Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet a substantial proportion of cases are preventable with timely, evidence-based intervention – particularly when risk identification and prevention efforts begin early in life, including in childhood. With this in mind, the ACC is reinforcing its commitment to equipping clinicians with the actionable knowledge needed to advance the quality, equity and value of patient care in multiple ways.

Clinical guidance is one key component of this effort. For example, recent ACC/AHA guidelines addressing high blood pressure and dyslipidemia both recommend earlier screening and lifelong healthy lifestyle changes.

Meetings like ACC.26 and ACC international regional conferences complement this guidance by providing forums for sharing best practices, debating emerging evidence and addressing ongoing challenges. Similarly, the NCD Academy, a free, global resource aimed at clinicians and community health workers, offers a platform for sharing knowledge tied to major noncommunicable diseases and related risk factors.

JACC Journals also serve as premier platforms for peer-reviewed research, expert insights and clinical recommendations tied to prevention and early intervention. Special topic-based focus issues, as well as reports like the new JACC Stats Report and the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease initiatives, are helping to amplify and disseminate key science perspectives in a time of rapid scientific advancement.

Several bold, new initiatives launching this year also complement the increased clinical guidance and education. For example, the Fuster Prevention Forum, launching in June, will arm participants with practical tools and strategies to promote nutrition, physical activity, and emotional well-being among children and adults, and gain the skills necessary to build healthier communities from the ground up, starting in childhood.

Public-private collaborations are also pivotal to helping clinicians implement clinical recommendations in day-to-day practice through education, training, implementation science and innovative solutions to improve care in the U.S. and globally. The ACC is currently pushing these collaborations forward in several areas including prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. “We would like to thank Merck and Amgen, our corporate collaborators, for supporting this effort, and we look forward to bringing additional partners into the fold – thinking boldly and collaboratively to advance the prevention of cardiovascular disease,” says ACC President Christopher M. Kramer, MD, FACC.

“Merck is excited to join the ACC Foundation on this important initiative and remains committed to addressing the cardiovascular epidemic and the significant needs of patients beginning with disease prevention,” said Bjorn Oddens, MD, head of Medical Affairs at Merck Sharpe & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ.

Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, ACC Annual Scientific Session, ACC26