Editor's Corner | ACC.20/WCC Virtual: Building Community, Sharing Science

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Much has changed since ACC leadership made the simultaneous decisions to cancel our ACC Annual Scientific Session and swiftly pivot to holding what has become a highly successful Virtual meeting.

As these decisions were made, the College was keenly aware of the gravity of the COVID-19 situation and its many impacts on the entire health care community.

In fact, while ACC staff and leaders built and delivered ACC.20/WCC Virtual, they were also working to support our members working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic through the creation of a COVID-19 Hub on ACC.org containing the latest clinical guidance, advocacy updates and perspectives on the management and treatment of cardiovascular patients, as well as maintaining clinician safety and well-being.

Yet, even in the midst of this global health care crisis, we felt the need to press forward with new science for the sake of our profession and the good of our patients.

It was important to give our Fellows in Training and Early Career members who worked hard to prepare their abstracts a chance to participate on a global stage.

Just as important was recognizing the new Fellows and Associates who joined the ACC Family at one of the most challenging times in recent history.

We are gratified by the tremendous response from around the world, with so many colleagues, old and new, joining ACC.20/WCC Virtual for the science and for the connection with their community that continues to work to transform cardiovascular practice and improve heart health.

One of the best ways to weather tough times is to connect with others who share similar challenges – if nothing else, ACC.20/WCC Virtual was, and continues to be, an opportunity for us to connect as a community and reinforce the fact that none of us are in this alone.

Stay safe and be well.

Richard J. Kovacs, MD, MACC
Immediate Past ACC President

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Richard J. Kovacs, MD, MACC, is the immediate past president of the ACC. He is the Q.E. and Sally Russell Professor of Cardiology at Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, cardiology service line leader of IU Health, and clinical director of the Krannert Institute of Cardiology.

Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub, Sleep Apnea

Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine, acc20, ACC Annual Scientific Session, Global Health, Leadership, Pandemics, COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Recognition, Psychology, Abstracting and Indexing, Awareness, Longitudinal Studies


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