Dr. Dipti Itchhaporia is New American College of Cardiology President

Itchhaporia looks to further digital transformation and health equity in cardiology during one-year term

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Apr 01, 2021, 08:30 ET

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC, today begins her term as president of the American College of Cardiology. During her one-year presidency, she will lead the over 54,000-member global organization in its mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health.

Dr. Dipti Itchhaporia today begins her term as president of the American College of Cardiology, during which she will lead the over 54,000-member global organization in its mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health.

"From the moment I became a Fellow of the ACC, I've been excited about being a part of this community and contributing to advancing the field of cardiology and the patients we serve," Itchhaporia said. "I'm looking forward to connecting the cardiovascular community over the next year, as we emerge from a mostly virtual world, to make strides in our strategic priorities and improve the lives of heart disease patients. We must be prepared as a profession to embrace and move to center stage our solutions and vision of digital transformation and health equity."

Itchhaporia is an interventional cardiologist who is the Eric and Sheila Samson Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Health, director of disease management for Hoag's Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute in Newport Beach, California, and associate professor of medicine at the University of California, Irvine. She has been a leader in the College for over 20 years, previously holding positions both nationally and in the ACC California Chapter.

Most recently, Itchhaporia held the position of ACC vice president. She previously served as a member of the ACC's Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors, secretary of the ACC as chair of the Board of Governors, and president of the ACC California Chapter. She has also served on multiple ACC committees and helped to advance the College's education, science and innovation efforts, including as a member of the ACC Lifelong Learning Oversight Committee, Science and Quality Committee, Governance Committee, Practice Administrator Workgroup and as an advisor for the ACC's Innovation Program.

Itchhaporia's professional interests include quality measurement and improvement in cardiovascular disease, focusing on emerging risk factors and medical and lifestyle interventions to prevent coronary heart disease. She is also extensively involved in advancing technology and innovations that will advance the digital transformation of cardiovascular medicine to ultimately improve the lives of patients and clinicians, while helping to achieve health equity.

Itchhaporia's professional passions have led to leadership roles in advancing the ACC's strategic priorities, including serving as chair of the ACC Board of Trustees Health Equity Task Force, which addresses issues of health disparities, the social determinants of health and improving access to care for underserved patients. Further work toward health equity will be at the forefront of her presidential year.

"Health equity has been a priority for the College for a long time and for the first time we are feeling like this could be actualized," Itchhaporia said. "In cardiology we need to have the mindset to prioritize health equity issues, and I'm excited that this is in our reach."

She received her medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Stanford University Medical Center. She then joined the general medicine faculty at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), ultimately pursuing a cardiology fellowship at Georgetown University and an interventional cardiology fellowship at Stanford University.

Other ACC officers for 2021-2022 are Vice President Edward T. A. Fry, MD, FACC; Board of Governors Chair Joseph Marine, MD, FACC; and Treasurer Christopher M. Kramer, MD, FACC.

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.

SOURCE American College of Cardiology