Contact: Beth Casteel, bcasteel@acc.org, 202-375-6275

CHICAGO (Apr 04, 2016) -

A. Allen Seals, M.D., FACC, has been elected chair of the American College of Cardiology Board of Governors and secretary of the Board of Trustees, the main governing body of the ACC, for 2016-2017. His term begins today as the ACC's 65^th Annual Scientific Session comes to a close in Chicago.

Seals will lead the 66 chapter governors representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and the U.S. Uniformed Services. The Board is the grassroots governing body of the College.

Seals, managing partner at Baker and Gilmour Cardiovascular Institute in Jacksonville, Florida, has been an active member of the College since 1986 and a dedicated member of the Florida Chapter since it was established in 1987. He most recently served as president of the Florida Chapter of the ACC and vice chair of the national ACC Political Action Committee. Seals is also a member of the steering committee for SMARTCare, a program to reduce health care costs by providing tools for doctors and patients to communicate about options for their care. The program was made possible by a grant from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation.

Advocacy initiatives have been a focus of Seals' involvement in the College and he previously chaired the Florida Chapter Advocacy committee. He has participated in every national ACC Legislative Conferences and represented the College in meetings with federal and state government and regulatory officials.

"It is an honor to lead the Board of Governors this year," Seals said. "I look forward to working with the governors and chapters in their efforts to reduce the burden of heart disease in our communities."

Seals is a honors graduate of the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia and completed his internship, residency and fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology.

Other officers for the ACC for 2016-2017 are President Richard Chazal, M.D., FACC; President-elect Mary Norine Walsh, M.D., FACC; Vice President C. Michael Valentine, M.D., FACC; Treasurer Robert A. Guyton, M.D., FACC; and Immediate past-President Kim Allan Williams Sr., M.D., MACC.

The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit acc.org.

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