Heart Failure Society of America Announces New President At 16th Annual Scientific Meeting

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Sep 12, 2012, 01:26 ET

SEATTLE, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 16^th annual scientific meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), Dr. Thomas Force was officially announced as the next president of the society. He succeeds Dr. Barry Massie, who has led the society for the last two years.

"We are pleased to announce that Dr. Force is assuming the role of president for the next two years," said Michele Blair, CEO of HFSA. "He is an outstanding physician and researcher, and will help lead HFSA as the society continues to grow and expand our programs."

Dr. Force is the Clinical Director at the Center for Translational Medicine and a Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and is board certified in internal medicine and cardiology.

Dr. Force's research focuses on the regulation of normal and stress-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Specifically, his lab studies the signal transduction pathways that regulate growth responses, focusing on protein kinase cascades.

"I'm deeply honored to have been selected by my peers as the next president of HFSA," said Dr. Force. "Heart failure is the fastest growing cardiovascular disease in the United States, and I look forward to leading the society and our education efforts."

Dr. Force takes office as HFSA completes some changes, including moving the society to Washington, D.C. The move will allow the society to increase patient advocacy and education efforts, including work on access to care, disease management, and prevention efforts. HFSA will also continue to advance heart failure training and certification for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and clinicians. This will ensure that there continue to be enough providers to treat the growing number of heart failure patients across the United States.

About Heart Failure

Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened after it is injured, most commonly from heart attack or high blood pressure, and gradually loses its ability to pump enough blood to supply the body's needs. Many people are not aware they have heart failure because the symptoms are often mistaken for signs of getting older. Heart failure affects 4.6 to 4.8 million individuals in the United States. Demographic and clinical evidence strongly suggests that the prevalence of heart failure will increase throughout the next decade. Ten to 15 years ago heart failure was considered a "death sentence;" however, recent advances in treatment have shown that early diagnosis and proper care in early stages of the condition are key to slowing, stopping or in some cases reversing progression, improving quality of life, and extending life expectancy. For more information on heart failure, please visit www.abouthf.org.

About the Heart Failure Society of America

The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) is a nonprofit educational organization, founded in 1994 as the first organized association of heart failure experts. The HFSA provides a forum for all those interested in heart function, heart failure research and patient care. The Society also serves as a resource for governmental agencies (FDA, NIH, NHLBI, CMS). The HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting is designed to highlight recent advances in the development of strategies to address the complex epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic issues of heart failure. Additional information on HFSA can be found at www.hfsa.org.

SOURCE Heart Failure Society of America