President's Message

summer 2025

Dear VCACC Members: 

I hope you are all having a great start to summer! I wanted to take a moment this month to recognize the long-standing partnership that the Virginia Chapter of the ACC has with the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS). As part of this bond, there have been several exchanges of fellows and early-career faculty to learn about the practice of cardiology and form professional connections across the Atlantic. The Virginia Chapter also plays a large role in the BCS Emerging Faculty Programme that aims to develop leadership skills in the next generation of promising cardiology professionals in the United Kingdom. I have heard from several graduates of this program how it has served as a seminal event in their career development and how thankful they are for the participation of the Virginia Chapter. Finally, as part of this trans-Atlantic partnership, Dr. Christopher Kramer, MD, FACC and I presented topics ranging from obesity management to retaining late-career faculty at the BCS Annual Conference in Manchester in June.

Although fall may seem like a long way off, it will be here before you know it. I highly encourage you to register for the ACC Legislative Conference held in Washington, DC from October 5-7 at this link. There are many proposals before Congress that have the potential to dramatically change the healthcare landscape and it is important for cardiology providers to share their expertise with legislators. It is also a great way to make new connections with Virginia Chapter members!

On a final note, keep an eye out in your email for surveys from the AMA’s Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC). These are randomly sent out to ACC members and influence Medicare reimbursement rates on new procedure codes. You can learn more about this process here.

Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Victor Soukoulis, MD, PhD, FACC

President, Virginia Chapter ACC