Busy. Exhilarating. Challenging. These are the three words that Christopher Kramer, MD, MACC, say best describe his past year as ACC president. As he prepared to pass the presidential chain to the College's next president, Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC, Cardiology asked Kramer about some of his favorite moments, greatest accomplishments and advice for the future.

What would you say were the biggest two to three accomplishments over the past year?

My two biggest accomplishments included:

• Helping to shepherd the College further into the AI era with the creation of an AI implementation Task Force and the beginning of a relationship with Open Evidence.
• Advocacy! The College showed strength in the face of an onslaught of issues raised by the current administration.

Do you have any favorite moments?

Testifying before the Health Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and meeting with the GOP Doctors Caucus regarding Advocacy issues were huge highlights. Also, witnessing the excitement of new FACC's becoming part of the ACC family as part of our first-ever Convocation ceremonies during ACC Latin America, ACC Asia and ACC Middle East was exhilarating.

Was there anything surprising or unexpected that occurred?

The sheer volume of travel and meetings was incredible. The surprising part to me was that I seemed to handle it well over the course of the year.

You traveled a lot! What was your favorite place to visit in the U.S.? Favorite international?

My favorite U.S. visits were Chapter meetings of course. The ACC Georgia Chapter was my favorite – they have tremendous attendance including extended families, camaraderie, a beautiful setting and a great meeting to boot. My favorite international visit was a day trip to the "Edge of the World," the equivalent of the Saudi Grand Canyon, not that far from Riyadh. A shout out to incoming ACC Vice President Hani Najm, MD, FACC, for arranging the adventure.

Any lessons learned throughout your presidential year?

I gained an appreciation of how incredibly capable the ACC staff are and how committed they are to the College and member well-being. I also learned how to survive and even conquer jet lag (well, almost…).

Hopes for the College going forward? Any potential challenges and/or opportunities you see on the horizon?

Physician payment remains a constant challenge and ACC's Advocacy Team does an excellent job staying ahead of the game and identifying issues as they arise. Future opportunities with AI offer tremendous hope, as well as challenges, and my hope is that the College can harness these to offer new products that bring tremendous member value.

Any advice or words of wisdom for future ACC presidents?

My presidency year has been a whirlwind, filled with wonderful moments with an incredibly talented and committed Board of Trustees and Presidential team, as well as foundational meetings with international partners around the globe. My advice for future presidents:

• Know that the year will be busier than you can imagine.
• Get ready for the email onslaught.
• Make sure that you have adequate coverage for your day job.
• Rely on your board members and the rest of the Presidential Team.

Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, CM-Apr-2026, Artificial Intelligence, ACC Advocacy, Leadership, ACC Annual Scientific Session, ACC26