Clinicians from Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute will be prominently featured at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Session & Expo in New Orleans from Saturday, March 4 through Monday March 6. ACC, which represents 56,000 cardiologists and other professionals in cardiovascular care, is joining with the World Heart Federation to stage the event. Atrium Health Sanger Institute researchers led or contributed to more than 20 studies that will be highlighted at the conference.
In addition, at the start of the conference, Dr. B. Hadley Wilson, executive vice chair for Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, will be inducted as president of ACC for 2023-2024. ACC selected Wilson for the prestigious post last August.
“Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute is dedicated to researching disparities in cardiovascular care and developing innovative solutions that will improve heart health for all – a mission that we share with the American College of Cardiology,” Wilson said. “I am honored and excited to begin my tenure as ACC’s president and to contribute to Atrium Health’s presentations at the conference, many of which are focused on achieving health equity in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases.”
During the conference, Wilson will participate in a symposium about optimizing cardiovascular care worldwide, during which he will discuss results from the ACC’s Global Heart Attack Treatment Initiative (GHATI). The GHATI initiative aims to improve the treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in low- and middle-income countries. Over the last three years, the GHATI sites that have improved heart attack care have reduced mortality rates by about 2%.
Among the other highlights of Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute’s participation at the ACC conference will be poster presentations describing disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of two common heart conditions: aortic stenosis and atrial fibrillation. The research goes beyond demonstrating that disparities exist by describing where in the patients’ journeys, from symptom to definitive treatment, the disparities arise. This creates the foundation for designing interventions to eliminate these gaps in care, improving cardiovascular outcomes for all.
“We want to ensure that all people in the communities we serve receive world-class care,” said Dr. William Downey, vice chair of Quality and Care Transformation at Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, who led the research presented at the ACC conference.
Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute will also play a prominent role in presenting late-breaking clinical trials at the conference. The data from these trials will inform the use of devices and treatment regimens to improve the quality of life for patients with heart disease.
As Wilson moves into his role as ACC president, he looks forward to elevating the role of Atrium Health’s physicians and cardiovascular team leaders in an effort to improve equity in heart health worldwide.
“Cardiovascular death is now the number one killer among non-communicable diseases across the world, and part of the problem is social determinants of health,” he said. “With global education and improved protocols for optimal care, we can change that.”
About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is an integrated, nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 teammates serving patients at 40 hospitals and more than 1,400 care locations.
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