The ACC's work in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention is entering an important new phase – one that reflects both the urgency of the challenge and the opportunity to deliver lasting impact. While the science of prevention continues to advance, the gaps in care do not lie with science and evidence, but rather with access and execution. As a result, the College is sharpening its focus on how to translate what we know into action that improves outcomes, starting "upstream" in childhood.

A cornerstone of this effort is a four-point plan developed by the Comprehensive CVD Prevention Task Force and approved this past Spring by the Board of Trustees. The plan is designed to coordinate all prevention efforts across content, advocacy, training, education and long-term strategy, ensuring alignment across the College, amplifying the reach of its work. These priorities are deeply connected to the ACC's Strategic Pillars of delivering actionable knowledge, transforming care delivery, and advancing organizational sustainability in service of our Mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health for all.

Importantly, this strategy is already being brought to life through new and evolving initiatives. In June, the College welcomed the first cohort of Fuster Prevention Forum participants to Heart House to build practical skills in community education. (See ACC Mission in Action). In May, the virtual PRIME Heart Roundtable convened a diverse group of stakeholders to reframe prevention around lifetime benefit rather than short-term risk, underscoring the need to act earlier and more intentionally across the care continuum.

Together, these efforts reflect a broader shift: moving prevention from a series of initiatives to a coordinated, sustained strategy embedded across the College's work. Achieving meaningful progress will require alignment across disciplines, continued innovation in education and digital health, and a commitment to influencing policy and care transformation. Above all, it will require a shared understanding that prevention is not a single intervention, but a lifelong commitment to improving cardiovascular health for every patient, in every community.

Clinical Topics: Prevention

Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, CM-Jul-Aug-2026, Cardiovascular Diseases, Primary Prevention, Secondary Prevention