President's Message

August 2026

Dear Virginia Chapter Members,

I hope everyone is having a great end to the summer! It always seems to pass too quickly, and I wanted to share a few updates from the past several months.
 
The British Cardiovascular Society (BCS), Virginia’s “sister” chapter, held its annual meeting in June in Manchester with this year’s theme, “Staying Alive.” The BCS Emerging Leaders Programme has been instrumental in cultivating the next generation of cardiology leaders in the United Kingdom. Jennifer Ray Beckman, Virginia's Chapter Executive, and Michael Valentine, MD, MACC, have both played longstanding roles in helping the BCS design and deliver this programming.
 
The four clinical ambassadors selected by the BCS to visit Virginia and DC institutions this past fall as part of our exchange program also participated in a session at the BCS annual meeting. They shared their experiences and described how these international collaborations have already led to changes in clinical care at their home institutions. As part of the same session, I delivered a talk on the worldwide epidemic of burnout among health care providers and potential solutions to this growing crisis.
 
I would also like to highlight a new podcast series from the Virginia ACC focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cardiology. The series aims to provide practical insights into the use of AI from Virginia cardiology providers across the state. Kenneth Bilchick, MD, MS, FACC, and Matthew Schumaecker, MD, MBA, MIT, FACC, created the inaugural episode, which explores whether AI can predict the future from an ECG. It is a fascinating listen and can be found here!
 
Finally, for those of you at academic institutions, fellowship recruitment is likely beginning to move into high gear. This is the second year that program signaling will be part of the application process for cardiology fellowships. The PDGME Council has now published data examining how recruitment has changed following the incorporation of signaling into the process. You can read more about these findings in this paper.
 
Have a wonderful start to your fall,

Victor Soukoulis, MD, PhD, FACC

President, Virginia Chapter ACC 

VIRGINIA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY