ORLANDO, Florida – Pamela Douglas, MD, described by the American College of Cardiology (ACC; Bethesda, Maryland) as "a well-known leader in the cardiovascular community," has been installed as president of the organization during its 54th annual scientific sessions here this week.

Douglas is cardiology division chief and Ursula Heller Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases at Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina) and director of cardiovascular research strategy at Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Douglas specializes in echocardiography, ventricular function and heart failure, heart disease in women, and athletes. In her official biography, she says she expects the knowledge gained from the genome will play a huge role in cardiovascular medicine, and Douglas described the ACC as "an organization that has provided me and my colleagues with opportunities to advance cardiovascular medicine and improve the lives of our patients."

She said that a key goal of a president of the organization is to encourage more women to consider cardiology as a career. She said, "As the public becomes better educated about women's high risk for heart attacks and heart disease, the demand for women will continue to grow."

Douglas received her internal medicine training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and served in a variety of prestigious teaching institutions. She is a past president of the American Society of Echocardiography and a fellow of the ACC, the American Heart Association, the American Society of Echocardiography and the American College of Sports Medicine.

The ACC describes itself as "the foremost professional society representing heart specialists in the U.S. and the world." It describes its mission as "dedicated to fostering optimal cardiovascular care and disease prevention through professional education, promotion of research, leadership in the development of standards and guidelines and the formulation of healthcare policy."

–Don Long, Managing Editor