The Emergence of Sports Cardiology as a Specialty

A recent Fellows in Training (FIT) and Early Career Page, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and authored by Maxwell Eyram Afari, MD, focuses on how sports cardiology became a subspecialty and the opportunities for FITs and Early Career cardiologists within the subspecialty. “There are many clinical settings that FITs and Early Career Cardiologists encounter sports cardiology. Some opportunities include exercise prescription for cardiac rehabilitation and pre-sports participation screening of athletes with the inherent controversies in the interpretation of electrocardiograms,” notes Afari. In an accompanying response, Silvana Molossi, MD, PhD, FACC, adds “as a result of … discussions and guidance from the ACC leadership (including Lifelong Learning Competencies and Core Cardiovascular Training Committees), a writing committee led by Aaron L. Baggish, MD, FACC, was created to compile a comprehensive document containing a proposed core curriculum and educational pathway for the care of athletes and exercising individuals. It is believed this will spark further interest in incorporating sports cardiology into the core curriculum of cardiovascular specialty training.” Read more