Athena Poppas (Providence, USA) is the new president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Her term officially began at the close of the ACC/World Congress of Cardiology’s virtual scientific sessions (ACC.20/WCC Virtual).
Poppas has been a long-standing leader of the College throughout her more than 20 years of membership, the organisation said in a press release. She previously served as president of the ACC’s Rhode Island chapter, holding a seat on the ACC Board of Governors. She also served as Annual Scientific Session chair for ACC.15 where she led the scientific program planning for the conference’s 13,000 professional attendees.
As a member of the Governance Committee, she helped spearhead the restructuring of the ACC’s governance structure and process to ensure the ability of the College to be nimble, strategic, accountable and inclusive of the diverse needs of the global cardiovascular community. She has also held positions on the Cardiometabolic Strategic Work Group, Clinical Quality Committee and Women in Cardiology Council.
Poppas has been a member of the ACC Board of Trustees since 2010, most recently serving as vice president.
“I am honoured to be serving as president and helping to advance the mission and vision of the College,” Poppas said. “I’m particularly focused on continuing to expand our efforts in diversity and inclusion, clinician well-being and global expansion of education, science and quality.”
Poppas is a professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and chief of cardiology and director of the Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals.
She received a Bachelor of Science from Brown University and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Poppas completed her residencies in internal medicine at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and in cardiovascular medicine at University of Chicago Hospitals.
Poppas specialises in valvular heart disease, heart disease in women, and echocardiography and heart disease in pregnancy and focuses her research on echocardiography and heart disease in women and the elderly.
Other ACC officers for 2020–2021 are vice president Dipti Itchhaporia (Newport Beach, USA); Board of Governors chair Daniel Philbin (Manchester, USA); and Treasurer Howard T Walpole Jr (Gainesville, USA).
Poppas will feature as the physician in profile in the April 2020 issue of Cardiac Rhythm News.
