by ACC President C. Michael Valentine, MD, FACC, Practice Made Perfect, is now live. In this episode, Valentine and Pamela S. Douglas, MD, MACC, discuss finding a job after fellowship.
May 17, 2018
The ACC has made a select number of travel awards available to cover expenses for FITs to travel to ACC’s 2018 Legislative Conference, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, in Washington, DC.
May 16, 2018 | Konstantinos Stathogiannis, MD, PhD
In 2002, the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was implanted in a patient with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis.
May 16, 2018 | Arash Harzand, MD, MBA, FACC
Digital health continues to redefine the way that patients and clinicians interact with the health care system and each other.
May 16, 2018 | Rayji Tsutsui, MB ChB ; Aldo Schenone, MD ; Venu Menon, MBBS, FACC
Cardiology remains one of the most popular medical subspecialties today, and continuing to attract the brightest medical students and internal medicine residents to consider a career in cardiovascular medicine is crucial in advancing the subspecialty.
May 16, 2018 | Edinrin Obasare, MD , FACC
Earlier this year, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan for an electrophysiology conference and was struck by the sense of honor, work ethic and politeness displayed by everyone I met.
May 4, 2018
Secondary use of shared data may be an important adjunctive resource for Fellow in Training and Early Career investigators to complement primary data generation, as they are believed to be at the forefront of shared data consumption, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published April 30 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
April 18, 2018
April 18, 2018 | Paul W. Armstrong, MD, FACC; Juan Simon Rico-Mesa, MD; Jianqiang Li, MD; Konstantinos Stathogiannis, MD, PhD
International
The challenges in delivering high quality ST-elevation myocardial infarction care is universal, and the following article provides stories from three individuals who have experienced STEMI in various parts of the world.
April 18, 2018 | Katharine Clapham, MD
As a second-year medical student, I sat in a crowded auditorium for a lecture on how to successfully manage the upcoming clinical rotations.
April 18, 2018 | Gaurav Gulsin, MB ChB
In February 2018, the international cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) community converged in Barcelona for CMR 2018, a joint EuroCMR/Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) meeting organized by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.
April 13, 2018
April 13, 2018 | Jordan Awerbach, MD
Education
Most children born with congenital heart disease (CHD) in the U.S. today are expected to survive into adulthood. As patient outcomes became more successful over time, the demographics shifted such that adults with CHD began to outnumber pediatric patients.
April 13, 2018
April 13, 2018 | Avnish Tripathi MD, PhD, MPH & Harleen Chahil, MD
Education
The success of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and the fast-paced innovation in percutaneous mitral valve repair have heightened interest in structural interventional cardiology.
April 13, 2018
April 13, 2018 | Erica Flores, MD
Education
The ACC, along with the rest of the nation, recently recognized women’s heart disease throughout the entire month February. Therefore, it is appropriate to focus on where we are today with women and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
April 13, 2018
JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology has been accepted for full indexing in PubMed, a free, online archive powered by the National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). The database comprises more than 28 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books.
April 5, 2018
Incorporating a psychosocial perspective into cardiology practice may be necessary for physicians to recognize and understand mental health effects of illness in patients, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published April 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
April 2, 2018
The JACC Journals’ editors are seeking submissions for their Fellows in Training/Early Career Column for publication.
March 28, 2018
March 28, 2018 | Ada C. Stefanescu Schmidt, MD MSc
Happy Spring! We hope you had the chance to attend some of the FIT sessions at ACC.18 earlier this month, or read about them on Twitter and Facebook.
March 28, 2018
March 28, 2018 | Akl C. Fahed, MD, MPH
Career Development
Shortly after matching in cardiology, FITs feel pressed to make several career choices. From subspecialty decision to practice type, there is a struggle to find a research or clinical niche. In medical school and residency, we followed defined patterns of success.
March 28, 2018
March 28, 2018 | Antonio Jordan-Rios, MD
International
Earlier this month, the Cardiovascular Fellows Boot Camp took place in Mexico City, becoming the very first of its kind in Mexico.
March 28, 2018
March 28, 2018 | Ahmad Masri, MD
Education
The introduction of electronic medical record systems and digital archiving of medical images has revolutionized health care delivery and led to the daily accumulation of terabytes of data.
March 28, 2018
March 28, 2018 | Christine Pacheco, MD
Education
My brother, an engineer, recently asked me what my thoughts were on several types of diets, including the ketogenic diet.
March 19, 2018
Although trainees become technically proficient at initiating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and grow accustomed to the pressure of cannulating patients in unstable scenarios, there is still much to learn when it comes to the decision-making progress, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published March 5 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
March 19, 2018
Despite cardiologists’ widespread interest in developing palliative care skills, additional training may be needed to develop expertise in this arena, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published March 19 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
March 19, 2018
The PCSK9 Competitive Grant Program, an independently-reviewed competitive grant program supported by Amgen, is accepting proposals for novel research aimed at advancing the understanding of PCSK9 and atherosclerosis.
March 19, 2018
ACC’s Surgeons and Interventional Member Section Councils have created a transcatheter heart valve handbook to provide a single source of introductory information on aortic, mitral and pulmonary transcatheter valve technology, intended for residents and Fellows in Training in cardiovascular medicine and cardiothoracic surgery.
March 5, 2018
February 26, 2018 | Edinrin Rae Obasare, MD
Career Development
Looking back through history, some people were traditionally born into a certain vocation. For instance, one may have been a scholar, peasant, blacksmith, farmer, merchant, trader or artisan. Then again, it may have been hard to identify the trade of extraordinary professionals like Michelangelo, Mozart and Napoleon. Who did they work for? What was their job description?
March 5, 2018
January 17, 2017 | Audrey Marshall, MD
Education
'Conversations With Cardiologists' highlights prominent cardiologists throughout the country and shares their invaluable insight on cardiology and sage advice for Fellows in Training (FITs). In this interview, Audrey Marshall, MD, chief of pediatric cardiology and director of pediatric cardiac catheterization at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA, shares her advice with ACC FITs.
March 5, 2018
February 26, 2018 | Charles Beale, MD
Education
It was a typical fall day when a man in his 60s was brought to the cath lab for a cardiac arrest with refractory shock, where he received a percutaneous coronary intervention to the proximal right coronary artery. Perhaps I was overly confident as I walked to the patient’s bedside to pull a venous sheath, but after a simple request, I also removed an interosseous needle. This extraordinarily sharp needle clearly had fresh blood on the tip, and as I carelessly turned to dispose of it in the sharps container, I pricked my finger. While watching the single teardrop of my own blood seep through my glove, my initial response was typical of any interventional fellow – complete and utter despair.
March 5, 2018
February 26, 2018 | Ajar Kochar, MD
Education
Sean Van Diepen, MD, MSc, is an academic cardiologist-intensivist. He is also an assistant professor of critical care medicine in the Department of Critical Care and is cross-appointed to the Division of Cardiology at the University of Alberta Director of Cardiology in Alberta, Canada. Below is an interview conducted by Ajar Kochar, MD, Fellow in Training (FIT) at Duke University in Durham, NC.
March 5, 2018
February 26, 2018 | Rohan Khera, MD
Career Development
As much as a third of fellowship training in cardiology is represented by time that can be dedicated to research, often identified as a research year. However, unlike most medical training up to this point that has an inherent structure and tangible goals, the research year in fellowship represents a new period in training.
March 5, 2018
February 26, 2018
Education
It has been a little over a month since the new guidelines came out for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in adults.
March 5, 2018
February 26, 2018 | Bethany Doran, MD
Education
The medical industry is at a crossroads. A recent New York Times article highlighting emerging partnerships between hospitals, such as the Cleveland Clinic with Oscar Health and Aetna with CVS, signals a period of increased corporate collaboration. In addition, partnerships between the medical field and technology giants such as Amazon, Google’s Verily Health and IBM Watson suggest new potential for technologic innovation and acceleration of data driven research.
March 5, 2018
Are you a regular user of the JACC Journals website? The JACC Customer Advisory Forum for Product Excellence (CAFÉ ) team is looking for feedback from JACC.org users who have ideas for future improvements and enhancements.
February 28, 2018
Please join us for this year's Careers in Heart Failure & Transplant Symposium during ACC.18. The event will take place on Saturday, March 10th, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Regency Ballroom Q at 4:30pm-6:00pm.
February 21, 2018
February 21, 2018 | Akl C. Fahed, MD, MPH
Career Development
The best advice that I have received in recent years was from Marc S. Sabatine, MD, MPH, FACC, chairman of the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Study Group, after rotating with him in the coronary care unit. He said, "Akl, you can be good at two things, but you can only be famous for one, so you need to pick!"
February 21, 2018
February 21, 2018
Chapter Engagement
ACC's Advocacy Program offers a variety of opportunities for members to engage in ACC's policy priorities. The annual Legislative Conference, held in Washington, DC, facilitates meetings between ACC member attendees and their Congressional representatives.
February 21, 2018
February 21, 2018 | Ada C. Stefanescu Schmidt, MD MSc
Education
We are less than a month away from ACC.18 and we couldn't be more excited about all the sessions geared specifically for FITs!
February 13, 2018
Adopting a hybrid attending-fellow-in-training (AFIT) training model may offer a solution to funding an additional year of training for structural heart disease (SHD) trainees, while also allowing them to act as part-time interventional cardiology attendings, according to a Fellows in Training/Early Career column published Feb. 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
January 17, 2018
January 17, 2017 | Morgan S. Kellogg, MD & Saket R. Sanghai, MD
Career Development
On the evening of Oct. 11, 2017, over 75 cardiology fellows from 11 programs in the greater Boston area gathered at the Hilton Hotel in Boston's Back Bay to discuss tips and tricks for crafting a successful career after fellowship.
January 17, 2018
January 17, 2017
Education
A Sneak Peek at ACC.18 Offerings For FITs
January 17, 2018
January 17, 2017 | Carla P. Rodriguez, MD
International
As fellows, we are told that we will face many challenges, from long hours to the emotionally draining work, some of which might cause us doubt ourselves and the purpose of our effort.
December 13, 2017
December 13, 2017 | Holger Thiele, MD
Education
Holger Thiele, MD, director of cardiology at Leipzig University Hospital in Leipzig, Germany, is the primary investigator for the both the IABP SHOCK II and CULPRIT-SHOCK trials.
December 13, 2017
December 13, 2017 | Thomas M. Munger, MD, FACC
Education
In an interview conducted by Vaibhav R. Vaidya, MBBS, Fellow in Training (FIT) at Mayo Clinic, Thomas M. Munger, MD, FACC, chair of Heart Rhythm Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic, discusses the challenges and joys of administration, and gives advice to budding cardiac electrophysiologists.
December 13, 2017
December 13, 2017 | Gaurav S. Gulsin, BSc, MBChB, MRCP
International
An abundance of research opportunities are available to cardiology FITs seeking to engage in postgraduate research in the U.K. Once enrolled into a cardiology specialty training program, FITs in the U.K. are expected to gain a postgraduate research-based PhD or MD prior to completion of residency.
December 13, 2017
December 13, 2017 | Ahmad Masri, MD
Career Development
Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship is the largest ACGME-accredited fellowship participating in the National Residency Matching Program, with 866 FIT positions offered in 2017.
December 1, 2017
December 1, 2017 | Mohammad-Ali Jazayeri, MD and Hussein Abu Daya, MD
Advocacy
The 2017 ACC Legislative Conference featured an excellent inaugural pre-conference program for FITs and Early Career members on Sept. 10 at the Fairmont Hotel, a stone’s throw from the ACC Heart House in Washington, DC. The following is a rundown of the major highlights from the FIT and Early Career pre-conference session.
December 1, 2017
December 1, 2017 | Mohammad-Ali Jazayeri, MD
Chapter Engagement
The recent ACC Legislative Conference took place September 10 – 12 at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC and on Capitol Hill. Among the conference highlights for FITs and Early Career Section members was the inaugural pre-conference held on Sept. 10.
November 27, 2017
November 22, 2017 | Arash Harzand, MD
Career Development
Below is a conversation with ACC Chief Innovation Officer John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, FACC, and FIT Salim Hayek, MD, about the recently announced Innovation Member Section.
November 22, 2017
In the latest ACC Cardiology Hour, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, is joined by Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC; Rachel J. Lampert, MD, FACC; Prediman K. Shah, MD, MACC; and Chadwick W. Stouffer, MD, in a roundtable discussion of the hottest trials from AHA 2017 in Anaheim, CA. Among the trials discussed are DACAB, CANVAS, EXSCEL, POISE-2 and more.
November 22, 2017
November 22, 2017 | Konstantinos Stathogiannis, MD, PhD
International
Cardiology fellowship in Greece is a vigorous four-year program in which intense training takes place under the constant vigilance of attending cardiologists.
November 22, 2017
November 22, 2017 | Kristin M. Burns, MD, FACC
Education
In this interview, Kristin M. Burns, MD, FACC, pediatric cardiologist at the Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, and medical officer at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), shares advice with ACC's FITs about a career in research.
November 22, 2017
November 22, 2017 | Erica Flores, MD
Education
The age-old question of surgery versus endovascular treatment of cardiovascular disease has been studied in the coronaries and the carotids.
November 22, 2017
November 22, 2017 | Emily Lau, MD and Nidhi Madan, MD
Career Development
Last month, hundreds of members of the ACC – cardiologists, allied health professionals and FITs – headed to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional leaders to discuss the work that the ACC community has been doing to improve cardiovascular care for their patients.
October 25, 2017
The global status of early-career academic cardiology remains uncertain. This is among the conclusions of the Early Career Section Academic Working Group of the ACC, in a report of their study assessing the current status and challenges for this group, published Oct. 23 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
October 18, 2017
October 18, 2017 | Sawan Jalnapurkar, MD
Career Development
From leading bedside rounds to representing the medical community in Congress, from medical school to being a practicing physician, we wear the dual hat of a leader and a physician. Paradoxically, leadership training has not been part of most official fellowship curricula.
October 18, 2017
October 18, 2017 | Bethany Doran, MD
Career Development
I. Preface - Joseph Rogers, MD, FACC, currently the interim chair of medicine at Duke University Hospital, came to Duke University in 2004 from Washington University in St. Louis, where he had built the cardiac transplant and mechanical circulatory support program.
October 18, 2017
October 18, 2017 | Moustafa Elsheshtawy, MD
Education
The morbidity, mortality and cost associated with hospital readmissions, especially in the Medicare population, is a growing concern. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented many initiatives to reduce hospital readmission rates, including the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP).
October 2, 2017
September 29, 2017 | Ahmad Masri, MD
Education
Imaging has become an integral part of cardiology. Although often times not thought of as an imaging modality, the first true form of cardiac imaging was selective coronary angiography (Mason Sones, 1958) that revolutionized our specialty. Decades later, non-invasive means of imaging the heart have surfaced, such as echocardiography, nuclear imaging, computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
September 29, 2017
September 29, 2017 | Charles Beale, MD
Education
Another calendar year has passed, and so has this year’s ACC Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. The ACC has continued to promote advocacy for our patients and our members. They have been instrumental in preparation for us to remain legislatively responsible and educated with regards to the implementation of Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
September 29, 2017
September 29, 2017 | Jordan D. Awerbach, MD, MPH
Education
The majority of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) fail to appropriately transition as adults to adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) specialists. Most experience a lapse in care, re-emerging later with significant illness under the care of providers with very limited CHD experience.
September 28, 2017
September 28, 2017 | Thomas E. Kaier, MD, MRCP, MBA
International
Following on from the article Cardiology Training ‘Across the Pond,’ written by Amardeep Dastidar, MBBS, I want to provide an insight into higher academic training in the UK. As my colleague has eloquently described, cardiology training is a five-year program following on from two years foundation and two years core training in General Medicine.
September 20, 2017
September 20, 2017 | Juan M. Ortega-Legaspi, MD
International
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Annual Congress is an excellent experience, not to be missed by FITs interested in cardiovascular clinical and basic science. I was lucky enough to attend this year's session in Barcelona, Spain.
September 20, 2017
September 20, 2017 | Ada C. Stefanescu Schmidt, MD, MSc
Chapter Engagement
Last week's Legislative Conference saw a great Fellows in Training (FIT) turnout, with 68 FITs representing nearly every state chapter, including travel award winners from 26 states!
September 20, 2017
September 20, 2017 | Thad F. Waites, MD, FACC
Advocacy
Advocacy and the Young Cardiologist: What do FITs and ECPs Need to Know About the Future of Advocacy in Cardiovascular Medicine?
September 20, 2017
September 20, 2017 | Tamika Rozema, MD
Advocacy
The 2017 ACC Legislative Conference provided me with an opportunity to merge the daily routine of a physician with the policies that impact all aspects of our profession.
September 20, 2017
September 20, 2017 | Russell C. Raphaely, MD
Career Development
Russell C. Raphaely, MD, is one of the founding fathers of pediatric cardiac critical care. Raphaely graduated from New York Medical College in 1964.
September 20, 2017
September 20, 2017 | Marshall Weintraub, CFP® and Michael Merrill, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
Career Development
Debt. Most physicians become familiar with it in one way or another throughout their careers; whether it takes the shape of student loans, credit card balances or a mortgage.
September 20, 2017
September 20, 2017 | Edinrin Obasare, MD
Career Development
"Go where the learning is!" This quote was declared by professor Everard Barton, MBBS, chairman of internal medicine at my medical school alma mater.
September 13, 2017
In conjunction with the ACC Committee Nominations cycle, the College’s Membership Committee is now accepting applications through Sept. 22. The Membership Committee was established as part of the 2015 College’s governance transformation and serves as standing committee of the College, reporting directly to the Board of Trustees.
September 7, 2017
In a recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Michael A. Lee, MD, and his son, Michael Lee, Jr., MD, JD, share heart-felt stories about their experiences growing up in the difficult, yet rewarding profession of medicine. They discuss the sacrifices that come with being a doctor, but also the importance of remaining devoted to both patients and family.
August 16, 2017
August 16, 2017 | Hena Patel, MD
Advocacy
Every day, cardiologists confront challenges to providing the best possible care for patients, including the threat of liability lawsuits, mandates for electronic medical records, and scope of practice expansions, just to name a few.
August 16, 2017
August 16, 2017 | Edinrin Obasare, MD
Chapter Engagement
As summer comes to its final month we reflect on the changes that propel us to the next season of our lives. This is an exciting and busy time for everyone. It also presents the opportunity to take part in activities our ACC state chapters offer.
August 16, 2017
August 16, 2017 | Aaron Kithcart, MD, PhD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, highlights the achievements of one FIT. The Section would like to recognize Aaron Kithcart, MD, PhD, an FIT at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.
July 20, 2017
The ACC is seeking qualified candidates to serve as vice chair of the Annual Scientific Session for a two-year term of office for ACC.19 and ACC.20, moving on to assume another two-year term as chair of ACC.21 and ACC.22.
July 19, 2017
July 19, 2017 | Georges Ephrem, MD, MSc
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, highlights the achievements of one FIT. The Section would like to recognize Georges Ephrem, MD, MSc, an adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) FIT at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA.
July 19, 2017
July 19, 2017 | Marshall Weintraub, CFP, and Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
Misaligning your investment allocation with your time horizon is a common mistake if you are not familiar with different types of risk. What do we mean by this?
July 19, 2017
July 19, 2017 | Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS
Career Development
Dear Colleagues: Welcome to the start of the 2017 – 2018 academic year and a special welcome to our incoming Fellows in Training (FITs) from around the world!
June 23, 2017
June 22, 2017 | Jenine John, MD
Career Development
You may have some concerns about whether you can mentor women well. Rest assured that the process is not much different from mentoring men, and it is generally more productive to focus on the similarities between the genders. By keeping a few things in mind, though, you can maximize the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship.
June 23, 2017
June 22, 2017 | Jenine John, MD
Career Development
Each of us in cardiology, wherever we are in our career, is in a position to be a mentor. Think about who you are mentoring. Are they aware that you are their mentor? Do you know how their career is progressing and what their current struggles are? Are your mentees a good mix of men and women, and is there a good racial mix?
June 22, 2017
June 22, 2017 | Ben Kenigsberg, MD
Advocacy
William Borden, MD, FACC, is an associate professor of medicine and health policy, and the director of health care delivery transformation at the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates in Washington, D.C. His clinical focus is in preventive cardiology, and he works both in policy and operationally on delivering high-value care.
June 22, 2017
June 22, 2017 | Georges Ephrem, MD
Education
Mark Victor Hansen once said, “You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.” Nowhere is this more relevant than in medical education.
June 22, 2017
June 22, 2017 | Amardeep Dastidar, MBBS
International
Cardiology is one of the most popular specialties in medicine. Entry to the training program remains highly competitive and potential FITs often go the 'extra mile' to keep up with the competition. Entry to cardiology training in the U.K. is possible following successful completion of the foundation program training (two years) followed by core training program (two years). The latter has two possible routes leading to entry into cardiology training: Core Medical Training (CMT); or Acute Care Common Stem - Acute Medicine.
June 22, 2017
June 22, 2017 | Daniel Addison, MD, and Nishant R. Shah, MD, MPH, MSc
Career Development
Many of the decisions we make as fellows-in-training (FITs) or as Early Career physicians can have long-lasting impact on our careers, and yet we often make these decisions with limited insight or guidance.
June 22, 2017
June 22, 2017 | Jennifer Gerardin, MD
Education
This year the combined specialty of internal medicine – pediatrics (Med-Peds) turns 50 years old. Med-Peds physicians have made an impact on primary care and hospital medicine but a quarter of all graduates pursue subspecialty training in pediatrics, internal medicine or a combined fellowship. Many enter subspecialty care with a plan of finding a way to continue to combine these fields and navigating both systems. Within cardiology, adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) has been that field. In the U.S., Med-Peds physicians have been there since the beginning caring for ACHD patients and shaping the field.
June 21, 2017
June 21, 2017 | Chad J. Zack, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, highlights the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Chad J. Zack, MD, an FIT at Mayo Clinic, as the 'star FIT' for the month of June. Zack describes his research interests, hobbies, career goals and involvement with the ACC in a short interview below.
June 21, 2017
June 21, 2017 | Marshall Weintraub, CFP, and Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
Saving for a child's higher education often gets put on hold as physicians and their families go through their final years of training. Paying off credit cards, replenishing emergency reserves, and home purchases are common priorities shortly after household incomes increase. Once the dust has settled, one of the next questions parents reflect on becomes, "how do we plan for our children's education?" This article will review educational cost and inflation trends before turning to 529 plans.
June 21, 2017
June 21, 2017 | Akshay Khandelwal, MD, FACC
Education
'Conversations With Cardiologists' highlights prominent cardiologists throughout the country and shares their invaluable insight on cardiology and sage advice for Fellows in Training (FITs). In a recent interview with Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS, Akshay Khandelwal, MD, FACC, governor of ACC's Michigan Chapter, shares advice for graduating FITs.
June 21, 2017
June 21, 2017 | Srinath Adusumalli, MD, and Ahmad Masri, MD
Chapter Engagement
ACC's state chapters are important components of the professional homes of today's FITs. To that end, as FIT representatives to the Executive Council of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACC, we have been working on several initiatives that cross fellowship program lines and are aimed at engaging FITs across the state in the activities of ACC's PA Chapter, as well as the ACC on a national level.
May 17, 2017
May 17, 2017 | Mary Norine Walsh, MD, FACC
Education
'Conversations With Cardiologists' highlights prominent cardiologists throughout the country and shares their invaluable insight on cardiology and sage advice for Fellows in Training (FITs). In a recent interview with Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS, Mary Norine Walsh, MD, FACC, the third female president of the ACC, shares her insights on the beginning of her journey in cardiology and the road to ACC presidency.
May 17, 2017
May 17, 2017 | Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, chief fellow at Stanford University, as the 'star FIT' for the month of May. Fatima describes her research interests, hobbies, career goals and involvement with the ACC in a short interview below.
May 17, 2017
May 17, 2017 | Sheila Sahni, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Sheila Sahni, MD, an interventional cardiology fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, as the 'star FIT' for the month of May. Sahni describes her research interests, hobbies, career goals and involvement with the ACC in a short interview below.
May 17, 2017
May 17, 2017 | Sara Negrotto, MD
Career Development
In the words of Madeleine Albright, "It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent." As a first-year cardiology fellow, I am very thankful for the many women in medicine, especially cardiology, who used their voice to establish a presence that paved the way for more women to be accepted into this male dominated field.
May 17, 2017
May 17, 2017 | Athena Poppas, MD, FACC
Education
'Conversations With Cardiologists' highlights prominent cardiologists throughout the country and shares their invaluable insight on cardiology and sage advice for Fellows in Training (FITs). In a recent interview with Charles Beale, MD, and Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS, Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, chair of ACC's Governance Committee and past chair of ACC's 64th and 65th Annual Scientific Sessions, describes her work as chair, advice for Fellows in Training (FITs), and more.
April 28, 2017
April 27, 2017 | Fernanda Erthal, MD
International
Thais Coutinho, MD, is a staff cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is a Brazilian doctor who graduated at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Early in her career, she decided to move to an academic center in North America for post-graduate medical training. In a recent interview, she shares her experience and lessons learned during her successful career journey.
April 28, 2017
April 27, 2017 | Prasad Gunesakaran, MD
Advocacy
The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, also referred to as the Open Payments Program, aims to enhance transparency of financial interactions between the pharmaceutical/device manufacturing industry and physicians. It requires public release of all financial transactions between covered recipients and manufacturers and those between covered recipients and group purchasing organizations (GPO).
April 27, 2017
April 27, 2017 | Junaid Zaman, MD
Education
As a FIT, we have to search the medical literature and keep abreast of the latest clinical practice guidelines. However, filing a provisional patent after the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Course provided first-hand experience in an equally fascinating source of knowledge and ideas: the patent literature. Whether you’re filing a patent or just browsing technologies that may shape the future, knowing how to rapidly screen large volumes of intellectual property filings is a skill that can yield insight into technology transfers and afford opportunities in medtech.
April 27, 2017
April 27, 2017 | Sandeep Krishnan, MD
Advocacy
The importance of a team approach has long been supported and advocated by the ACC, AHA, and ESC guideline writing groups. However, the adoption of a true heart team inclusive of all providers including advanced practice providers (APPs), has eluded many practices and institutions until recently as it is a fairly new concept in cardiology. One thing that I appreciate about the ACC is its longstanding emphasis on advocating for physicians, patients, and for all cardiovascular team members including nurses, APPs, and cardiovascular technologists.
April 27, 2017
April 27, 2017 | Sanah Christopher, MD
Career Development
It is a well known fact that the diagnosis of coronary artery disease is often delayed in women. Furthermore, heart disease is noted to be the leading cause of death in older women and the third most common cause of death in women globally. Fortunately, initiatives to improve the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease in women are bringing increased awareness to the cause.
April 19, 2017
April 19, 2017 | Thad Waites, MD, FACC
Education
Aaron Kithcart, MD, PhD, and Sandeep Krishnan, MD, recently sat down with Thad Waites, MD, FACC, chair of ACC's Health Affairs Committee (HAC) and a leading voice in the ACC, to get his thoughts on advocacy and learn about his journey to becoming an advocate for the ACC.
April 19, 2017
April 19, 2017 | Akhil Narang, MD
Education
ACC.17 is officially in the books! ACC's 66th Annual Scientific Session was a resounding success with nearly 20,000 cardiovascular professionals gathering in our nation's capital.
April 19, 2017
April 19, 2017 | Srinath Adusumalli, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Srinath (Sri) Adusumalli, MD, chief fellow at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, as the 'star FIT' for the month of April.
April 19, 2017
April 19, 2017 | Bharath Rajagopalan, MD
Career Development
The field of structural heart disease (SHD) interventions has grown significantly over the last decade. With the recent advances in the field of adult and pediatric SHD, there has been an increase in demand for cardiologists who are trained and proficient in performing these procedures.
March 30, 2017
March 30, 2017 | Tushar Tuliani, MD
Education
In an interview with Tushar Tuliani, MD, a Fellow in Training (FIT) at the Loma Linda University, California, Gary Fraser, MBChB, FACC, professor of preventive medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, and cardiologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center and Veterans Affairs Loma Linda Healthcare System, discusses the importance of lifestyle modification in the prevention of heart disease and the challenges faced by researchers in nutrition health.
March 30, 2017
March 30, 2017 | Andrew Prouse, MD
Education
A particularly concerning issue as a professional training in cardiovascular disease is the common response by medical housestaff when presented with peripheral vascular disease or the “cold leg” in the middle of the night, which is to refer to consult services other than cardiovascular medicine.
March 30, 2017
March 30, 2017 | Jenine John, MD
Career Development
Female cardiologists may not face as many challenges in the workplace as in the past, but progress is stagnating, and we still have a ways to go. As FITs, both male and female, we are the future of cardiology.
March 30, 2017
March 30, 2017 | Peter Flueckiger, MD
Education
Advanced cardiovascular imaging fellowships are a relatively recent development in cardiovascular medicine training. The need for imaging training programs has arisen due to advances in multiple cardiovascular imaging modalities, specifically computed tomography (CT), cardiac MR (CMR), echocardiography, and nuclear cardiology.
March 30, 2017
March 30, 2017 | Jennifer Gerardin, MD
Education
This is the final segment of a three-part interview with five adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) physicians at Emory University and Texas Children’s Hospital. The first article focused on why these ACHD physicians pursued this career pathway and who influenced their decision. The second part focused on how they balanced ACHD, adult or pediatric cardiology and additional sub-specialty training. This final part is their advice to trainees and their opinion on the future of the field.
March 15, 2017
March 15, 2017 | Andrew Kates, MD, FACC
Education
'Conversations With Cardiologists' highlights prominent cardiologists throughout the country and shares their invaluable insight on cardiology and sage advice for Fellows in Training (FITs).
March 15, 2017
March 15, 2017 | Salim S. Hayek, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Salim S. Hayek, MD, an FIT at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, as the 'star FIT' for the month of March.
March 15, 2017
March 15, 2017 | Allen Ligon, MD
Career Development
Since 2010, the Centers for Disease Control have published data reporting there are currently more adults (>18 years old) than children living with congenital heart disease (CHD) in the U.S. This speaks to the emphasis that needs to be placed on CHD education for all cardiologists, especially trainees, as the number of these patients is expected to continue to grow.
March 2, 2017
March 2, 2017 | James E. Tcheng, MD, FACC
Career Development
Physician burnout has many undesirable consequences, including negative impacts on the delivery and quality of patient care, physician career dissatisfaction and adverse effects on personal and family health and life.
February 24, 2017
February 24, 2017 | Megan Kamath, MD
Chapter Engagement
ACC’s Pennsylvania Chapter has been a champion of education and lifelong learning for members at every stage of training, making it an invaluable resource to all involved. Megan Kamath, MD provides an update on the Chapter's activities.
February 24, 2017
February 24, 2017 | Daniel Sierra, MD
International
There is an important epidemiological shift in Latin America attributable to a rapid population overgrowth, a decrease in infant mortality and an increase in life expectancy. The result is an overwhelming demographic explosion in the Americas. In Latin America, this population overgrowth has shown that the population´s needs and demands greatly surpass their supplies.
February 24, 2017
February 24, 2017 | Bram Geller, MD
Education
During an interview with Bram Geller, MD, a Fellow in Training (FIT) at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Jason Katz, MD, MHS, Director of the University of North Carolina Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit, discusses the field of critical care cardiology.
February 24, 2017
February 24, 2017 | Edinrin Rae Obasare, MD
Career Development
How do you achieve a successful career in cardiology? The truth is there is no universal path or formula to achieve this goal. We all possess unique gifts, strengths and weaknesses. Our career journeys will be different. However, excitement is found in the journey and in the insights that we discover along the way.
February 24, 2017
February 24, 2017 | Sumit Som, MBBS
Career Development
This is the conclusion of a two-part interview series with Dr. Timmapuri on physician burnout and EHRs. In this section, we will focus on how the physician can make the EHR work for him/her.
February 15, 2017
February 15, 2017 | Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS and
Akhil Narang, MD
Education
Greetings! We hope you are as excited as we are for ACC's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.17), March 17 – 19 in Washington, DC!
February 15, 2017
February 15, 2017 | Kevin R. Campbell, MD, FACC
Education
'Conversations With Cardiologists' highlights prominent cardiologists throughout the country and shares their invaluable insight on cardiology and sage advice for Fellows in Training (FITs). In an interview with Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS, chair-elect of the FIT Section Leadership Council and an FIT at Brown University, Kevin R. Campbell, MD, FACC, discusses social media use in health care and how he got involved in the digital sphere.
February 15, 2017
February 15, 2017 | Dhaval Kolte, MD, PhD
Education
The term "outcomes research" was first introduced in 1998 by Clancy and Eisenberg in their article in Science, which stated that "outcomes research – the study of the end results of health services that takes patients' experiences, preferences, and values into account – is intended to provide scientific evidence relating to decisions made by all who participate in health care."
February 15, 2017
February 15, 2017 | Hassan Mir, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Hassan Mir, MD, an FIT at McMaster University, as the 'star FIT' for the month of February.
February 15, 2017
February 15, 2017 | Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS
Section Update
National Wear Red Day is observed on the first Friday of February every year to bring to attention the fact that heart disease is the most common cause of death among women and to raise awareness about women's heart health.
January 26, 2017
January 26, 2017 | Sanah Christopher, MD
Career Development
Committing to sub-specialty training after cardiology fellowship can be one of the most challenging decisions faced by FITs. Current estimates for female FITs in cardiology training programs are at 15 – 18 percent, however, the percentage of female FITs in sub-specialty training tends to be much lower.
January 26, 2017
January 26, 2017 | Krishna Pothineni, MD
Education
Krishna Pothineni, MD, recently sat down with Di Biase to learn more about his career journey in electrophysiology, and his words of advice for prospective and current electrophysiology (EP) FITs. Luigi Di Biase, MD, FACC, is the section head of electrophysiology at Montefiore/Albert Einstein Medical Center in New York.
January 25, 2017
January 25, 2017 | Purav Mody, MD
Education
Mark Drazner, MD, FACC, is the clinical chief of cardiology, medical director of the Heart Failure, LVAD and Heart Transplantation Program and a professor of medicine at UT Southwestern Texas.
January 25, 2017
January, 25 | Prasad Gunasekaran, MD
Chapter Engagement
FITs in Kansas have had the distinct honor of hosting three successive presidents of the ACC, Patrick T. O’Gara, MD , MACC; Kim A. Williams Sr., MD, MACC; and Richard A. Chazal, MD, FACC, to preside over the chapter’s annual cardiovascular symposium. The welcome dinner served as the perfect platform for FITs to interact in an informal manner with ACC leadership on pertinent topics.
January 25, 2017
January 25, 2017 | Monica Verdoia, MD
International
Investing in the next generation of cardiologists has been the goal of cardiovascular medical societies, both in the United States and Italy, over the last few years. FITs appreciate opportunities and new initiatives to promote learning and networking.
January 18, 2017
January 18, 2017 | Bharath Rajagopalan, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT.
January 18, 2017
January 18, 2017 | Andrew M. Goldsweig, MD, FACC, RPVI
Career Development
As an internal medicine resident, I stood in the back corner of the cardiac catheterization laboratory, behind thirty cardiologists, witnessing our hospital's first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
January 18, 2017
January 18, 2017
Education
Fellows in Training (FITs) will begin their cardiology careers in a changing, more complex health care scenario that includes multiple specialty choices, different reimbursement and team management approaches, and intriguing new treatment options.
January 18, 2017
January 18, 2017 | Rick A. Nishimura, MD, MACC
Education
In an interview with Sherry-Ann Brown, MD, PhD, and Megha Prasad, MD, Fellows in Training (FITs) at Mayo Clinic, Rick A. Nishimura, MD, MACC, Judd and Mary Morris Leighton Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, discusses his achievements, mentorship, the future of cardiology and physician burnout.
December 20, 2016
December 20, 2016 | Carlos Barrero, MD, FACC
International
Thoughts from Carlos Barrero, MD, FACC, immediate past governor of ACC’s Argentina Chapter, regarding a recently published article by Ignacio M. Seropian, MD.
December 19, 2016
December 19, 2016 | Ignacio M. Seropian, MD
International
Argentina has a long tradition in cardiology. Rene Favoloro, MD, is considered by Argentineans as the pioneer of coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Julio Palmaz, MD, invented the Palmaz coronary stent and Juan Parodi, MD, performed the first endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Although most of these were performed abroad, Argentineans are aware of the importance of research to the field of cardiovascular medicine.
December 19, 2016
December 19, 2016 | Sumit Som, MBBS
Career Development
This will be a two-part interview series with Dr. Timmapuri. Part I will focus on physician burnout in general and the Part II will specifically focus on the effect of EHRs on physician burnout.
December 19, 2016
December 19, 2016 | Peter M. Flueckiger, MD
Education
In an interview with W. Gregory Hundley, MD, professor of cardiology and radiology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
December 19, 2016
December 19, 2016 | Jennifer Gerardin, MD, FAAP
Education
This is the second of a three-part interview with five adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) physicians at Emory University and Texas Children’s Hospital. The first article focused on why these ACHD physicians pursued this career pathway and who influenced their decision. The second part focuses on how they balance these sub-specialties.
December 14, 2016
December 14, 2016 | Richard A. Chazal, MD, FACC
Education
In an interview with Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS, an interventional cardiology fellow in training (FIT) at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the FIT Section Leadership Council, ACC President Richard A. Chazal, MD, FACC, discusses his presidency, hot advocacy topics and more.
December 14, 2016
December 14, 2016 | Michael P. Gannon, MD
Career Development
The winter months are marked with numerous holidays of varying religions, cultures and ethnicities. They are a time for celebration and joy with family and friends. FITs are no exception to this. However, a field of 24-hour care, 365 days a year can pose a hurdle.
December 14, 2016
December 14, 2016 | Ada C. Stefanescu Schmidt, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Ada C. Stefanescu Schmidt, MD, a cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, an FIT member of the Surgeons' Section Leadership Council, and a member of ACC’s Leadership Academy, as the 'star FIT' for the month of December. She describes her research interests, hobbies, career goals and involvement with the ACC in a short interview below.
December 14, 2016
December 14, 2016 | Marshall Weintraub, CFP, and Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
If you have tuned into the financial news recently, you may have heard about the Federal Reserve possibly raising interest rates in the near future. The Federal Reserve is the U.S.' central bank and is mandated with using monetary policy to control price stability (inflation) and achieve full employment (which does not mean unemployment is 0 percent), two measures of a healthy, stable economy.
November 30, 2016
November 30, 2016 | Benjamin Holmes, MD
Chapter Engagement
Hoping to gain some insight into opportunities for involvement and leadership at the national level, I sat down with two members of ACC’s Tennessee Chapter who have served as chairs on national committees within the College. Julie Damp, MD, FACC, is a non-invasive cardiologist in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the associate program director of the Vanderbilt Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Program. She currently serves as chair of the ACC Cardiovascular Training Section. Robert N. Piana, MD, FACC, is an interventional cardiologist and director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Intervention Program, and is the immediate past chair of the ACC Coding Task Force, serving ex-officio as the College’s CPT Code Advisor.
November 30, 2016
November 30, 2016 | Daniel Addison, MD
Career Development
As we head into the holiday season with thanks-giving for the completion the start of another academic year, we recognize our achievements as we cast an eye on the next horizon. Many of us are faced with important decisions over this holiday season. These decisions range from how to prepare for a successful finish to the first year of cardiology fellowship, to the decision on jobs for the upcoming year. In this article I will focus on the decision to pursue additional sub-specialty training and a potential framework to aide in making a good transition.
November 30, 2016
November 30, 2016 | Michael Goldfarb, MD
International
Lawrence Rudski, MD, FACC, FASE, is the Quebec-ACC governor and president of the Canadian Society of Echocardiography. He is a professor of medicine at McGill University, Montreal Quebec; Director, Division of Cardiology and Director, Integrated Cardiovascular Center, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal Quebec Canada.
November 30, 2016
November 30, 2016 | Fernanda Erthal, MD
International
Recently, I was watching the Olympics games - yes, I am from Brazil and have to admit that even abroad I could not take my eyes from it – and was fascinated with the athletes. Watching the games, we get the false impression that the difference between a gold medal and no medal is a millisecond, one point, one detail. But if we take some time to look deeper, we realize that the real difference is the effort, dedication and passion of each athlete.
November 30, 2016
November 30, 2016 | Sandeep Krishnan, MD
Advocacy
State legislatures are some of the most important institutions in our government today. As Congress remains gridlocked to degrees of the highest level, we are at a crossroads for how to move forward with the question of governance.
November 30, 2016
November 30, 2016 | Bram Geller, MD
Education
Critical care cardiology is a developing and evolving subspecialty within cardiology. The coronary care unit has evolved from a place where patients with an acute myocardial infarction could complete their infarct under medical supervision, to a complex intensive care unit supporting patients with mixed shock, respiratory failure and dependence on mechanical circulatory support devices.
November 17, 2016
November 17, 2016 | Edinrin Rae Obasare, MD
Chapter Engagement
Engaging in the ACC through your state chapter is exciting, rewarding, challenging, growth enhancing, and important in generating young leaders focused on eradicating cardiovascular disease.
November 17, 2016
November 17, 2016 | Aaron P. Kithcart, MD, PhD and
Sunny Jhamnani, MD
Advocacy
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) convened in Orlando, FL, this past weekend for its Interim Meeting to consider topics of importance to clinicians and to establish policy for the AMA.
November 16, 2016
November 16, 2016 | Sahil Khera, MD
Career Development
Cardiology remains one of the most sought after specialties in medicine – fiercely competitive, gratifying and extremely demanding. With rapid advancements in device technology, pharmaceutical therapies, imaging modalities and procedural competencies we have more subspecialties than any other field in medicine to choose from.
November 16, 2016
November 16, 2016 | Deepika Narasimha, MD & Poonam Velagapudi, MD
Career Development
The recent TCT 2016 meeting was well attended by many notable ACC members. Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC, chair of ACC's Interventional Cardiology Section, co-director of TCT 2016, and co-author of the Platinum Diversity study presented at this meeting, hosted an exciting program titled 'Fellow Conversations with the Masters' for FITs.
November 16, 2016
November 16, 2016 | Amanda Eilers, DO
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Amanda Eilers, DO, a cardiothoracic surgery fellow at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) and an FIT member of the Surgeons' Section Leadership Council, as the 'star FIT' for the month of November.
November 16, 2016
November 16, 2016 | Kim Allan Williams Sr., MD, MACC
Education
In an interview with Akhil Narang, MD, chair of the FIT Section, and an FIT at the University of Chicago, and Hena Patel, MD, an FIT at Rush University, Kim Allan Williams Sr., MD, MACC, immediate past-president of the ACC and chief of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center, discusses his involvement in the ACC, career challenges and accomplishments, and his advice for FITs.
October 27, 2016
October 27, 2016 | Edinrin Rae Obasare, MD
Chapter Engagement
Families – some we choose and others we find ourselves in. In most families, everyone rallies together to achieve a common worthwhile goal. The ACC is a large organization, with local state chapters which serve as the “smaller family” unit for ACC members. The Pennsylvania Chapter (PA-ACC) is my local ACC chapter/family.
October 27, 2016
October 27, 2016 | Megan Kamath, MD
Chapter Engagement
2016 is racing to a close and, boy, what a year it has been for the FITs in ACC’s Pennsylvania Chapter. February 2016 put the spotlight on women’s heart health and many Western PA FITs attended the Cardiovascular Disease and Women Conference held at Allegheny Health Network. Topics for discussion included peripartum cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease in women, pre-eclampsia, and mid-life cardiovascular disease considerations.
October 27, 2016 | Jenine John, MD
My fellowship experience is, in a way, a case study on increasing the number of women in cardiology. My class consists of four women and one man. Yes, eighty percent of my cardiology fellowship year is female. We are probably making history here.
October 27, 2016
October 27, 2016 | Tushar Tuliani, MD
Education
In our quest to master disease processes and achieve academic glory, individual well-being takes a back seat. Medical education teaches us to be selfless and put others first. Can we provide quality care to our patients without taking care of ourselves? Numerous years of medical training kept me away from a daily routine of dedicated physical activity.
October 20, 2016
October 20, 2016 | Anthony D. Osterman-Pla, MD
Advocacy
ACC’s Legislative Conference brings together ACC members from across the nation to discuss the most pressing issues affecting cardiovascular professionals and to advocate for improved health care delivery. The conference began with a delightful Sunday-night welcome reception that allowed me to network with colleagues from across the country and exchange ideas on the practice and challenges in cardiovascular medicine.
October 19, 2016
October 19, 2016 | Deepika Narasimha, MD
Career Development
ACC's 2016 Legislative Conference held in Washington, DC, marked the 25th anniversary of the event. This annual session brings together various cardiovascular professionals from all over the country to advocate for patients and the cardiovascular team on Capitol Hill. On the first day of the conference various section and council meetings were held at the Heart House and the Fairmont hotel in D.C, including the Women in Cardiology (WIC) Leadership Workshop.
October 19, 2016
October 19, 2016 | Sherry-Ann Brown, MD, PhD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Sherry-Ann Brown, MD, PhD, a general cardiology fellow in the clinician investigator program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, as the 'star FIT' for the month of October. She describes her research interests, hobbies, career goals and involvement with the ACC in a short interview below.
October 19, 2016
October 19, 2016 | Charles Beale, MD
Advocacy
My second year as an FIT at ACC's Legislative Conference has proven to be even more rewarding than my first. Last year I found myself insecure and almost fumbling over words trying to explain why the ACC wanted to be involved in MACRA, the new payment model during my visit to Capitol Hill.
October 19, 2016
October 19, 2016 | Claire Duvernoy, MD, FACC
Education
Claire Duvernoy, MD, FACC, chair of ACC's Women in Cardiology (WIC) Section, is a well-known interventional cardiologist at University of Michigan and a nurturing mentor. In an interview with Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS, an interventional cardiology fellow in training (FIT) at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the FIT Section Leadership Council, Duvernoy discusses various issues pertinent to women in cardiology.
September 29, 2016
September 29, 2016 | Jennifer Gerardin, MD, FAAP
Education
This is the first of a three-part interview with five adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) physicians at Emory University and Texas Children’s Hospital. This article asks why they pursued this career pathway and who influenced their decision.
September 29, 2016
September 29, 2016 | Peter Flueckiger, MD
Education
Multimodality cardiovascular imaging technologies continue to develop and have an increasing role in assessment, diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease. The combination of echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography for aortic valve stenosis and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), multiple methods of assessing myocardial viability, and the myriad of stress testing options to evaluate coronary artery disease are just a few examples of integrative imaging and distinct choices clinicians make. Because of these clinical challenges and situations, it may be time to re-evaluate imaging training for the general cardiology fellow.
September 29, 2016
September 29, 2016 | Kevin Parrott, MD
Chapter Engagement
The Kentucky Chapter the ACC (KY-ACC) is dedicated to promoting excellence in cardiovascular care, and heart health in commonwealth of Kentucky. The highlight of the year for the Chapter, as well as for all the Fellows in Training (FITs), is our annual meeting, which was held in Lexington, Kentucky at the Lexington Convention Center this past year. Our state Chapter meeting has seen a steady increase in participation, and last year’s meeting set a record for attendance from both practicing cardiologists and FITs with nearly 300 attendees.
September 29, 2016
September 29, 2016 | Sanah Christopher, MD
Career Development
Burnout syndrome is a significant concern in contemporary medical training, often leading to impairment of personal and work outcomes in health care providers. Burnout frequently establishes its early roots during training, which can have unfortunate lingering effects on future career goals and development.
September 29, 2016
September 29, 2016 | Olivia Hung, MD, PhD
Career Development
The importance of mentorship cannot be emphasized enough. It is especially critical during the last years of training and the first few years after fellowship completion because this is the time when we are at our most vulnerable. We face career decisions amidst the growing need to accommodate family considerations and we want to enjoy some of the rewards that have been implicitly promised to us when we enrolled in medical school. The next steps in our trajectory are no longer pre-programmed and obvious. As a result, this is a time when we are most likely to need strong mentorship.
September 21, 2016
September 21, 2016 | Aaron P. Kithcart, MD, PhD
Advocacy
Long before many of us had started our medical training, Congress enacted the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which created a formula inaccurately called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) as a way to curb Medicare spending. The formula was the benchmark by which payments to physicians were made. While its intentions were noble, the growth rate was anything but sustainable, and by 2015 physicians were expected to take a 21 percent cut in reimbursements according to the SGR.
September 21, 2016
September 21, 2016 | William A. Zoghbi, MD, MACC
Career Development
William A. Zoghbi, MD, MACC, is the chair of the department of cardiology, the Elkins Family Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Health at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, a professor of cardiology in the Institute for Academic Medicine, and full member of the Research Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital, in Houston, TX. He is also a past president of the ACC and the American Society of Echocardiography.
September 21, 2016
September 21, 2016 | Sandeep Krishnan, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Sandeep Krishnan, MD, an interventional FIT at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, as the 'star FIT' for the month of September. Krishnan has been actively involved with the activities of the ACC over the past few years. He describes his research interests, hobbies, career goals and involvement with the ACC in a short interview below.
September 9, 2016
September 9, 2016 | Ben Kenigsberg, MD
Advocacy
What does it mean to be a physician advocate? Through 8 years of medical school, internal medicine residency and general cardiology fellowship, I have an intuitive understanding of the clinical role of a physician. But what does it mean to be an advocate? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines advocacy as “the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal”. Clearly, the field of medicine is in flux with extraordinary scientific developments in targeted pharmacologic therapies and device technology. As physicians, we categorically support scientific inquiry.
September 9, 2016
September 9, 2016 | Sandeep Krishnan, MD
Advocacy
Every day cardiovascular professionals around the globe are involved in improving and saving the lives of the countless people seeking care for themselves or their loved ones. This is no small feat, given the global epidemic that is heart disease. If this “day job” wasn’t enough, many of these same professionals also volunteer their time to help others in areas where access to basic health care, let alone cardiovascular care, is limited. Read more >>>
August 25, 2016
August 25, 2016 | Prasad Gunasekaran, MD
Advocacy
Spectrum of the Problem: Contemporary clinical practice involves pre-authorization from insurance companies for procedures. These were initially designed to obviate the need for discrepancies in payments for medical care, already provided by physicians. However, it has evolved into a labor-intensive process, causing considerable delays in patient care. Depending on the clinical scenario, the process of pre-authorization typically involves up to three burdensome steps:
August 25, 2016 | Jenine John, MD
Here is a scenario for you. A father and his son are in a serious car accident, and the father dies. The son is taken to the closest hospital. Upon entering the boy’s room, the surgeon says, “I cannot operate on this patient – he is my son.” How can this be? Have you figured it out?
August 25, 2016
August 25, 2016 | Franklyn A Colón Arias, MD
International
In February of this year, the first symposium of ACC’s Dominican Republic Chapter took place – organized by Pedro E. Ureña, MD, FACC, a governor member of the Assembly of International Governors (AIG) – and had a great attendance by local cardiologists. I sat down recently with Ureña to discuss his experience with the Chapter and how the Chapter has contributed to the Dominican Society of Cardiology.
August 25, 2016
August 25, 2016 | Rayji Tsutsui, MBChB
Education
Mehdi H. Shishehbor, DO, MPH, FACC, is the director of endovascular services in the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. His interests include coronary and peripheral vascular interventions. He completed his internal medicine, general cardiology and interventional cardiology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Shishehbor is married and has two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, reading Persian poetry and watching basketball.
August 25, 2016
August 25, 2016 | Nisha Gilotra, MD
Education
The home of the ACC in the nation’s capital was buzzing this spring with nearly 4000 attendees from all over the world for the 36th Annual International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Scientific Sessions.
Many FITs attended and presented their work via oral or poster presentations. Below are highlights from the meeting addressing the current hot topics of next generation left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy and methods of increasing the heart transplant donor pool:
August 17, 2016
August 17, 2016 | Mirnela Byku, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Mirnela Byku, MD, an advanced heart failure/transplant FIT at Washington University, St. Louis, MO, as the 'star FIT' for the month of August.
August 17, 2016
August 17, 2016 | Marshall Weintraub and Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
Most cardiologists will become investors at some point in their lives, whether this begins with savings from a high school summer job, an employer-sponsored retirement plan as an attending, or anywhere in between. When you purchase investments, you are probably aware that the value of these may fluctuate, sometimes significantly. Earlier in the year, we wrote an article about the importance of not making large, emotion-based changes to your investments during periods of market volatility. This article will cover an aspect of investment management in which making adjustments is beneficial, called portfolio rebalancing.
August 17, 2016
August 17, 2016 | Mary L. Dohrmann, MD, FACC
Education
Many things inspire medicine residents to become cardiologists – a specific patient, a mentor, the science of cardiovascular medicine. In my case, it was the electrocardiogram (ECG). For me, ECG interpretation blended all that is known about the heart for an individual patient after obtaining a thorough history and physical examination.
August 3, 2016
August 3, 2016 | James Hansen, DO
Education
Right now is a great time to be an interventional cardiologist. The face value of this statement is low, filled with trite optimism and an intolerable sense of idealism. Some senior operators would certainly disagree. To ask them, a career in interventionalism is self-inflicted destitution. I am of the opposite persuasion, and not just because I feel like being contradictory.
July 29, 2016
July 29, 2016 | Bryan LeBude, MD
Education
In addition to serving as program director for the cardiovascular disease fellowship at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) and Georgetown University Hospital, Gaby Weissman, MD, FACC is co-director of the advanced cardiac imaging fellowship at MWHC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
July 29, 2016
July 29, 2016 | Olivia Hung, MD, PhD
Career Development
In Part I, I discussed the basics of personal finance, including securing and protecting our earnings potential and current financial independence. Once these have been considered and acted upon, the next step is arguably more individualized, making it more complex and interesting. People who have budget surpluses can now plan to use that surplus in one of the following four general categories.
July 20, 2016
July 20, 2016 | Aaron P. Kithcart, MD, PhD
Advocacy
Many know that advocacy is one of the central missions of the ACC. The College leads efforts to ensure cardiology practices are sustainable with adequate access for our patients, which requires advocacy at not only the national and state level, but at the regulatory level as well – especially with the upcoming rollout of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Many efforts, especially MACRA, will affect practices well outside cardiology. For this reason, the College collaborates with other organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), to advocate for the entire house of medicine.
July 20, 2016
July 20, 2016 | Craig Alpert, MD
Career Development
Each month, the Fellow in Training (FIT) Section newsletter, ACC On-Call, will highlight the achievements of one cardiology FIT. The Section would like to recognize Craig Alpert, MD, an advanced heart failure/transplant FIT at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, as the 'star FIT' for the month of July. Alpert has been actively involved with the activities of the ACC over the past few years. He describes his research interests, hobbies, career goals and involvement with the ACC in a brief interview below:
July 20, 2016
July 20, 2016 | Akhil Narang, MD
Career Development
Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the start of the 2016 – 2017 academic year and a special welcome to our incoming Fellows in Training (FITs) from around the world! As you progress through your training in preparation for a long and rewarding career in cardiology, please take a few moments to explore the many opportunities afforded by your complementary membership in the ACC. Our goal is to ensure that the ACC remains your professional home for years to come.
July 20, 2016
July 20, 2016 | Sudarshan Balla, MBBS
Education
I have distinct memories associated with the date July 1. It was on this date that I started my cardiovascular fellowship and three years later became faculty at the University of Missouri. It is a good time to reflect on the past and seek areas of improvement to make a difference for future Fellows in Training (FITs).
June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016 | Jeffrey A. Robinson, MD
Advocacy
ACC’s Ohio Chapter held its annual Legislative Day on May 10 in Columbus. The kick-off dinner and legislative appointments were attended by 28 physicians and cardiovascular team members, including three FITs as key participants. Members received a briefing on the current state legislative session by Monica Hueckel, director of government affairs at the Ohio State Medical Association, as well as an update from ACC State Advocacy by Michael Lawrence.
Ohio Chapter members met with 33 members of the Ohio Legislature, including 20 members of the House and 13 Senators. There were three current bills emphasized and discussed by Ohio Chapter members:
June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016 | Jeremy Nicolarsen, MD
Career Development
Careers in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) are on the rise. In the second of this three part interview series, we’ll look at ACHD care from the vantage point of the early career ACHD Program Director. In this installment, we’ll hear from Yuli Y. Kim, MD, FACC, director of the Philadelphia Adult Congenital Heart Center at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Ali N. Zaidi, MD, FACC, director of the Montefiore Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program (MAtCH) at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart & Vascular Care, Montefiore Medical Center, and The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NY.
June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016 | Tarek Alsaied, MD
Education
Robert H. Beekman III, MD, FACC, is an interventional pediatric cardiologist and professor of pediatric cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He is currently the chair of ACC’s Adult Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology Section and also is the chair of the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative.
June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016 | Olivia Hung, MD
Career Development
Whenever our Women in Cardiology group gets together, we always end up talking about rotations, careers and family. But what about financial matters? Most women who file for bankruptcy do so because of divorce, serious medical problems, or a job loss – in other words, when they lose their source of income. While female cardiology fellows-in-training are at very low risk of losing their income source (after all, a residency or fellowship offers outstanding job security), we do have our own questions and worries with respect to daily expenses, debt, investments, retirement and lifestyle.
June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016 | Fernando Iñarra Talboy, MD
International
Founded in 1935 by Ignacio Chávez, MD, the Mexican Society of Cardiology spearheaded cardiovascular research and teaching in Mexico. The Mexican Society of Cardiology helped spread the specialty around the country, leading later to the foundation of the National Institute of Cardiology and the Interamerican Society of Cardiology in 1944. Almost 80 years later, the effort seems to have worn off.
June 15, 2016
June 15, 2016 | Ravi S. Hira, MD, FACC
Career Development
As the year and another stage in your career draw to a close, I hope you have all found the career opportunities and jobs that you were looking for. I have shared a few choice words of advice from those who have gone before me that have helped me tremendously over the past year.
June 15, 2016
June 15, 2016 | Marshall Weintraub & Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
Estate planning is one of the last areas of planning we often see our clients address. This is not because they do not value it, but because these items may seem either too daunting or morbid to place at the top of one's to-do list. Nevertheless, if you have a young family or plan to start one soon, we encourage you to consider these important items to ease the burden on your loved ones in the unfortunate event they are needed. This article will cover four areas of basic estate planning – wills, trusts, other documents and life insurance.
May 18, 2016
May 18, 2016 | Philip S. Hall, MD
Education
ACC's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.16) in Chicago was my first time attending ACC's annual meeting, and it was a great privilege to be there as a recipient of the ACC/Merck Fellowship Award. I arrived on Saturday and at the Merck reception that evening I got to meet Jainy Savla, MD, an FIT from UT Southwestern and Pritha P. Gupta, MD, an FIT from the University of California, Los Angeles, two of my co-awardees, as well as several previous recipients of the award, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the award.
May 18, 2016
May 18, 2016 | Saurav Chatterjee, MD
Education
Participating in the Young Investigator Awards (YIA) competition at the 65th Annual Scientific Sessions (ACC.16) was an enormous opportunity – previous contestants include some of the luminaries in academic cardiology. So it was indeed with trepidation that I submitted an abstract for the competition. As a prior finalist in 2012 (as an internal medicine resident), I knew that to be selected as a finalist entailed a favorable constellation of hard work, meticulous science and serendipity.
May 18, 2016
May 18, 2016 | Edon Rabinowitz, MD
Chapter Engagement
As a fellow constantly on the move in my home institution, it's easy to forget that the ACC has a community of cardiologists ready to support and provide FITs with guidance, so I sat down with Shubhika Srivastava, MBBS, FACC, and Antonio Gabriel Cabrera, MD, FACC, at ACC's 65th Annual Scientific Sessions (ACC.16) in Chicago, IL. Dr Cabrera moderated a small group discussion on "Getting the Most Out of the Mentor/Mentee Relationship."
May 18, 2016
May 18, 2016 | Michelle Hadley, DO
Advocacy
I have always wanted to be impactful. In October, I attended ACC's 2015 Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. We met with our representatives on the House side, as well as with our senators. Unfortunately at that time, my district congressman was not in DC. Therefore, I took it upon myself to schedule a meeting in Worcester, MA, to meet with him.
May 18, 2016
May 18, 2016
Career Development
The FIT Section has grown tremendously in membership, but also in recognition. Our success as a section would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of FITs from around the country and world. We are deeply indebted for the time and dedication of FITs who have contributed to various initiatives from our section. We look forward to getting more of you involved – please do not hesitate to reach out to us for various opportunities.
May 18, 2016
May 18, 2016 | John J. Lazarus, MD & Mohammed Sabeh, MD
Career Development
Mukesh Jain, MD, is the Ellery Sedgwick Jr. Chair & Distinguished Scientist, scientific director of the Harrington Discovery Institute, chief scientific officer at the University Hospitals Health System, and vice dean for Medical Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. He is also the immediate past president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Dr. Jain is widely recognized for pioneering studies establishing a family of transcription factors termed Kruppel-like factors (KLF) as nodal determinants of metabolism and immunity, which influences the cardiovascular system. He has translated this corpus of work in animals and humans, and established KLFs as key targets of pharmacologic agents. Dr. Jain is also a gifted mentor with an exceptional track record of developing independent investigators, efforts that have resulted in mentorship awards from Harvard Medical School and University Hospital Case Medical Center.
May 12, 2016
May 12, 2016 | Olivia Hung, MD
Career Development
As we are surveying the new suite that will accommodate our growing laboratory group, I wonder aloud about getting a coffee machine. My female colleague immediately replies, “No. We’ll be the ones always cleaning it.” My first love was chemistry, which germinated when my seventh grade science teacher carefully held a bucket of mercury for us to observe and later mentioned to me that I had an innate aptitude for the subject. My passion held firm through high school chemistry (where my teacher spent six months teaching us the definition of a mole) and a freshman general chemistry course in college (during which my professor spent an entire lecture wrongly deriving the Schrödinger equation), and blossomed once I encountered the power of aldol mechanisms in organic chemistry.
May 12, 2016
May 12, 2016 | Nicholas S. Amoroso, MD
Chapter Engagement
Smadar Kort, MD, FACC, is a clinical professor of medicine and director of non-invasive cardiac imaging at Stony Brook University Medical Center in Roslyn, NY. Dr. Kort is also the immediate past downstate governor of ACC’s New York Chapter. She attended medical school at the Sackler School of Medicine in Israel, completed residency at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and an advanced echocardiography fellowship at New York University.
May 12, 2016
May 12, 2016 | Monica Verdoia, MD
International
Wind of innovation and international cardiology was blowing during the first weekend of April in Chicago, where ACC’s 65th Annual Scientific Session took place. Innovation in terms of the changeover of ACC’s leadership, with Richard A. Chazal, MD, FACC, succeeding Kim Allan Williams Sr., MD, MACC, in the role of president of the College, but also innovation in terms of new scientific discoveries, with the presentation of late breaking trials and drugs newly released on the cardiovascular market.
May 12, 2016
May 13, 2016 | Nick Ierovante, DO
Education
The general consensus amongst physicians is that regular exercise is typically good for overall health and inactivity is typically bad. For many of us, being a FIT has meant several city, state, country or even continent moves over the last several years. While many of us strive to engage in healthy behaviors including regular exercise, these frequent major life changes can make sticking to a routine difficult. As a mean to fight these changes, many fellows choose endurance running.
May 12, 2016
May 13, 2016 | Yader Sandoval, MD
Education
Dr. Sandoval is a co-investigator within Fred Apple, PhD’s Cardiac Biomarkers Trials Laboratory at the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, where he collaborates with both Dr. Apple, (Laboratory Medicine and Pathology) and Stephen W. Smith, MD (Emergency Medicine). Dr. Sandoval’s research has focused on the use of cardiac troponin in acute myocardial infarction (MI), including the diagnosis, classification, management and risk-stratification of myocardial injury and MI. Dr. Sandoval presented the following results at ACC’s 65th Annual Scientific Sessions (ACC.16) at the Young Investigator Awards Competition session and was honored as one of the five finalists during the Convocation Ceremony:
April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 | Marshall Weintraub & Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
Spring is in the air. Along with it comes graduating medical students, interviews and, for cardiologists entering practice, questions on how best to protect their incomes. We would first like to agree with you that disability insurance is not the most exciting area of building your financial plan. With that said, we would like to remind you that properly protecting your income in the event of a long-term disability is one of the most important planning steps you can take. This article addresses three common questions we receive when discussing disability insurance with cardiologists.
April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 | Akhil Narang, MD
Education
The Fellows in Training (FIT) Forum Scholarship and Education session was a tremendous success! Prominent cardiologists, including Clyde Yancy, MD, MACC, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University), Nihar Desai, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Yale University, Jonathan P. Piccini Sr., MD, FACC, associate professor at Duke University, and Michael Broman, MD, clinical instructor at the University of Chicago, spoke eloquently on building a successful research portfolio during fellowship and beyond.
April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 | Michael W. Cullen, MD, FACC
Education
For several years running, the 'Stump the Professor FIT Forum' has provided ACC Annual Scientific Session attendees with a fun, engaging and lively educational opportunity. This year's iteration was no different. Three FITs, Ronnie Ramadan, MD, from Beth Israel Deaconess, Tala K. Al-Talib, MD, from the University of Maryland, and Brandon William Calenda, MD, from Mount Sinai, each presented a unique and perplexing case to our panel of expert "professors," Thomas M. Bashore, MD, FACC, Patrick T. O'Gara, MD, MACC, and Carole A. Warnes, MD, FACC.
April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 | Kavitha Kalvakuri, MD, Adam Oesterle, MD, & Gurpreet Singh, MD
Education
Our experience at ACC.16 was so fascinating, inspirational and full of interesting moments that we don't know where to start. We knew that this meeting would provide a great learning experience, and we were feeling lucky that this event was happening in Chicago.
April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 | Seth Sheldon, MD
Education
Varsha K. Tanguturi, MD, and I had the pleasure of moderating the FIT session entitled, "Acing the Transition: What FITs Need to Know to Launch A Successful Career". We are grateful to the ACC for hosting this unique session and to our speakers, who shared a wealth of wisdom.
April 20, 2016
April 20, 2016 | Ankur Kalra, MD & Ronnie Ramadan, MD
Education
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and its standardized testing for certification and recertification in cardiovascular disease, has been in the news lately, unfortunately for the wrong reasons. Cardiologists nationwide have voiced concerns over the relevance, sanctity and validity of the certification process and maintenance of certification (MOC), forcing the ABIM to revisit its policies and strategies, and hopefully partner with peers nationwide to bring about reforms that are pivotal for both its relevance in the current era, and its sustenance.
March 16, 2016
March 16, 2016 | Akhil Narang, MD & Shashank S. Sinha, MD
Education
Greetings! We hope you are as excited as we are for ACC's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.16), held April 2 – 4 in Chicago! As the conference is just around the corner, we wish to orient you to the vast array of exciting programming for FITs. We recognize that it can be quite overwhelming to navigate the multiple sessions held at the annual meeting. Thus, we hope to highlight several sessions that FITs will find especially high-yield.
March 8, 2016
March 8, 2016 | Bryan LeBude, MD
Education
Each year approximately 5 percent of U.S. outpatients experience a diagnostic error in their care. The numbers are staggering. Diagnostic errors contribute to about 10 percent of patient deaths and account for up to 17 percent of adverse events in hospitals. Diagnostic errors lead to patient harm by delaying necessary treatment, propagating unnecessary and sometimes detrimental therapies, and culminating in both psychological damage and financial turmoil. They are the leading category of paid medical malpractice claim, and compared with other types, are twice as likely to have contributed to the patient’s death.
March 8, 2016
March 8, 2016 | Travis Taylor, MD
Chapter Engagement
Interview with Edward T.A. Fry, MD, FACC, the current president of ACC Indiana Chapter and Raymond E. Dusman Jr., MD, FACC,is an electrophysiologist who serves as the president-elect of ACC Indiana Chapter and as the chief physician executive for the Parkview Health system.
March 8, 2016
March 8, 2016 | Jonathan Hassel, MD
Chapter Engagement
The ACC Indiana Chapter remains active at the local and the national level. Each year, the ACC Indiana Chapter selects two third year fellows to be involved in the ACC Indiana Council who serve as voting members of the committee and represent the FIT voice for current issues. This year I am serving the representative from Indiana University (IU), and Travis Taylor, MD, is serving as the representative from St. Vincent’s. The committee plans the annual meeting, addresses state and national concerns of its members and advocates for cardiovascular interests within the state legislator.
March 8, 2016
March 8, 2016 | Sergio Buccheri, MD
International
In recent years, scientific societies in the cardiovascular field have created specific groups for fellows and young specialists. This represents an amazing effort toward young fellows’ active involvement and an important opportunity in career development for young cardiologists. The FIT Section of the ACC is one of the best examples of how initiatives and support for fellows can provide an extremely valuable opportunity to succeed in their careers. The growing number of young health care providers outside the U.S. also reflects shared needs by young cardiologists in a global scenario.
February 25, 2016
February 17, 2016
Feb 17, 2016 | Devraj Sukul, MD, and John J. Lazarus, MD, PhD
Career Development
Stanley J. Chetcuti, MD, FACC, serves as the Eric J. Topol Collegiate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, and director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at the University of Michigan Health System. In his interview, he discusses his path to interventional cardiology, as well as career advice for FITs.
February 17, 2016
Feb 17, 2016 | Marshall Weintraub and Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
If you have seen any news about the stock market recently, then there is a good chance you have noticed the negative performance over the first few weeks of the year. In fact, the first two weeks of 2016 were the US stock market's worst start to a calendar year in history, including the Great Depression era. Headlines like the previous sentence often receive a second glance, yet cardiologists do not always have time to fully investigate events in the global markets, what these mean for them, and what action, if any, they should take. This article will review some of the key macroeconomic events that have driven recent market performance. We then provide three principles for the long-term investor that has many years until retirement.
February 12, 2016
February 12, 2016 | James W. Hansen, DO
Education
Reflexes are an unconscious motor response to an outward stimulus, hard-wired into our neurologic system. The oculostenotic reflex is the stent deployment upon visualization of coronary disease. As cardiologists, the urge to fix things is to be understood and expected. We have gone through many years of training, seen many patients, seen many of them die, and now find ourselves in a unique position of making a difference. Or are we? Our nature implores us to fix what we know to be broken, to help one of our fellow humans. How can we not be saving someone’s life? And yet, the data tells us that we may not be.
February 12, 2016
February 12, 2016 | Thomas Riddell, MD
Chapter Engagement
The ACC Georgia Chapter promotes high standards in the practice of cardiovascular medicine and surgery in the state of Georgia and maximizes the quality of cardiovascular care received by the residents of the state. The Chapter hosted its annual meeting in November of 2015 at the Ritz Carlton at Lake Oconee. The three-day conference was led by Donald A. Page, MD, FACC, president of the ACC Georgia Chapter.
February 11, 2016
February 11, 2016 | Monica Verdoia, MD
International
“Having a good mentor” is probably one of main goals for young cardiologists, according to Professor Ciro Indolfi, MD, a full professor at Università della Magna Graecia (UMG),in Catanzaro, Italy, where he is also chief of the Cardiology Board and Interventional Cardiology Unit. As an interventionalist, he has served as the president of the Italian Society of Invasive Cardiology (GISE) and he currently heads the Regional Centre of Excellence for the Endovascular Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease at the Campus Germaneto, UMG.
February 11, 2016
February 11, 2016 | Fernando Iñarra Talboy, MD
International
As cardiologists we have a huge responsibility with the general population, since the leading causes of death worldwide are of cardiovascular nature. We must focus not only in direct patient care and primary care physician education, but also we should be deeply involved with legislators and policymakers to ensure that the health care systems evolve in order to address this global epidemic.
January 19, 2016
Jan 19, 2016 | Nick Ierovante, DO
Education
As I sat there in the office discussing Mr. R’s recent hospitalization, I felt fine discussing his cath findings, percutaneous coronary intervention and new medications. Though soon after, I noticed a familiar apprehensiveness coming from myself. As I was discussing his statin regimen, the little voice in my head started quietly whispering. As I started to discuss his cardiac rehab and diet modifications, it grew louder. By the time I was discussing daily activity recommendations, my inner monologue was screaming “HYPOCRITE!!!”
January 19, 2016
Jan 19, 2016 | Jeremy Nicolarsen, MD
Career Development
Careers in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) are on the rise. In the first of this three part interview series, we’ll look at ACHD care in a large health system – a much less common but growing practice model. In this installment, we’ll hear from Alison Meadows, MD, PhD, director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program for Northern California Kaiser Permanente. Meadows received a PhD in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and taught in the School of Engineering before matriculating at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After residency and fellowship, Meadows was on faculty at Boston Children’s Hospital for two years, followed by three years at University of California San Francisco (UCSF), before taking her current position.
January 19, 2016
Jan 19, 2016 | Franklyn Agustin Colon Arias, MD
International
Guadalajara-Boo is one of Mexico’s most prominent cardiologists, making great contributions to the Mexican school of cardiology and internationally. With more than 50 years of experience, Guadalajara-Boo has published over 101 original articles in Mexican and foreign indexed journals. He is the author and coauthor of 16 cardiology books and related topics. He is also a member of several cardiology societies around the world.
January 19, 2016
Jan 19, 2016 | Nisha Gilotra, MD
Chapter Engagement
The Mid-Atlantic Capital Cardiology Symposium took place November 21, 2015 at ACC’s Heart House in Washington, DC. The room was packed this year, with academicians, private practitioners and trainees from Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania. The day was filled with exciting educational sessions, research presentations and networking opportunities under the supervision of the director Michael A. Solomon, MD, FACC, chief of cardiology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
January 19, 2016
Jan 19, 2016 | Grant W. Reed, MD and Heather L. Gornik, MD, FACC
Career Development
Peripheral artery disease affects 8.5 million U.S. individuals ≥ 40 years of age (approximately 12 percent of the U.S. adult population), and its prevalence is growing in developed nations. Other peripheral vascular diseases (PVD) that lead to major health events and quality of life impairment include venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism), chronic venous insufficiency and abdominal aortic aneurysm. As the population ages, the prevalence of PVD is expected to grow, and the demand for vascular services is expected to expand by approximately 20 – 30 percent in upcoming years.
January 19, 2016
Jan 19, 2016 | Aaron P. Kithcart, MD, PhD
Advocacy
Cardiologists take great pride in providing the best care possible for patients, but could we be doing more? You may not realize that some of the most important decisions that affect our patients' health aren't made in the exam room. Decisions regarding insurance coverage, reimbursement and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals are made miles away in state capitals and Washington, DC, and they have just as big of an impact on our patients' care. You likely already know that the ACC supports its members through evidence-based guidelines and innovative registries, but you may not know that the College is also very active in legislation and regulation. It is here where we see the importance of advocacy.
January 19, 2016
Jan 19, 2016 | Ravi Hira, MD and Payal Kohli, MD
Career Development
As we begin the new year and further explore the life-altering and career-changing decisions ahead of us, we wanted to share a few thoughts on the process of interviewing. None of us are new to the process; medical school, residency, and fellowship interviews were challenging but this may be the last set of interviews some of us will go through. Fortunately, on this occasion, travel costs are covered by the potential future employer and, for many of us, it may be the first time we feel "wanted".
December 16, 2015
Dec 16, 2015 | Jared O'Leary, MD and Travis Richardson, MD
Career Development
Interview of Christopher Ellis, MD, FACC, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt Heart Institute.
December 16, 2015
Dec 16, 2015 | Marshall Weintraub and Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
Financial planning is becoming increasingly complex, particularly for cardiologists who must decide between student loan repayment methods, how best to save for retirement and which disability insurance to choose in order to protect their income, all with very limited time. Because of this, many cardiologists work with a financial advisor for guidance and help implementing their plan.
December 16, 2015
Dec 16, 2015 | Payal Kohli, MD
Career Development
The holiday season represents, in some ways, a microcosm of the cardiology fellowship training. On one hand, we are inundated with positive emotions such as happiness, contentment and gratitude (similar to those we feel during our fellowship when learning a new skill or receiving praise from a grateful patient). On the other hand, the holidays can mean materialism and stress, just like what we may feel when looking for a new job or struggling to keep up with the onerous demands of cardiology fellowship.
December 16, 2015
Dec 16, 2015 | Mrinal Yadava, MD
Education
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is idiomatically referred to as 'l'arythmie complete', literally meaning 'the complete arrhythmia.' The reference here is to the fact that all known arrhythmia mechanisms including triggered activity, enhanced automaticity, and re-entry have been implicated in its pathophysiology. Over the last 20 years as our understanding of the clinical significance of AFib has evolved, there has been a massive surge in efforts to delineate underlying mechanisms of the arrhythmia. This paroxysm of interest has greatly advanced our understanding of the condition and has revolutionized treatment paradigms.
December 10, 2015
December 8, 2015
Dec 8, 2015 | Bryan J. LeBude, MD
Education
Since the advent of electron-beam computed tomography (CT) in 1990, great technical advances have enabled the development of various applications useful in evaluating the cardiovascular patient. In the current era, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) provides excellent image quality at continually decreasing doses of radiation. Research in the field has shifted away from confirming diagnostic accuracy towards demonstrating incremental benefit over existing approaches.
December 8, 2015
Dec 8, 2015 | Sergio Buccheri, MD
International
In recent years, scientific societies in the cardiovascular field have created specific groups for fellows and young specialists. This represents an amazing effort toward young fellows’ active involvement and an important opportunity in career development for young cardiologists. The FIT Section of the ACC is one of the best examples of how initiatives and support for fellows can provide an extremely valuable opportunity to succeed in their careers. The growing number of young health care providers outside the U.S. also reflects shared needs by young cardiologists in a global scenario.
November 18, 2015
Nov 18, 2015 | Hakeem Ayinde, MB ChB, MS
Advocacy
The month of October was huge for health care advocacy as over 400 ACC members representing all 50 states and DC gathered for the 2015 ACC Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. A record 60 FITs were present at the meeting. I attended the conference as a cardiovascular fellow (and delegate) from the University of Iowa.
November 18, 2015
Nov 18, 2015 | Joe Ebinger, MD
Advocacy
Upon landing in Washington, DC, the weather alone was enough to remind me that I was no longer in Los Angeles where I am currently completing my cardiology Fellowship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. After exchanging my flip flops for wingtips, I quickly realized that the cooler temperatures were not at all reflective of the warm and welcoming environment of the 2015 ACC Legislative Conference. As a first time attendee and Fellow in Training (FIT), I was unsure of what to expect during the conference. What I experienced was one of the most informative and insightful meetings of my still young career.
November 18, 2015
Nov 18, 2015 | Aaron P. Kithcart, MD, PhD
International
The ACC is recognized as the professional home for cardiologists in the U.S., yet is also committed to having an equally strong international presence. Through its International Chapters, the ACC continues to advance cardiovascular medicine throughout Europe, Asia, South America and Mexico.
November 18, 2015
Nov 18, 2015 | Ankur Kalra, MD and Jill B. Whelan, MD
Career Development
Mark E. Josephson, MD, FACC, is the chief emeritus of the division of cardiovascular medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Herman Dana Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and director of the Harvard-Thorndike Electrophysiology Institute and Arrhythmia Service at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA.
November 18, 2015
Nov 18, 2015 | Poonam Velagapudi, MD
Chapter Engagement
We are in that exciting time of the year when most ACC Chapters are hosting their annual chapter meetings. Chapter meetings are an excellent time for fellows to interact with other fellows in training (FITs) and faculty from training programs in their Chapter and participate in various events such as poster and research presentations, jeopardy, etc.
November 3, 2015
Nov 3, 2015 | Fernando Iñarra Talboy, MD
International
Nowadays, with global access to information and data sharing, almost all academic activities can be performed the same way regardless of the physical location of the people involved. In medicine, this is partially true. We can read the same papers and access the same books almost anywhere on the globe. However, we cannot receive clinical training through a computer, so an old saying in medicine is still valid: “The best book is the patient itself”.
November 3, 2015
Nov 3, 2015 | Nisha A. Gilotra, MD
Education
It’s 3:30 in the morning. The crew slowly gathers on the hospital lobby couches, sleepy-eyed and clad in matching cobalt blue pajamas. It’s too early even for coffee, much less conversation. A black SUV pulls up and everyone knows to stand. I follow, eager and anxious – eager for my patient who has been living in the hospital for the last three months, yet anxious about the upcoming experience.
November 3, 2015
Nov 3, 2015 | Anita Saraf, MD, PhD
Career Development
As I traverse through the long road in training as a physician scientist in the field of cardiology at Emory, I am lucky to have a husband and two boys who provide balance in my life. I am not on a quest to “have it all”; I have always wanted to be a physician scientist and have been working toward that goal since college – making pro and con spreadsheets and talking with people at all stages of this career. However, most of the personal – the family part – just happened because it felt right.
November 2, 2015
Nov 2, 2015 | Olivia Hung, MD, PhD
Career Development
A recent Fellows-in-Training & Early Career Page, published the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, discussed some barriers and opportunities for women in cardiology. This article by Nishaki Mehta Oza, MD, and Khadijah Breathett, MD, along with the response by Sandra Lewis, MD, FACC, provides an excellent foundation for me to share some musings on being a female cardiology fellow.
November 2, 2015
Nov 2, 2015 | From the FIT Section
Advocacy
Through its advocacy efforts, the ACC builds relationships with Congress, federal government agencies, state legislative and regulatory bodies, private insurers and other policy making groups to advance the College’s mission of improving heart health.
October 21, 2015
Oct 21, 2015 | Tarek Alsaied, MD
Education
Recently, one of my patients received his fourth surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD). He was born with tricuspid atresia, was treated through the single ventricle repair pathway and underwent an atrio-pulmonary Fontan procedure in the 1980s. He had a very large atrium with refractory intra-atrial re-entry tachycardia and an intracardiac thrombus that was growing in size. This put him at a high risk for stroke and pulmonary edema given his single ventricle physiology.
October 21, 2015
Oct 21, 2015 | Prasad Gunasekaran, MD
Chapter Engagement
As an extension to its commitment to promoting cardiovascular health, the ACC Kansas Chapter held the 2nd Annual Cardiovascular Symposium on Oct. 3. Thanks to the dynamic leadership of our current Governor, Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, MBBS, FACC, we have a state that is reenergized and is producing some high-quality work both on the clinical and academic fronts. Lakkireddy identified the need for an annual cardiovascular symposium and successfully launched this well-received program in 2014.
October 21, 2015
Oct 21, 2015 | Mitul Kanzaria, MD
Advocacy
As health care costs rise, multiple strategies have been employed to try to reduce health care costs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) includes many provisions to reduce the per capita cost of health care while improving the quality of care. These programs or provisions target five different areas generally, including process, outcome, patient experience, structure and cost. Many of these pay for performance programs are using financial incentives as a mechanism to improve outcomes and reduce costs.
October 21, 2015
Oct 21, 2015 | John J. Lazarus, MD, PhD, and Devraj Sukul, MD
Career Development
Brahmajee Nallamothu, MD, FACC, is a professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan. He is a practicing interventional cardiologist and clinical investigator, focusing on improving the delivery and quality of cardiovascular care. He has received research funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Veterans Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. Recently, he served on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that published a seminal report on strategies to improve cardiac arrest survival.
October 21, 2015
Oct 21, 2015 | Akhil Narang, MD and Bryan Smith, MD
Career Development
I should have asked but I didn't. I was about to perform a cardioversion on a patient who was in symptomatic atrial fibrillation. I discussed the procedure with the patient including the risks and benefits. She signed the consent form as the nurses obtained IV access and positioned the defibrillation pads. I then asked the team of nurses to administer mild sedation prior to defibrillation. The team drew up the medication and gave her an IV push. It crossed my mind to inquire how much was being given, but I didn't ask.
October 21, 2015
Oct 21, 2015 | Marshall Weintraub and Michael Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Career Development
The path to becoming a cardiologist is not an easy one. The coveted title of "fellow" is earned after undergraduate college, medical school and residency – the first eight of these years often financed by student loans. Taking out loans for your education can be one of the best investments you will ever make. However, they can also become more of a burden than necessary if not handled properly. This article will discuss the two main methods cardiologists use to become free of student loans: loan forgiveness and full repayment, with emphasis on refinancing with a private lender.
October 21, 2015
Oct 21, 2015 | Ravi S. Hira, MD, FACC
Career Development
As Fall rolls around and you settle into your comfort zone with new responsibilities as a senior fellow, now would be a good time to plan your strategy for the next few months. Many of you may be considering advanced fellowships and more training, while others have decided to look for jobs. For those on the fence, I would suggest following through with the steps below and deciding after more specific details and options become available.
October 7, 2015
Oct 7, 2015 | From Cardiology Magazine
Career Development
Some may ask how Nkechinyere “Nkechi” Ijioma, MD, a first-year interventional fellow at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, finds the time to do it all. She is a member of ACC’s Fellows in Training (FIT) Section Leadership Council, the FIT representative for the ACC Minnesota Chapter, editor-in-chief of the FIT Section homepage, ACC.org/FIT, a member of the College’s Leadership Academy, a roving reporter for ACC’s FITs on the GO video blog, and more.
September 22, 2015
Sept 22, 2015 | Mrinal Yadava, MD
Education
In keeping with triennial tradition, the city of Boston played host to the 36th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society from May 13 – 16. As electrophysiologists from across the globe congregated to share their science and interface with industry, there was a palpable excitement for the potentially practice-changing results that lay in prospect. As expected, atrial fibrillation (AFib) related research dominated the landscape, bearing testimony to the fact that AFib indeed lies at the epicenter of the current electrophysiology milieu.
September 22, 2015
Sept 22, 2015 | Tarek Alsaied, MD
Education
As a pediatric cardiology fellow in training (FIT), I recently attended the 2015 American Society of Echocardiography Conference (ASE), which was held in Boston from June 12-16. The ASE Council on Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease put together a program that was full of cutting edge science and case based learning, which included pathology, echocardiography and surgical discussions on transposition of the great arteries and mitral valve abnormalities with a focus on the role of 3D echocardiography prior to surgery.
September 22, 2015
Sept 22, 2015 | Monica Verdoia, MD
International
“Cardiologists of Tomorrow” is an initiative of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) that was launched in 2010, based on the idea of young cardiologists helping their peers in order to “create a new generation of cardiologists.” “In few words,” says Saverio Muscoli, MD, president of the Italian Section of ‘Cardiologists of Tomorrow’, “this means that we have created a working group where cardiologists below 40 years of age, fellows in cardiology, medical students or young doctors with a special interest in cardiology can cooperate in realizing initiatives for promoting education and scientific research in the field of cardiovascular disease.”
September 22, 2015
Sept 22, 2015 | Payal Kohli, MD and Ravi Hira, MD
Career Development
In our last post (see Related Resources, below), we discussed the preliminary steps to brainstorming what type of job and the type of practice setting you picture yourself in. By this time of the year, you have probably had time to reflect on that and come up with clearer plan. Hopefully, you have had a chance to meet with some advisors or mentors who have started you on the right path.
August 17, 2015
Aug 17, 2015 | Michael Merrill, CLU, ChFC and Marshall Weintraub
Career Development
When investing for retirement, there are several decisions that will determine how successful your plan is. Three of the most important decisions are how much to save, your asset allocation (choosing which investments to hold and in what proportions), and which accounts you use. This article will focus on the account side – specifically individual retirement accounts, or IRAs – as opposed to employer-sponsored retirement accounts like 401(k)s and 403(b)s. We will provide an overview on the differences between the main IRA types, their income restrictions and strategies cardiologists can use to take advantage of favorable tax legislation.
August 11, 2015
Aug 11, 2015 | Franklyn Agustin Colon Arias, MD
International
While I am originally from the Dominican Republic, I am completing my cardiology training at the National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez in Mexico City. I have been a member of the ACC Mexican chapter since January 2015 as an international FIT. It has been an amazing experience as a cardiology resident, and I have been given the opportunity to meet distinguished professors, publish several papers and attend great ACC events, like the 64th Annual Scientific Session (ACC.15).
August 11, 2015
Aug 11, 2015 | Jeremy Nicolarsen
Education
With vast improvements in fetal and neonatal diagnosis, surgical techniques and outcomes, and post-operative and long-term care, patients with complex congenital heart defects have been surviving to adulthood at increasing rates.1,2 Currently, there are not enough cardiologists with expertise in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) to take care of this growing population of patients. To adequately prepare trainees for this task, the field of ACHD has recently undergone three important advances:
August 11, 2015
Aug 11, 2015 | Poonam Velagapudi, MD, MS
Chapter Engagement
I joined the ACC Missouri Chapter as a fellow-in-training (FIT) member during my first year of fellowship. My early association with the chapter opened up several opportunities both at the state and national level to network and to engage and work with the Chapter’s leadership on various avenues including education, advocacy and career development. The Missouri Chapter leadership is very encouraging of FITs to get involved in the Chapter’s proceedings. Here are some examples of how to get involved:
August 11, 2015
Aug 11, 2015 | Ravi Hira, MD
Career Development
Over the next several months, we hope to provide information and insight to you in your search for a cardiovascular position. We decided to pass on words of wisdom that we received from faculty with years of experience. We will also include lessons learned from our personal experiences and those of our peers. Further, we are fortunate to have Marat Yanavitski contribute articles on innovative career options in cardiovascular medicine.
August 11, 2015
Aug 11, 2015 | Rebecca Napier, MD
Advocacy
There is no better time than the present for Fellows in Training (FITs) to get involved in advocacy roles to help promote the field of cardiology and empower our members to better provide accessible and affordable care to our patients. Many FITs may find it difficult to balance such tasks with the demands of fellowship training. However, decisions made daily by legislators will directly impact the future of our practice and our patients. Our goal is to make FITs aware of current legislative issues and encourage participation in ACC Advocacy and the ACC Political Action Committee (ACCPAC).
July 30, 2015
July 30, 2015 | From the FIT Section
International
Thank you for checking out this exciting new feature of the Fellows in Training Section! In the coming days you will be see “quick-read” articles from FITs in this space. These articles will be written with your busy lifestyles in mind and we encourage you to check back soon.
July 30, 2015
July 30, 2015 | From the FIT Section
Chapter Engagement
Thank you for checking out this exciting new feature of the Fellows in Training Section! In the coming days you will be see “quick-read” articles from FITs in this space. These articles will be written with your busy lifestyles in mind and we encourage you to check back soon.
July 30, 2015
July 30, 2015 | From the FIT Section
Career Development
Thank you for checking out this exciting new feature of the Fellows in Training Section! In the coming days you will be see “quick-read” articles from FITs in this space. These articles will be written with your busy lifestyles in mind and we encourage you to check back soon.
July 30, 2015
July 30, 2015 | From the FIT Section
Advocacy
Thank you for checking out this exciting new feature of the Fellows in Training Section! In the coming days you will be see “quick-read” articles from FITs in this space. These articles will be written with your busy lifestyles in mind and we encourage you to check back soon.
June 10, 2015
March 4, 2015
February 23, 2015
February 23, 2015
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