Hello Colleagues!

Happy summer! I hope everyone is enjoying some well-deserved R&R as things are opening up. We are all holding our breath, hoping everything will stay in the right direction. Please remember to take the opportunity to encourage your patients to get vaccinated if they haven’t so that they can stay well. I still assert that the CVTeam are the heroes in this pandemic.

With the end of the academic year, our leadership council is happy to report our virtual speaker series, Pillars of Cardiology, was wildly successful. The speakers were all Maryland cardiovascular team members who presented Amyloidosis-Diagnosis and Management, Atrial Fibrillation Medical Management, Care of Patients Pre and Post TAVR, and Lipid Management and Digital Health Impact in Cardiovascular Health. Our speakers were exceptional and there was great engagement not only in Maryland but across the globe as well. If you were not able to attend, the presentations are recorded on the MDACC website. A new Pillars of Cardiology series will resume in the fall so stay tuned!

Diversity and Inclusion

In 2018, American Heart Association published a shocking statistic: poor Black children were 41% less likely to receive by-stander CPR than white children from any neighborhood. Our CVTeam leadership council discussed how we could impact this disparity and we decided to go into the communities in which we work and teach hands only CPR. We partnered with Matt Goldstein, DHSc, PA-C, who is a renowned CPR/ACLS instructor in Baltimore. He published a study proving hands only CPR can be taught and practiced on a pillow. In the interest of diversity and inclusion as well as to impact this horrific disparity, we applied for a grant which was awarded to us by the ACC Board of Governors in 2020. Our initiative was spearheaded by our immediate past MDACC CVTeam Liaison, Jae Patton, CRNP, AACC. With Jae’s community outreach connections through St. Agnes Hospital, we connected with a non-profit, the Food Project in southwest Baltimore, and the Reach Partnership School in East Baltimore. Our initial plan to provide mass CPR events was halted by the pandemic. In January of this year, we embarked on virtual CPR training, lead by Matt, with students at Reach and young adults at the Food Project. As things started opening up, students returned to class, and we transitioned to in-person training. Our aim is to teach young adults how to perform hands-only CPR on a pillow, video record them, then share the video to social media. The hope is that the video goes viral, teaching friends and family how to perform CPR, thereby improving the odds of survival for children in impoverished communities in Baltimore. Further, we want to empower young people to become leaders in their communities. We will have a first showing of the video in early fall. Although this was a team effort, we could not have done this project without the tenacious leadership of Jae Patton.

A sad note, one of the young men who volunteered to participate in the video, Troy Rush, Jr., from the Food Project, lost his life to senseless gun violence. He was a marketing genius for the Food Project. He willingly volunteered to participate in the video and eagerly demonstrated CPR for a full 2 minutes. Our condolences go out to Troy’s family and friends.

What’s New!

We have a new MDACC Governor! Dr. Garima Sharma has taken the reins. Dr. Sharma is the first woman to be the MDACC president. She is the director of Cardio Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University. She was also named Associate Vice Chair for Women’s Careers in Academic Medicine and Chair of the Task Force on Women’s Academic Careers in Medicine. We are so happy to welcome Dr. Sharma. We look forward to her mentorship and to having her as the face of the MDACC chapter.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Joseph Marine for his leadership and support over the past three years. Dr. Marine was diligent in giving the CVTeam a voice and a seat at the table. Dr. Marine is now the Chair of the ACC Board of Governors.

Upcoming Events

Pillars of Cardiology: Fall 2021—date to be determined.

Legislative Conference: October 3 -4, 2021 in person at Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill and virtually on Tuesday, October 5. 

MACCS: Mid-Atlantic Capital Cardiology Symposium: November 21, 2021

ACC.22: Scientific Sessions: April 2-4, 2022 Washington, DC 

I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of your summer. Stay safe and well. Continue to encourage your patients to get the COVID 19 Vaccine.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions or concerns.

Angela Street, CRNP, MSN

Maryland ACC CVTeam Liaison

ACC COVID-19 Resources

• COVID-19 Hub 
• The CV Team & COVID-19:  Lessons from the Front line webinar
• COVID-19 Group on ACC Member Hub
• ACC Advocacy at work throughout this pandemic