council on clinical cardiology

Spring 2001Spring 2001 Council on Clinical Cardiology

Chair’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Women in Academic Medicine: 2000 Statistical Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

AHA Sponsors Early Career Development Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Interview with Dr. Rose Marie Robertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2000 Women in Cardiology Luncheon Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Women in Cardiology Travel Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Women and Minority Participation in the American Heart Association’s Research Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Committee of Women In European Cardiology — Update and Historical Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Transplant Cardiology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

ACC Women in Cardiology Committee Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Women’s Health Initiative — Current Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Women in Cardiology Travel Grant Program Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Mentoring Award Nomination Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Calendar of Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Value of Scientific Councils to AHA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Council Membership Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

American Heart Association Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Scientific Sessions 2001 Call for Abstracts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATIONWOMEN IN CARDIOLOGY

NEWSLETTER MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the WIC Committee is three-fold:

• to increase the participation of women in the council and the association,

• to increase leadership roles of women in the council and the association, and

• to encourage women to enter the field of cardiology.

TABLEof Contents

As wecontinueto work

to enhance theprofessionaldevelopment ofwomen incardiology, werecognize theimportance ofnetworking andmentoring inprofessionaladvancement.During theannual Scientific

Sessions, we sponsor a networking reception prior toour luncheon program. The Early CareerDevelopment Forum affords networkingopportunities for fellows and junior faculty.Fellowship trainees, who are the recipients of theAHA/Wyeth-Ayerst Women in Cardiology travelgrants, have additional opportunities for networkingduring the presentation skills workshop and theawards dinner.

We were honored by the participation of AHAPresident Dr Rose Marie Robertson at the 2000awards dinner. Dr Robertson’s participation givenher schedule as President, underscores her ongoingcommitment to mentoring. Dr Robertson shares hersuggestions on professional advancement andcomments on programs which foster mentoring anda successful academic career in an interviewincluded in this edition.

It is not uncommon for a cardiology fellow to bethe sole woman in her training program. Tofacilitate ongoing networking, we invite thoseinterested to forward their names, subspecialty area(if any), and e-mail addresses to Jonna Moody [email protected]. This will be posted on ourcommittee’s Web site http://www.americanheart.org/Scientific/council/clinical/wic.html. We congratulateDr Michael Crawford, the recipient of the 2000Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award. Thedeadline for nominations for the 2001 award isMay 1.

Our liaison relationship with the European Societyof Cardiology (ESC) Women in CardiologyCommittee continues to develop. It was an honorparticipating in the “Calling All Women” forum atthe 2000 ESC meeting. As a result of this meeting,the networking framework was buttressed by theidentification of individuals who will serve as localcontacts to enhance the involvement of womencardiologists. Dr Maria Grazia Modena, chair of theESC Committee, expounds on this meeting and onthe European history of women in medicine in anarticle in this edition. Beyond our differences, weshare mutual challenges with our Europeancolleagues. We look forward to a productivecollaboration with the ESC committee as we haveshared with the ACC Women in Cardiologycommittee.

We continue to encourage your participation inachieving our shared goals.

Roxanne A Rodney, MD

Women in Cardiology Newsletter Spring 2001

MESSAGEChair’s

1

The Association of American Medical Colleges(AAMC) 1999–2000 Women in U.S. AcademicMedicine Statistics reveal that the proportion ofwomen applicants and new entrants to U.S. medicalschools has increased to 45%. Women nowconstitute the majority of new entrants at 36 schools.Of the total number of residents in internal medicinesubspecialties, the percentage of women (25%)was stable.

The distribution of faculty across the ranks showsno major change in the percentage of women andmen. For women: 10.7% are full professors, 19.3%are associate professors, 50.1% are assistantprofessors, and 17.5% are instructors. For men, thepercentages are: 30.9%, 24.4%, 35.9%, and 7.8%,respectively. There is continued concern regardingthe slow growth in the proportion of women at thefull professor rank. It is now estimated that at thecurrent rate of growth (0.92% per year), which hasnot changed in 20 years, it will be 40 years before

the proportion of women full professors reaches one-half that of men currently at this rank (i.e., 15%).There are 21 women and 161 men full professors onaverage per medical school. With regard to ethnicity,19% of faculty are non-white (12% Asian, 4%Black, 3% Hispanic).

Data from the AAMC’s Project ImplementationCommittee on Increasing Women’s LeadershipBenchmarking Survey indicates neither change inthe percent of tenured faculty who are women(15%), nor in the percent of schools (30%) in whichthe proportion of women who departed exceededthat of those newly hired. Eight percent of alldepartment chairs are women, however, at least 23schools have no women at this level. As ofSeptember 2000, 7 schools have deans who arewomen, which includes 3 interim appointments.

Roxanne A. Rodney, MD

Spring 2001 Women in Cardiology Newsletter2

2000 STATISTICAL UPDATEWomen in Academic Medicine

I am pleased to announce that Mr. Lonnie Willis has joined AHA as the new Directorof the Scientific Councils’ Department. His prior position was as CEO, Lubbock StateSchool, Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. He has 25 yearsexperience in organizational management, administrative function and staffsupervision. He has also taught strategic planning at the university level. In hisprevious position, he had extensive interactions with volunteer oversight committees,and understands the important role volunteers have in the success of an organizationsuch as AHA!

— Kathryn A. Taubert, PhDVice President

Science and Medicine

In its continuing effort to support young investigatorsin clinical and basic cardiovascular science, theAHA’S 2000 annual Scientific Sessions held a half-

day symposium for the newest members of our field.Approximately 600 young investigators attended thesymposium that began with an informal lunch prior to thedidactic portion of the program. “This is yet anotherattempt by the AHA to reach out and support scientists inthe earliest phase of their careers,” said C William Balkeand Joseph S Alpert the 2 co-chairs of the session.Following welcoming remarks by Dr Robert Bonow, thecurrent chair of the AHA’s Clinical Cardiology Counciland Chair of the Committee on Scientific SessionsProgram for the 2000 Scientific Sessions, Mr WilliamBryant, Chair of the Board of the AHA, encouraged theyoung investigators to get involved with the AHA and tohelp support its mission.

The keynote speaker for the formal segment of thesymposium was Dr Eugene Braunwald, DistinguishedHersey Professor of Medicine at the Harvard MedicalSchool, who presented a 10-point plan for success indeveloping a career in cardiovascular science. The 10points are:

1) Select a career in science only if you have a real desireto answer scientific questions and love “the thrill ofthe chase.”

2) Use your time carefully; don’t waste it on time-consuming committee work of marginal value.

3) Research is not a hobby; it demands your full attentionand a great deal of time and effort. You should spendat least 50–60% of your working hours in pursuit ofyour research.

4) Accept invitations to conferences and meetings only ifthey are likely to enhance your research progress.Avoid boondoggles.

5) Devote yourself to the study of a single question orproblem and stay focussed on it.

6) Do not become a slave of one technique. Rather,master whatever technique you need in order to answerthe question you are pursuing.

7) Choose your mentor carefully. A “big name” is notnecessarily a great mentor.

8) Do not shun industrial support, however, do notbecome too close to one company.

9) Don’t waste time starting a biotech company outsideof your laboratory. These ventures rarely pay off ineither money or new ideas. They tend to distract youfrom your real scientific mission.

10) Do not get discouraged if you don’t succeed withyour first attempts. However, do reconsider youroptions if you have nothing to show for your effortsafter 2–3 years of work.

Dr Braunwald’s outstanding presentation was followedby two lectures on mentoring, how to get one and how toseparate from one. The two co-chairs of the symposium,Drs C William Balke and Joseph S Alpert presented thesetalks. Important points that were made included thefollowing advice: Look for trustworthiness, intellectualhonesty and emotional intelligence in a mentor. Mentorsshould help their mentees with advice concerningappropriate career paths as well as introduction to othersworking in the same field. The mentor should assisthis/her mentee in designing and carrying out thedesignated research training. The mentor should serve asan appropriate role model and help the mentee to obtain acareer position following training. Finally, the mentorshould provide psychological support and encouragementthroughout the mentee’s training. In short, the mentorshould serve as a wise friend, counsel, and teacher forthe mentee.

Mentor/mentee relationships often end naturally as thementee becomes an independent investigator and obtainshis/her own grant support. The 2 investigators becomecolleagues. However, rarely does the mentor/menteerelationship deteriorate because of personal animosity orexploitation. The mentee may feel that the mentor istaking credit for work done by the mentee or thatinappropriate praise or criticism is being delivered.Negative qualities in a mentor include tendencies to beexploitive, secretive, or dishonest. If a mentee feels thathe/she is being exploited or the mentor/menteerelationship is becoming personally burdensome, it isimportant to seek independent neutral advice fromsomeone who is not involved. Develop a plan for the“divorce” and obtain an appointment with the mentor.Discuss the problems openly and dispassionately andseek a friendly separation. Try not to be confrontational.Do seek to resolve any conflicts before the separationoccurs. Obtain legal advice beforehand if you feel that

Women in Cardiology Newsletter Spring 2001 3

DEVELOPMENT FORUMAHA Sponsors Early Career

something unlawful or fraudulent has occurred. Thementor/mentee relationship can be one of the mostsatisfying connections in a scientist’s career. It is veryrare that drastic measures or “divorce” are required.

The next speaker was Dr Edward Holmes, the Dean ofthe medical school at the University of California at SanDiego. Dr Holmes is a distinguished rheumatologist withan extensive career in academic administration. Headdressed the increasingly complex and distressing areaof intellectual property. What do you own versus whatdoes your university own? The problem of intellectualproperty and technology transfer is one of the mostchallenging problems facing universities and independentinvestigators today. Dr Holmes also addressed theproblems of starting one’s own company. He andDr Braunwald agreed that this was rarely a successfulventure for university faculty.

The last speaker of this first part of the symposium wasDr Valentin Fuster, former president of the AHA. DrFuster addressed the interesting question of when andwhy a cardiology fellow should consider pursuing anacademic career. He pointed out that grant funding forresearch was at an all-time high and that the country’sbusiness and political leaders recognized the economicbenefit associated with the performance of basic andclinical research. Dr Fuster described his vision of theclinical investigator as a physician with the potential todo research anywhere in the spectrum between basicgenetic research and the clinical use of productsstemming from such investigation. Furthermore, heemphasized the need to make a personal commitment toresearch as one progressed along the path of researchtraining, a point made earlier by Dr Braunwald.

The meeting then broke into 2 groups, 1 for basicscientists and 1 for clinical investigators. In the basicscience breakout session, Dr Balke discussed careerpathways for basic science investigators from dependenceon a mentor to independent function with one’s ownlaboratory and grant funding. Dr Balke also emphasizedthe many opportunities for grant funding within the

AHA. He was followed by Dr Peter Spooner, of the NIH,who discussed the various funding tracks for basiccardiovascular science within the NIH extramuralprogram. Dr Spooner also discussed recent trends incareer pathways that were being successfully employedby basic science cardiovascular investigators. Finally, heemphasized the areas of cardiovascular science currentlyre c e iving the most funding and future trends in these areas.

Dr Judith Swain, Chief of Medicine at StanfordUniversity, then discussed the vexing problem of conflictof interest and maintenance of one’s commitment to theacademic enterprise in a world where there are manyeconomic inducements to do otherwise. Dr Swain gave anumber of examples of conflicts of interest that mightarise within the academic environment.

In the breakout group dealing with clinical investigation,Dr Rose Marie Robertson presented a lucid picture ofgrant funding opportunities within the AHA. BethSchucker, of the NIH. discussed the many different typesof NIH grants that are potentially available to clinicalcardiovascular investigators. Dr Holmes gave his secondpresentation of the day, discussing the recent problems atDuke University and other institutions with respect tohuman subjects in research, proper usage, and the need toadhere carefully to all federal guidelines for humanexperimentation. Dr Robert Roberts concluded thesession with an open discussion of ways to train andsucceed in clinical investigation.

A brief refreshment pause and the Samuel A. LevineYoung Clinical Investigator competition followed theb re a kout sessions. The competition fe at u red 4 outstandingpresentations with considerable audience interest.

All in all, the first Early Career Development Forum wasdeemed a success. Plans are underway for next year’ssession using many excellent suggestions obtained fromthis year’s attendees.

Joseph S Alpert, MD


RAR: Many women cardiologistscertainly admire you for your years ofservice, not only to the AHA, but alsothe fact that you have a very successfulcardiology career. I know your motherwas a physician. How did you becomeinterested in medicine? RMR: I grew up in Michigan where mymother was a general practitioner. For awhile, she had an office in the house, soI got to see her medical practice close-up. I often spent afternoons doing myhomework in a back room in the office,and sometimes we went on house callstogether. Although I didn’t think about itspecifically then, I’m sure I wasinfluenced by the wonderful relationshipshe had with her patients.

RAR: What about your father? RMR: My father, an attorney, diedwhen I was very young. My aunt, whowas a schoolteacher, came to live withus, so I saw teaching and medicine astwo career options as I was growing up.I could tell that my aunt really enjoyedteaching when she would talk about herwork with her students. I think thoseinfluences were subliminal and I didn’trealize I was putting them together untilmuch later on.

RAR: What specifically do you thinkdrew you more towards medicine insteadof a teaching career? RMR: I loved science as a youngstudent and always found it bothrelatively easy and intellectuallyappealing. I thought for a while that Imight like a career in the basic sciences.On the other hand, I very much likeworking with people and putting thosetogether was a good fit for me. I alsoliked the detective work of medicine.Each individual presents their ownmystery which needs to be sorted out. Itwas fun, interesting, exciting to do and,in fact, it helped people as well. It hadall these wonderful benefits.

RAR: Did you have siblings? RMR: No, but I had lots ofneighborhood kids to play with. Welived in Detroit when I was little, andmoved about 25 miles north to live inthe country when I was in the 4th or 5thgrade. I joined the 4H club, raisedsheep, rode my horse, and had awonderful time growing up on a farm.

RAR: That must have been a reallystrong bond that you had with yourmother and also with your aunt.RMR: It really was wonderful. Inaddition, we had 2 cousins who came tolive with us. And I had an aunt anduncles in the neighborhood. There wasfamily around all the time. Even thoughmy mother worked pretty long hours, Ialways had people around me that caredabout me. Actually, we’ve done that withour daughter having had both ourmothers live with us and cousins close-by, as well. It has certainly been a niceway to bring up a child.

RAR: When did you specificallydecide to go into medicine? Was itin college?RMR: I was a biology major in college.I suppose I had always assumed that Iwould go into medicine. Mother was adoctor so it seemed like that was whatyou did when you grew up. Only in mysenior year did I have a pretty typicalsenior panic, well after I’d already beenaccepted to medical school. I lovedEnglish literature, and suddenly Ithought maybe I should be an Englishteacher. Fortunately, I had a wonderfulEnglish teacher who suggested I trymedicine and see if I liked it with theback-up that I could always go back andgo to graduate school in English. So, Itried it out and never went back.

RAR: What was it about cardiologythat made you decide to pursue it?RMR: Even in medical school, I lovedphysiology. I especially liked the logicof cardiovascular physiology. I supposeDr. Guyton made me a cardiologist.And, of course, I had wonderful teachersin cardiology. When I was a student, EdHaber was leading Cardiology at theMass General, and Mike Weisfeldt, JimWillerson and Suzanne Oparil were allthere. It was really a remarkable time tobe there.

RAR: Did you do yourfellowship there? RMR: No, I went to Hopkins as afellow. Mike Weisfeldt had gone toHopkins as a faculty member and hesaid that it was a great place. It certainlywas, and I had a wonderful time there.Richard Ross was chief of cardiologyand actually, in my second year, he wasserving as president of the AHA. Ilearned how little you get to be homewhen you are doing that job.


INTERVIEWwith Dr. Rose Marie Robertson

Conducted by Roxanne A. Rodney, MD

RAR: So, you had that ear lyexposure then?RMR: That’s right. Actually, I’ve beenso fortunate to be exposed to aremarkable number of people who havebeen president of the Association. Andboth places I trained [Hopkins and MassGeneral] were warm, friendlyinstitutions that did a terrific job oftraining house officers. They gave you

just the right amount of supervision andindependence and got you ready for thenext step.

RAR: Were there other women trainingin the cardiology program at the time? RMR: Actually, Jeannie Wei, PatriciaCome, and Bernadine Healy were all atHopkins and Dr Ross was very pleasedthat he had as many women as he did inhis program. He really was a greatsupporter of women in cardiology. Wehad a remarkable number of women inthe program at a time when thereweren’t so many because people thoughtthat it was a tougher kind of specialty toput together with anything else youmight want to do with the rest ofyour life.

RAR: Can you identify anyone whospecifically guided you as a mentoralong the way or have you had a seriesof individuals?RMR: When I finished my fellowshipand began to look for positions, I talkedto Dr Ross about it. His first suggestionwas that I talk to his former fellow downatVanderbilt. Bud Freisinger had been atHopkins for about 20 years havingbegun his training there, had been on the

faculty, and had then become chief ofcardiology at Vanderbilt about 1970–71.He was a wonderful chief and a greatleader by example. He was always therebefore and left after the rest of us. Hewas a wonderful clinician, a scholarlyperson with a never-ending curiosity. Ithink the tradition at all the places Itrained was one of being sure you reallysought the truth and was not just

satisfied with “this isthe way we’ve alwaysdone it.”

RAR: Evidence-based medicine beforeit was given thatname.RMR: Exactly.

RAR: Now, I knowyou are Vice Chair of

academic affairs.RMR: Actually, this year, I’ve cut backa little since I’m away so much. I’mVice Chair for Special Projects in theDepartment of Medicine.

RAR: What would you suggestwomen focus on to have a successfulacademic career? RMR: I think it’s important to take along view and not get too worried abouttransient changes. I always tell newfellows that if there is one thing we canguarantee them, it’s change. Ruleschange, the funding environmentchanges, and you just have to decide thatyou’re going to not just survive change,you’re going to thrive on change! I’vebeen through eras when funding waseasier to get and others when it wastougher to get. Hopefully, we are now inan era when more reasonable fundinglevels will make careers in researchattractive again. We’ve gotten the first 3yearly installments toward the doublingof the NIH budget, a job begun in 1998.We’ve gotten the Clinical ResearchEnhancement Act passed, which will bea big help for fellows who want to havea career in research. This federalprogram will provide something on the

order of $35,000 a year debt forgivenessfor 3 years, for people who are trainingto be clinical investigators. The AHAworked hard to get that passed, as didmany other organizations. A few yearsago there was a real exodus ofinvestigators. Very bright people wereleaving academic medicine. When thathappened, I remember thinking Ishouldn’t be asking why they wereleaving, I should be wondering why therest of us were staying if these verybright people thought that an academiccareer just wasn’t worth it. What Iconcluded was that those of us whowere staying had grown up in academicmedicine with an expectation of success,and that pulls you through tough times.That doesn’t mean you get every grantyou apply for. Anybody who has fundedgrants had a drawer full of unfundedgrants or at least grants which ultimatelygot funded somewhere else. It doesn’tmean that every paper gets into thejournal you want the first time. But itdoes mean that this is an exciting andextraordinarily gratifying and veryviable career and if you work at it, youwill be able to make it happen. Those ofus who aren’t in the running for theNobel Prize still can have successfulcareers and make contributions over along period of time. The fact that in anygiven year it might not be exactly theway you would like it to be doesn’tmean you should give it up.

RAR: I think that, particularly juniorfaculty found it very frustrating anddifficult because the healthcare systemchanged but many institutions didn’tadjust as quickly in terms of how facultywere reviewed in terms of their progress. RMR: Absolutely. I don’t think wehave all the problems solved by anymeans. I think it still is very difficult.The pressures of managed care havemade a huge difference.You don’t haveas much time with patients despite somerecent suggestions to the contrary. Or, ifyou do, you have so many more thingsto cover in that very brief period. And ofcourse, one of the great problems has


You just have to decide that you’regoing to not just survive change,you’re going to thrive on change!

been the loss of discretionary funds atmedical centers. Physician paymentsthat we kept at the academic medicalcenter to grease the wheels of researchdisappeared to a point of more than $2billion dollars per year. That was themoney that let you support younginvestigators and protect their time whilethey wrote those first grants. It let youbuy equipment without having to waitfor the next grant to get funded. Thishad a tremendous impact on youngpeople. That’s why the ClinicalResearch Enhancement Act was such afocus for us. People were not having thekind of protected time they needed, evento get trained, and they were starting outwith enormous debt that made it verydifficult to choose an academic career.But I think that things are clearly better.I think that doubling the NIH budgetalmost certainly will happen if we keepthe pressure on. And American HeartAssociation funding increases everyyear. That certainly provides additionalresources. The fact that we had so manypeople come to the Early CareerInvestigator Forum in November at ourannual Scientific Sessions was awonderful example of renewedenthusiasm. We’re paying attention tothe need to mentor young faculty andyoung fellows and get them linked withindividuals who can tell them how towork their way through the system.

RAR: How have you managed youracademic career to mitigate some ofthose effects, such as the change in thehealthcare system? RMR: I was around people who had abroad, flexible approach. My chairmanof medicine for most of the years of mycareer (15 of my 25 years here) wasJohn Oates. John was a skilled clinicalpharmacologist and cardiologist whomade important contributions to ourunderstanding of prostaglandins and theautonomic nervous system which werequite important to current therapy. Hewas terrific at protecting young faculty,and he encouraged faculty to be broad intheir funding base. It was important to

have NIH funding but it was also goodto have other sources of funding. Duringtough times it’s especially important tolook at what multiple funding agenciesto see if what you do has some relationto that. You have to be creative. Anotherreally fortunate aspect for me, but onethat I think people should deliberatelyseek out, is that I had the great goodfortune to work with a wonderful groupof people. First, I’ve worked with myhusband on a number of projects, whichI’ve really enjoyed. We both do thingsindependently but we do a lot of ourwork together. That’s offered usconsiderable additional flexibility inmany ways, and it means that you knowthat your collaborator is your supporter.We’ve also been lucky to havecolleagues who have worked with us formany years. I enjoy their intellectual andpersonal company so much that it’salways a pleasure to interact with them,and a group is much more flexible thanan individual can be. And I’ve beenlucky to be at a university that is anextraordinarily collaborative place.There are very good feelings betweenbasic scientists and clinical scientists.That’s a real strength.

RAR: Foran academiccareer,flexibility,having abroadfundingbase, and thecollaborativeaspect of the program are veryimportant.RMR: Right. Working in acollaborative group, even if it’s notnecessary, certainly makes it a lot morefun. For many years we had weekly labmeetings in our home. On Mondaynights we would get together for 11/2

hours over coffee and cookies or chips.We would have outside speakers orwould just go over an area one of uswanted to explore a little further. Wealways tried to stop promptly at 9, but

people would often stay longer. Wheneveryone had left, my husband and Iwould very commonly look at eachother and say: this is great, this is whatit’s all about. The intellectual fun of thegroup. Thinking together. Figuringthings out together. Finding a group thatyou really enjoy working with is aterrific thing. Another area that I thinkhelps in the flexibility of your fundingbase is to think about options that aren’tthe obvious ones. For example, theDepartment of Defense sometimes getsinterested in funding biomedicalresearch in an area. If it’s in an arearelevant to you, it’s fair game. Find thepossible ways to do the things you wantto do.

RAR: As you look back on yourcareer, do you think that you haveexperienced any gender bias? RMR: I think it hasn’t been much of anissue for me. The people who’ve beenimportant in my career have been verysupportive of women being involved inmedicine and cardiology and have beencareful about details specificallyimportant to women’s careers. Iremember a conversation with Bud

Freisinger when my husband David andI were early in our careers. We weredoing a fair amount of research togetherbut also had separate projects. Budpointed out that when I eventually cameup for promotion, I would have to beable to say, “This is the part I did as anindependent investigator.” It was a smallbut very helpful point. Again, overall,the people around me have beenextraordinarily supportive, so genderbias hasn’t been much of an issue forme. And, in general, we’ve not had


I think that doubling the NIH budget almost certainly will happen

if we keep the pressure on.

much difficulty here with those issues.I do think that more often than men,women may not understand howsystems work or know “the rules of thegame” or how to play the game, whetherin a corporate or academic environment.Women are maybe not inherently asgood at those games, but actually now,there are enough of us that in manyareas, we’re changing some of the rules.

RAR: I think a part of that might bethat there’s a sense of isolation andperhaps a sense of not knowing what therules are. In every institution there areunwritten rules. Unless you havesomeone who knows what those are andwill share that with you it can be achallenge. It’s related to that sense ofisolation and not having access. Formany women in institutions, there’s noaccess to the real power base.RMR: That’s right. I remember asession we did for the women’s group ofthe Robert Wood Johnson MinorityMedical Faculty Development Program.That was one of the issues: what therules of the game are, and how youdon’t necessarily learn those as yougrow up. A number of these youngwomen during their training feltextremely isolated. Sometimes theywere the only woman or they were theonly minority woman. Four years in alab where you really feel all alone is along time. The guys would socialize butthe woman was not invited.

RAR: It’s that lack of informal accessthat so many women don’t have.RMR: Networking happens during thattime and you’re not part of that. Thereare more of us now, and I think peopletry to be more aware of it. It probably isstill an issue to some extent.

RAR: At Vanderbilt, are there specificmechanisms that have been put in placeto help? RMR: Yes, one thing we’ve done is tohave a specific mentoring committee foryoung faculty, particularly those who areon a research scientist track, so that

there’s not just the faculty member andtheir division chief, as good as thosepeople are. We make certain that there issomeone who specifically is designatedto be the mentor of that person andthere is a committee designated toreview progress.

RAR: A departmental committee?RMR: Yes. The mentor/traineerelationship is a wonderful thing, mostof the time, just like the parent/childrelationship. But both those relationshipshave the potential to be dysfunctional,and you have to have an advocate for thetrainee or young faculty member to dealwith issues if they come up. Sometimespeople get stuck and need help. It helpsto have, for many reasons, an externalgroup to look at it.

RAR: Is an annual review done? RMR: It’s annual but maybe moreoften, depending on what thecircumstances are. During the periodwhen the person is working towardstenure, that group is responsible fortracking the progress. We have adepartmental committee onappointments and promotions whichreviews everyone. I think it’s agood system.

RAR: Yes. The more that one canformalize these kind of processes ratherthan it being ad hoc, the more helpful itis to young faculty.RMR: That’s absolutely right. If youjust assume it’s going to happen, it maywell not. And then if you need tointervene, people may feel that there’ssomething wrong with them. Ifeverybody has a committee, in fact, it’sgood for everyone. Having it be formalis useful, and it is important to haveaccess. One advantage of having a Vice-Chair in the Department is that a youngfaculty person can come and talk aboutissues and have informal access. Itdidn’t mean that they were going tocomplain to the department chair or thatsomething major needed to happen.Sometimes minor, early interventions

can straighten things out so much moreeasily. And of course, it’s wonderful tobe able to help young colleagues.

RAR: How have you been able tobalance your personal and professionalgoals with your family responsibilities? RMR: Well, I certainly married theright person, to start with! Not that myhusband isn’t busy in his own right —he’s a clinical pharmacologist, and runsour MSTP program (Medical ScientistTraining Program), our General ClinicalResearch Center, and is the PI on ourgroup’s PPG. He’s key to most of myendeavors, both at work and at home.Between him and my daughter, Rose,now 18, I have a wonderful family whoputs up with a whole lot. I think thatStephen Covey has it about right. Youcan’t really have it all, all at the sametime. There will be times when you needto be at your kid’s soccer game and youjust can’t leave that patient in the CCU.There will be times when you need to beat an AHA meeting and both yourpatients and your family getshortchanged a bit. I remember beingthe invited speaker at a lunch with ourwomen medical students on a day whenmy daughter was home with the chickenpox and I really wanted to be home,being Mom. All you can hope for is thatwhen you are with each one, you focuson them and you’re intent enough, careenough about them that they know that.And that they know that sometimes theyget to come first. I’ve been able to say toa patient: I really would like to talkabout this more, but I have to go to do


One thing we’ve done isto have a specific

mentoring committee foryoung faculty.

something with my daughter. Can I callyou tonight and we can talk about it?And my daughter has been reallywonderful about the time I spend doingother things. Of course, it’s been easieras she’s gotten older. I was so pleasedone day this year when she said, “Youknow Mom, I hate it when you’re away,but you’re really working to try to makethings better in the world — a lot ofpeople talk about that, but not verymany really do it.” Talk about bringing atear to the Mom’s eye! My husband, ofcourse, is incredibly supportive. Wecover for each other in lots of differentways and that helps. We can both coversome of each other’s clinical activitiesand take care of things at home for eachother. That’s made it much easier for us.

RAR: When your daughter wasyounger, did you have full-timeassistance?RMR: Well, we had two grandmothers.We had full-time assistance right there athome. I know it’s not a perfect solutionfor everybody. But it was great for usand was wonderful for our daughter. Ihad no living grandparents when I waslittle and these years have made meaware of the wonderful rolegrandparents play. I’m certainly not

quite ready to try that role on yet, but Ithink at some point it will be a lot offun. We did, on occasion, have a little bitof outside help, but we relied mostly on

an extended family of cousins andgrandmothers. Over the years, it was avery positive thing.

RAR: What suggestions would yougive to women with regard to leadershiproles within the AHA and professionaladvancement? RMR: To paraphrase, just don’t say no.There just always seemed to besomething else that needed to be done,and I’ve gotten to be involved in manydifferent areas that I never would havethought about at the beginning. And theAHA has given me the chance to learnthings and meet people and have oppor-tunities I never would have imagined. Ididn’t really think about volunteer careertracks as I grew up with the AHA. I dothink about how we can attract anddevelop volunteers now because I wantto make sure people understand theterrific opportunities that are available asthey get involved with the Association.There are unending opportunities forpeople to be involved and to makeimportant contributions. You know, it’ssuch a great thing to be a physician. Youhave a wonderful relationship withpeople. They tell you their secrets, allthe great joys and woes of their lives.You get to help people in important,meaningful ways. You even get paidwell and get societal affirmation forsomething that is surely the mostgratifying and interesting job there canbe. It seems that if the community andsociety does that for you, it really isimportant to give something back to it.The AHA is a wonderful way to do thatand to interact with people that youotherwise wouldn’t meet. The chance tomeet bankers, lawyers, business people,all of the different people who volunteerfor AHA. There are a lot of reasons whyit’s great to do it. How do you movealong in it? I think it really is just amatter of being available and looking tosee if something needs to be done andvolunteering to do it. You can come upthrough the councils and by volunteeringfor committees. Put your name in your

council database — not enough peoplehave their names listed. That’s a placepeople go to look for help when theyneed it. I think it’s also fine just to droppeople a note or e-mail and indicateyour interest. You don’t know people areinterested unless they tell you. In anyorganization, tracking and findingpeople who really want to do things andhelp is never done well enough. Iinitially got involved with the AHA at acommunity level, getting involved inresearch review and continuingeducation, and saying “yes” when theyasked me.

RAR: What about the logistics ofserving as AHA president? Is it anydifferent from what you imagined itwould be?RMR: You get to see directly howmuch people love and respect the AHA.If you are representing it, people areeager to see you because they know thatwe are doing a critically important jobworking for the health of the Americanpublic. I don’t think I was prepared forthe impact you can have when you’re inthis role.You can walk into the SurgeonGeneral’s office, for example, and hecares about what you have to say.Individuals and organizations know thatwe have a big impact on the public.Another wonderful aspect of the job isthe potential for bringing peopletogether, for finding connectionsbetween groups that might not havethought about collaborating, and forgetting them to do things they might nothave done otherwise. As for the logisticsof doing it, you have to have a lot ofvery generous people helping you backhome. I have wonderful colleagues incardiology and in my research groupwho have done a lot of extra work thisyear because there’s a substantialamount of out-of-town time. And, evenwhen you are in town, there’s a majorcommitment to deal with the media andto communicate with other organizationsfor the AHA.


The AHA has given methe chance to learn

things and meet peopleand have opportunities I

never would haveimagined.

RAR: Have you developed any newtechniques or strategies with regard tohandling your schedule and all thecommunications? RMR: What did we do before palmpilots? The difference this year is that Ido feel a need to be instantly connectedmuch more of the time. Again, the AHAand my group at home make that pretty

easy. The AHA staff I work with arewonderful about communicating andI’ve become a convert to voice mail.

RAR: Is there any down side that youdidn’t anticipate during yourpresidency?RMR: No, I think, it’s a wonderfullearning experience. One especiallyinteresting thing is that you do get asense for how intriguing and interestingit is to try to affect change at a broaderlevel. The only real downside is the timeaway from my family, and there we didan interesting thing that has helped. Mydaughter had several friends who hadhome schooled and she had beeninterested in being more of anautodidact. For me to be gone a lot ofher senior year didn’t seem ideal toeither of us so we decided to homeschool this year. She doesn’t travel withme all the time but if I’ve got a trip tosome place educational or interesting,she can come along and not be missingschool. We have a wonderful timetravelling together, and it’s fun to be ahigh school teacher on the side. MyFrench has gotten better and I’ve readmore modern American novels. It’s beena lot of fun and has been a nice,stabilizing factor for us this year.

RAR: How do you, in general, handlesetbacks?RMR: My husband says that I justdon’t even notice it. I guess I’m anoptimistic person and while thatcertainly doesn’t mean that thingsalways have gone the way I would likethem to go, I think it’s not usually worthwasting a lot of emotional energy on

setbacks. Ifit’s somethingyou didn’t dowell, you cando it better thenext time. Ifit’s somethingthat someoneelse did, thenit wasn’t your

fault. My general approach is, let’sfigure out how to fix this. So, if I don’tget a grant funded, I moan for a fewminutes, and then I figure out where elseto send it. I just don’t worry about it.David Rogers said that having more thanone thing that you are passionate aboutmakes it easier. I’m sure if I have asetback in a research project, the factthat I’m doing something with the AHAthat I’m pleased about, is a source ofcomfort. If something isn’t perfect atwork, my family is more important thanthat. It’s important to have more thanone thing that makes you happy.

RAR: The balance.RMR: Yes. I think that balancedoes help.

RAR: What are your other passions?RMR: I love hiking, travelling, andreading. I used to paint watercolors, butI haven’t taken time to do that in years.My family is my main passion.

RAR: I met your husband anddaughter.You had additional enthusiasmwhen they were there.RMR: I’m sure that’s right. And theAHA is another home for me, anotherfamily. I enjoy those interactions andpeople so much.

RAR: What do you yet want toaccomplish?RMR: I want to see and help mydaughter grow up to be a happy personwho finds satisfaction in her life and herinteractions with society. Certainly,that’s the most important thing to me, tobe a good mother. It’s very important tome on a day-to-day level to be a gooddoctor. I get a great deal of personalsatisfaction from my patients. Andthere’s no question that there are manyways in which I would like to work toimprove the health of people in thiscountry. That’s clearly a lifelongendeavor.You work at it in specific wayswhile you are president of the AHA. Butmy commitment to that certainly doesn’tend at the end of June. I understandthose problems better now than I didwhen I began my career at the AHA. Ithink this year, in particular, gives meinsights into how we might do better andcertainly my commitment to makingthose things better will continue.

RAR: I’m sure the AHA will definitelybe calling you. Many more opportunitiesto say “yes.” At this point in your life,how would you want to be remembered? RMR: I would like to be rememberedas a good mother, a good wife, a gooddoctor and somebody who gave back totheir community some small part of thewonderful things they received.

RAR: I know it’s a different time, butthat exposure you had growing up withyour mother’s practice, is yours whatyou hoped it would be? RMR: Yes. I had no idea what it wouldbe like. It’s been wonderful. I think, veryoften in life, the things that most pleaseus are not the things we thought would.I don’t think I would have envisionedthe things I do now. It certainly has beenwonderful.

RAR: Great. Thank you so much.


It’s important to have more than onething that makes you happy.

At the American Heart Association’s Council onClinical Cardiology Women in CardiologyLuncheon on November 14, 2000, Patricia E

Steinbach gave a presentation entitled, “Your FinancialFuture — WhatYou Need to Know.” Ms. Steinbach is aSenior Trust Consultant with TIAA-CREF TrustCompany. The luncheon provided a forum to networkwith other cardiologists and to gain useful financialplanning information.

Ms. Steinbach pointed out that 9 out of 10 women will bein charge of their own financial affairs at some point intheir lives; yet, women often are unprepared to assumethis responsibility. The central theme of her presentationwas that it is essential to actively review all aspects ofyour financial situation including the 3 phases offinancial planning: wealth accumulation, retirement, anddistribution phase.

The starting point for financial security is to perform acareful financial evaluation by rating each area assatisfactory, neutral, or needs improvement. Ms.Steinbach identified 6 domains of financial planning, andsuggested key questions you should ask in each area.

1. Insurance. “What do I really need?”

2. Systematic Savings. “Is investment needed tosupplement my pension’s benefits?”

3. Investment Results. “Are my assets performingadequately?”

4. Tax Planning. “Have I taken prudent steps tominimize taxes?”

5. Retirement Planning. “Have I defined my goals andapproach?”

6. Estate Planning. “Have I reviewed my will?”

Ms. Steinbach emphasized estate planning and noted thatmany individuals procrastinate about this aspect offinancial planning. She defined the following 4approaches to estate planning: 1) Do nothing (needless tosay strongly discouraged as your estate is then distributedby state law, and wealth is not conserved); 2) Jointownership (drawbacks to this approach include if yourspouse becomes incapacitated or simultaneous deathoccurs); 3) Will; and 4) Revocable living trust.Currently you are allowed to give any individual $10,000per year without paying gift taxes. In addition to theseannual gifts, you are allowed to make gifts (during yourlifetime or at death) free of gift or estate tax up to theamount of the established tax exclusion amount(currently $675,000 and scheduled to increase to $1million by 2006).

Ms. Steinbach underscored that for successful estateplanning, it is critical to work with an attorney and/orindividual at a financial planning institution that youtrust. You also need to do your homework and provideaccurate information about all your assets (includingproperty, savings, CDs, pensions, life insurance, 401Ks,IRAs and potential inheritance). Finally, she noted thatyou should update your estate planning every 3 to 5 yearsto ensure that you account for changes in your finances,personal circumstances and tax laws.

Emelia Benjamin, MD


LUNCHEON SUMMARY2000 Women in Cardiology

Patricia Steinbach, Luncheon Speaker

In November 2000, 25 women cardiology fellowshiptrainees were presented with the AHA/ Wyeth-AyerstWomen in Cardiology Travel Grant, which

provided funding to attend the American HeartAssociation Scientific Sessions and the Women inCardiology Luncheon. I was honored to have beenone of the recipients. Because of the travel grant, wewere able to attend the Scientific Sessions as well asseveral informative and instructive events thatprovided an opportunity to meet with other femaletrainees and physicians. Many women fellows areone of the few, if not the only woman, in hercardiology training program. Therefore, the chanceto meet other trainees as well as establishedphysicians and scientists who might share a commonexperience was a welcome opportunity to establishcontacts, mentors, and a support network.

Perhaps the most popular event was the speaker’sforum, a program designed to enhance presentationskills. After an informative discussion with ourinstructor Bobbie Lawrie, a medical communicationsspecialist, several brave fellows who had agreed to bevideotaped and critiqued gave presentations in various formats.While the description of the program was somewhatintimidating, our fears proved to be unwarranted; the audiencewas gracious and the instructor was helpful and inspiring. Ms.Lawrie showed us how to improve the organization of ourpresentations, our speech pattern, even our body languageusing examples from the media and from our ownpresentations. The program was an extra bonus for those

presenting at the conference; they were able to practice a n di m p rove their pre s e n t ations with the help of an ex p e rt .

The awards dinner was an exciting and memorable occasion. Itgave the trainees a chance to mix and mingle and provided acasual environment to have one on one conversations withsome high profile leaders in cardiology. Dr Rose MarieRobertson, the president of the AHA, made a specialappearance. In addition, Dr Robertson and Dr Rodney, Chairof the Women in Cardiology Committee, were available forindividual pictures with each of the fellows. Finally, the womenin cardiology luncheon gave many of us an early introductionto financial planning as Patty Steinbach, a senior trustconsultant with TIAA-CREF Trust Company, discussedfinancial issues and estate planning.

Thousands of people attend the AHA’s Scientific Sessions eachyear. The Women in Cardiology programs allowed us toexperience the AHA in a more personal fashion. Because of thecontacts we made, there were more familiar faces. We wereeven acquainted with some of the speakers. The programsprovided some of us with the opportunity to meet our rolemodels in person and for others to develop role models. For

many of us, these interactions continue to provide support andinspiration. In addition, the travel grant and the Women InCardiology events provided a forum for mentoring andnetworking, for enhancing our professional skills and forimproving our personal lives. We are grateful for having beenchosen and encourage other women to apply for the grant sothat they may also partake in this highly rewarding experience.

Monica Colvin, MD


TRAVEL GRANTWomen in Cardiology

Dr Rose Marie Robertson, Monica Colvin, and Roxanne A. Rodney

2000 Women in Cardiology Travel Grant Recipients


AHA/Wyeth-AyerstTravel Grant AwardsDinner. Left to right:

Drs Rose MarieRobertson, Philip deVane (Wyeth-Ayerst),Roxanne A. Rodney

AHA Scientific SessionsNovember 2000 Council onClinical Cardiology,presentation of Women inCardiology Mentoring Award.Left to right: Drs RoxanneRodney (Chair, Women inCardiology Committee),Michael Crawford (AwardRecipient), Robert Bonow(Council Chair)

AHA Women inCardiology Committee.

Left to right: Drs PamelaOuyang, Marian

Limacher (Chair, ACCWomen in Cardiology

Committee), Rose MarieRobertson (2000–2001

AHA President),Roxanne A. Rodney(Chair, AHA Clinical

Cardiology Women inCardiology Committee),

Linda Gillam, EmeliaBenjamin


The American Heart Associationis committed to being aninclusive organization. Thisarticle will discuss the strategiesemployed within theAssociation’s national andaffiliate research programs topromote inclusiveness and theimpact of those efforts on womenand minority participation asapplicants, awardees andvolunteers.

Volunteer Recruitment

Volunteers are involved in theAHA research program in anoversight role in determining thetypes of research programs thatan affiliate or the National Centerwill offer, in reviewing researchfunding proposals, and in theallocation of funds to supportresearch projects. The volunteerinclusiveness efforts focus onrecruiting women and minoritycommittee members so that thereis representation on eachcommittee. The proportions varyby year and by committee, buteach year a specific effort is madeby staff and committee chairs toidentify and recruit women andminorities. Graph 1 shows thepercentage of AHA affiliate andnational research volunteers whoare women or minorities inselected years from 1994–95 to1999–2000.

The following gives a closerlook at the involvement ofwomen and minorities in researchvolunteer roles:

• Research Program andEvaluation Committee(RPEC) — This committee isthe oversight committee for allAHA research programs. RPECis responsible forrecommending research policy,ensuring high quality peerreview, maintaining the AHA’sPo rt folio of Research Progra m s ,and program evaluation. It is acommittee of the Board ofDirectors, therefore, member-ship is drawn from nomineesf rom affi l i ates and the Scientifi cCouncils via the annualnominating process managedby the National Office of theExecutive Vice President(deadline for nominations:December 1 annu a l ly). A ffi l i at e sand Councils are encouraged ton o m i n ate women and minori t i e sfor positions on RPEC.

The selection of RPEC membersis made with careful attention togeographic, constituency,institutional, gender and ethnicbalance. For 1999–2000, thenumber of women on this 20-member committee was 4 (20%)and the number of minorities was3 (15%) — one African-American, one Hispanic, and oneAsian member. This level ofinvolvement has remained quitestable over the past five years.

• Each affiliate and the NationalCenter has a researchcommittee whose role is todetermine the types of researchprograms that will be offeredand to allocate funds to supportthese programs. For example,an affiliate research committeemight decide to offer aPostdoctoral Fellowship,Scientist Development Grantand Grant-in-Aid, to split its

RESEARCH PROGRAMWomen and Minority Participation in the AHA’s

Graph 1: Women & Minority Volunteer InvolvementPercent (Number) of All Research Volunteers


funds evenly between all 3programs, and to fund only thebest 35% of applications tothese programs. Onceapplications have beenreviewed and scored, thecommittee determines whichapplications will receivefunding based upon a rank-ordered list from peer review.The committee may requestapproval from RPEC to funddown its list to ensure that acertain percentage of itsallocation funds applicationsfrom underrepresentedminorities.

Membership on the 18-memberNational Research Committeeincluded 4 women (22.2%) in1999–2000 and 3 African-Americans (16.7%). Membershipon affiliate research committeestotaled 204, with 42 women(20.6%) and 23 (11.3%) minoritymembers.

• Peer review committees provideexpert scientific review for allapplications for fundingsubmitted to the AmericanHeart Association. In1999–2000, there were 22 peerreview committees reviewingNational Research Programapplications and 36 committeesreviewing affiliate researchprogram applications. Of the317 members of national peerreview committees, 80 (25.2%)were women and 32 (10.1%)were minority members. This issimilar to the composition ofthese committees in 1994–95:23.9% women and 8.9%minorities.

Strategies forEncouraging Women andMinorities to Apply tothe AHA

The Association activelyencourages women and minoritiesto seek research funding from theAHA. These efforts include thefollowing:

• Statement on promotionalmaterial (posters, Web site,e-mails) that applications fromwomen and minorities areencouraged.

• Promotion to organizations ofwomen & minorities in scienceand medicine, includingAmerican Medical Women’sAssociation, Association ofWomen in Science, Associationof Academic MinorityPhysicians, Association ofBlack Nursing Faculty inHigher Education, Associationof Minority Health ProfessionsSchools, Indian Health Service,

Minority Access to ResearchCareers & Minority BiomedicalSupport Program, Society forAdvancement ofChicanos/Native Americans inScience, and the Association ofBlack Cardiologists.

Although it has never offeredspecial research programs forwomen, the AHA’s NationalResearch Program offered aresearch award for minoritiesunderrepresented in sciencebetween 1992 and 1996. Calledthe Minority ScientistDevelopment Award, the programassisted promising scientists todevelop independent researchprograms. Its audience was juniorfaculty who were members ofethnic/racial groups under-represented in the cardiovascularresearch field. Four or five awardswere funded each year. However,response to the program waslimited (10–16 applications/year)

Graph 2: Participation History of Women Applicantsfor the Past 10 Years

and the program wasdiscontinued in 1996.

Another effort to encourageminority participation in cardio-vascular science was the fundingof Minority Medical StudentResearch Fellows through thenational Medical StudentResearch Fellowship, an awardgiven to medical schools toencourage promising medicalstudents to embark on careers incardiovascular disease or stroke.Between 1993 and 1996, institu-tions received additional fellow-ship funding if they recruitedm i n o rity participants. The MedicalStudent Research Fellowship wasdiscontinued in 1996.

In fact, both of these programsended in 1996 when theAssociation revamped its menu ofresearch programs. The newPortfolio of Research Programsemphasized AHA supportthroughout the research careerpath from predoctoral fellowshipsto grants-in-aid for independentscientists.

In lieu of these targetedprograms, the National ResearchProgram made the commitment todedicate at least 6% of its annualresearch funding commitment tosupport underrepresentedminorities. Since 1996, the 6%minimum goal has been achievedeach year.

Graph 2 shows the history ofparticipation of women applicantsover the past 10 years (1991 to2000) for both affiliate andnational programs. The higherpercentage for affiliate programsreflect an increased number ofwomen in science as a whole.The affiliates offer more juniorawards (predoctoral andpostdoctoral fellowships,beginning grants), so they haveexperienced the increase inwomen in science first. Theirpercentage tend to exceed that ofthe national program.

Graph 3 shows the history ofparticipation of minorityapplicants over the past 10 years(1991 to 2000) for both affiliateand national programs. Again, thehigher percentages for affiliatessuggest an increase inparticipation beginning with entryinto cardiovascular and strokeresearch careers. However, theincreases over the past 10 years

Graph 3: Participation History of Minority Applicantsfor the Past 10 Years

Graph 4: Participation History of Minority Applicants:Ethnic Minority Status — Detail


have not been uniform for allminority groups. Graph 4 (for theNational Research Program)shows that the vast majority ofminority applicants are Asian andthat the increase in participationover the past 10 years reflectsprimarily the increase in Asianapplicants. This same pattern istrue for affiliate programs. TheAHA encourages applicationsfrom underrepresented groups —Hispanics, African-Americans,Pacific Islanders, and NativeAmericans.

Funding experience ofwomen and minorities

Women or minority applicantswho seek funding from the AHAare competitive with the applicantpool as a whole. Graph 5 showsthe representation of women inthe awardee pool from 1991 to1999. The percentages areconsistent with the percentage ofwomen in the applicant pool(Graph 2).

The same experience holds forminority awardees (Graph 6).

Conclusion

Although the AHA encourageswomen and minorities toparticipate in our research

programs, there is still work to bedone. Positive changes haveoccurred in the past 10 years, butthe number of underrepresentedminority applicants, in particular,has shown little increase in thepast 10 years. The increases inparticipation seen for women andAsians is not evident for His-panics and African-Americans. Toaddress this concern, the ScienceAdvisory and CoordinatingCommittee (SACC) hascommissioned a task force toidentify and examine successfulstrategies to recruit individualsinto research careers and providethe support needed for success.The task force is chaired byShiriki Kumanyika, PhD.

Pat HintonDirector, Research Administration

and Information Services

Graph 5: Representation of Women in Awardee Pool

Graph 6: Representation of Minorities in Awardee Pool



As previously reported by Professor Jane Somerville,past-Chair, this Committee was formed in 1998 due toESC President, Professor Lars Ryden’s brave initiative inresponse to mutual concerns about “where are thewomen”. This was the first time there was any expressedinterest in the Women in European Cardiology (WEC). InItaly, a survey has shown how few women in cardiologyreach the position of head of the Department or highacademic posts. The same has been found in Swedenwhere, in 1997, prejudice against women applicants wasproven in the Swedish Research Council. New surveys byDr Jadwiga Klos, in Eastern Europe, and by newcommittee member Dr GA Derumeaux, in France, are inprogress.

The goals of our committee were/are:

• to find the facts about women in Cardiology within theESC and in Europe

• to improve the representation of women on highercommittees and working groups within the ESC

• to establish an ESC award to recognize contributions tothe field by women cardiologists

• to increase the numbers of women Fellows in the ESC

• to increase the number of women investigators inimportant clinical trials

Some of those goals have been developed after contactwith the AHA Women in Cardiology Committee. Thiscontact has been achieved through the active participationof Dr Roxanne Rodney, Chair of the AHA’s Women inCardiology Committee. She gave a great contribution tothe second “Calling All Women in Cardiology” programrealized at the last ESC meeting in Amsterdam. DrRodney’s suggestions have helped us increase our goalsand programs. She spoke on the initiative in the USwhere women cardiologists appear to be making moreand quicker progress commensurate with their abilities.After that meeting, a new program of WEC has beenplanned with the following proposals:

1. Each National Society of Cardiology should have amember to interact with WEC. The list of the NationalSociety representatives should be completed beforespring 2001.

2. When the list is completed, it will be transmitted to theESC, and the ESC will be asked to include the mailinglist in the Web site of WEC in order to facilitate intra-country and inter-country communication andinformation.

3. The major program for the next year may be that oforganizing a surveillance committee to monitor forequal opportunities for women in cardiology inEurope. We would first explore the laws that governequal opportunities for women in different countries (ifany). Then compare and list them in a document to besubmitted to the ESC Board of the common, majorrules which should be officially accepted and observedby the Society.

4. Creation of a Web site for WEC that provides reportsand updates on the History, Progress, Members, andOngoing Survey.

Fi n a l ly, I would like to include part of the art i cle publ i s h e dby our member, Dr IC Ennker: The Disproportion ofFemale and Male Surgeons in Cardiothoracic Surgery†,published in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon1999:131–135, which is very significant for its historicalbackground of female doctors in Europe.

Only seldom do female doctors succeed in reachingsuperior positions in medicine although more femalestudents start a medical career than male ones. Especiallyamong heads of the department, consultants andspecialists, women are always in the minority. Anextreme situation can be found in the field of cardio-thoracic surgery. To underline this situation, this workdeals with the historical as well as with the present stateof female doctors in the fields of cardiac and cardio-thoracic surgery.

Historical Perspective of Womenin Medicine

Women in the medical profession were not at all rare inantiquity and their presence was known in historicSumer, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Rome and in pre-Columbian America.

COMMITTEE ON WOMENin European Cardiology

Update and Historical Perspective

†Adapted from: Ennker, IC, Schwarz, K, Ennker J. The Disproportionof Female and Male Surgeons in Cardiothoracic Surgery. Thoracicand Cardiovascular Surgeon. 1999:131-135. Georg Thieme Verlag,Fax +49 711 8931 258, Tel. +49 711 8931, March 02, 2001.


The Gallo-Roman tombstone provides evidence thatwomen practised medicine during Roman times. Medicalpractice during the European Middle Ages into the 13thcentury was the domain of “wise women and midwives.”Their medical knowledge was based on the traditionalfolk medicine together with the magical forces of nature.To an extent they had great success and were highlyregarded in the community. However, medicine wasestablished as an academic subject with the grounding ofthe first European universities in the 12th and 13thcenturies. Women were not admitted to the universitiesand therefore, were unable to legally practise theprofession.

In the 14th century, many cities passed a law prohibitingwomen from practising medicine. In the 15th century,regulations were passed which also limited the midwives.In the 16th century, they were forbidden to usemedication. In rural areas, the “wise women” weremostly exterminated by the witchhunts of the 14th to

18th centuries. The Church declared that a woman, “whotake it upon herself to heal, without studied, is a witchand must die.”

Nevertheless, some women were allowed to enjoy amedical education. Thus, Dorothea Christine vonEncleben (1715–1762) was the first German woman toobtain her doctorate in medicine, in 1754, at theUniversity of Halle-Wittenberg, with special permissionfrom Frederick the Great.

Representative of the “male” opinion, the arguments ofm a ny pro fe s s o rs around 1872 against female doctors we re :

• lack of physical endurance and resistance

• smaller brain capacity

• typical female emotional nature

• effect on male students

During the first half of the 19th century, the Harvardstudents explained their opposition to women colleaguesin a series of public resolutions:

Resolved, that no woman of true delicacy would bewilling in the presence of men to listen to thediscussion of the subjects that necessarily come underthe consideration of the student of medicine.

Resolved, that we object to having the company of anyfemale forced upon us, who is disposed to unsexherself and to sacrifice her modesty by appearing withmen in the medical lecture room.

After their admission to the universities, the womenbased their arguments on the need for female doctorsfor female patients as well as the special capabilities ofwomen for the medical profession. Also, in theiropinion there was a special need for female doctors forfemale patients since their bashfulness often preventedthem from seeking early medical attention from a maledoctor, thus delaying possible treatment, if not makingit altogether impossible.

The argument regarding the lack of strength andendurance on the part of female surgeons wassarcastically countered with the question whether itwasn’t rather the fear of competition and whetherhands which so easily accomplish the mostcomplicated and finest of female tasks would not justas well be able to handle a surgical instrument whichalso requires a sensitive touch. Only a few male

2000 European Society of Cardiology, Calling All WomenMeeting. Dr. Rodney and members of the ESC Women inCardiology Committee. Left to Right: Drs. Karin SchenckGustafsson, Roxanne Rodney, Ludwiga Klos, Maria GraziaModena, Chair, ESC Committee


colleagues acknowledge the fact that the shortage offemale surgical specialists was attributable to thelack of positions in hospitals for female doctorsand assistants.

The USA was the first to open its universities to women.In 1849 after qualifying, Elisabeth Blackburn set up atraining facility for female doctors in NewYork. Aboutthe same time, Emilie Lehmus of the new times had toemigrate to Zurich in order to complete her studies.Germany was last. In 1891, a mass petition from thegeneral German Women’s Organisation was submitted toParliament, with 60,000 signatures requesting thatadmission of women to medical school be allowed. It wasrejected, but at least it contributed to the generalamusement. In 1898, single women were admitted asguest listeners, and in 1899 were admitted to the boardexaminations, without official enrollment, based on theircertificate of attendance. General permission for womenin all German universities was at last granted in 1908.Nevertheless, this did not mean that they were acceptedby all universities, or that upon completion of theirdegrees they were guaranteed a further place tospecialize. This was limited in Prussian universities,whereby paragraph 3 granted the professor special rights:“For special reasons with the permission of the Minister,women may be excluded from certain lectures.” Thisparagraph was valid until 1918.

In Ap ril 1908, the success of an outpatient clinic of fe m a l edoctors led to the opening in Berlin of a clinic of femalesurgeons with 19 beds. Under the supervision and laterleadership of the surgeon, Agnes Hacker (1860–1909),the operation statistics demonstrated that this clinic wascomparable with the most renowned hospitals.

By 1918, 10% of all medical students were female. Themost important influence on the increase in the numberof women as medical students, and practising doctors,was the war, with its increased need for medicalspecialists. This had led to some extent to a reduction inthe prejudices against female doctors. At the end of thefirst world war, with the increasing number of returningsoldiers, however, interests changed and women wereonce again “unwanted.” Studentship and work positionswere made available to men returning from the war tofacilitate their reintroduction. Women were relegated tothe duty of bearing children in order to compensate forpopulation losses. By 1932, the German Medical Societywas demanding a reduction in the quota of female

medical students to 5%. The social pressure andpromotion, or rather repression, of working women as“buffers to structural transformation” clearly had aneffect on the lot of female doctors of that time.

This article continues about specific problems for WomenDoctors in Germany. I strongly recommend it in order tounderstand the history which may explain the delay forwomen in the medical profession in Europe.

Finally, I personally think that joining our efforts andsharing our problems with the AHA Committee will be areal source of pleasure, help and progress. Our problemsare the same everywhere we are. The experience of theOld and New Continents should be complementary. Asreported in the previous newsletter by Prof. JaneSomerville, we must be wise, patient and persistent andsuccess will be inevitable.

Dr Maria Grazia ModenaChairman of WEC

Call for FellowshipApplications

Fellowship in the Council on Clinical Cardiologyrecognizes excellence, innovation, and leadershipin clinical cardiology in private practice oracademic setting. Fellowship is generally reservedfor physicians and medical scientists who areboard-certified in cardiovascular disease. Candi-dates should be able to demonstrate activeinvolvement in activities that reflect the mission ofthe AHA. Board certification and competence inclinical practice are necessary, but not sufficient,for election to fellowship. Fellowship is arequirement for serving on Councilsubcommittees. Fax your request for Council onClinical Cardiology fellowship applications andinstructions from the Credentials Secretary at(214) 373-3406. The deadlines for application areJanuary 15 and June 1.


Oddly enough, it appears as if the field oftransplant cardiology has a disproportionatelyhigh number of women, compared, for example,

with interventional cardiology in the U.S. Moreover,because the area of transplant cardiology is relativelynew, some of the earliest members of this field are stillpracticing. Drs Sharon Hunt, Hannah Valentine, MariaRosa Costanzo, Ann Keogh, Geetha Bhat, Lynn Warner-Stevenson, Maria Teresa Oliveri, Meryl Johnson, SusanBrozena, and Donna Mancini have, along with their malecounterparts, invented and developed this specialty whilethey cared for their critically ill patients.

Like ancient Gaul, our world of transplant cardiology isdivided into 3 parts: 1) patients waiting for cardiactransplant; 2) patients not suitable for transplant, withvarious stages of heart failure; and 3) patients followingheart transplantation. For me, these different kinds ofpatients, with their attendant medical problems, keep thejob exciting and continually challenging.

At the University of Pennsylvania, we see all patients inone clinical area. Typically, patients following cardiactransplants are interviewed and examined by a transplantnurse in the morning either before or after theirendomyocardial biopsy. These patients have a complexmedical regimen consisting of: immunosuppressive drug(typically 2–4 agents), medications for hypertension,diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, anti-viral and anti-protozoan agents, and drugs to prevent osteoporosis. Thewide variety of problems encountered in a typicalmorning spans most of the disciplines in medicine andsurgery, including psychiatry, dental medicine, urology,endocrinology, and oncology. The management ofpatients following cardiac transplant requires one to be afamily practitioner. However, when the endomyocardialbiopsy is processed, we function first as pathologists aswe review the slides, and then as immunologists as weadjust the immunosuppression.

Next, the patients awaiting cardiac transplant arriveduring the day. Patients are prioritized on the local donorprocurement organization’s waiting list according to theseverity of their heart failure. The patients who are most

sick wait in the intensive care unit with invasivehemodynamic monitoring. Many may have “LVADs”(left ventricular assist devices) to maintain a patient whowould otherwise have cardiogenic shock. Those who areless ill are supported by continuous intravenousinotropes. Some of these patients may be discharged tohome with IV infusions but need frequent clinic visitsand meticulous surveillance. The largest number ofpatients wait at home for their donor hearts and need tobe seen at least once a month. Deterioration from heartfailure can happen quickly and sometimes unexpectedly.The “Waiting Clinic,” therefore, has an assortment ofpatients — many with co-existent diseases whichprogress along with their heart failure.

Finally, our afternoons are for the remaining patients.Some have incidentally discovered asymptomatic, leftventricular systolic dysfunction. Some have severe heartfailure but are inadequately treated. Other patients needeither transplant or corrective surgery. A few patients,who are desperately ill, cling to a hope that we have amiracle cure for them. Rarely do we have one.

Currently to become a UNOS (United Network OrganSharing) certified transplant physician, an additional yearof transplant training must be completed following acardiology fellowship. During this time, experience isobtained with the many procedures that are necessary fora successful heart transplant. UNOS demandsdocumentation of participation in donor organ retrieval,transplant surgery, and many aspects of post-transplantmanagement.

In summary, the field of transplant cardiology is achallenging and exciting one. I never tire of experiencingthe miracle that a heart transplant can be while watchingthe transformation of a desperately ill patient into aperson who can return to normal life. It is a demanding,stimulating job. It is probably not appropriate forsomeone who would like regular hours and little on-callinterference. Nevertheless, I am very pleased that it hasbeen my job for the last 20 years.

Mariell Jessup, MD

CARDIOLOGYTransplant


The ACC Women in Cardiology (WIC)Committee sponsored a professionaldevelopment luncheon panel at the ACC

Annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando on Monday,March 19, 2001. The topic was “Professional SkillsDevelopment: Negotiating and Conflict Resolution.”Panelists were Christine McEntee, Executive Vice-President of the ACC; Jodi Harpsfield, Vice-President, Medtronic, Inc.; Mary Walsh, MD,Indianapolis, IN, and Marian Limacher, MD,University of Florida. The panel presented caseexamples and suggestions for managing negotiationsand resolving interpersonal conflicts from theperspectives of the professional society, industry,private practice and academics. The newlyimplemented registration process for the ACCpermits attending any luncheon panel with payment

of a single registration fee. Box lunches wereavailable for purchase at the luncheon site.

The Committee also organized a summit meeting forrepresentatives of all the cardiovascular andsubspecialty societies: The “Women in CardiologySummit: Addressing Cardiovascular Needs ofWomen — Patients and Providers.” Representativesof the societies each briefly reported on a maximumof 2 issues of CV health in women deemed to be ofgreatest importance from their perspective and alsoaddressed what is being done and still needs to bedone in their society to encourage womencardiologists to participate and to advance womeninto leadership positions.

Marian Limacher, MD

COMMITTEE UPDATEACC Women in Cardiology

CURRENT STATUSThe Women’s Health Initiative

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) is a multicenter,multiyear study involving 160,000 postmenopausalwomen. It has 2 components: an interventional clinicaltrial and an observational study. The clinical trial has 3arms: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), DietaryModification, and Ca/vitamin D intervention.

The observational study collects data from women in thecommunity. The clinical trial patients are randomlyassigned to intervention or placebo. It is a primaryprevention trial of HRT on CVD and stroke. Dietarymodification and Ca/vitamin D are to assess risk/benefitfor coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, and cancer.

To date, the recruitment is complete for all componentsof the clinical trial, achieving original goals. This is agreat achievement. Women in general have beensupportive and believe that they are making acontribution to their daughters and to future generations.

The primary emphasis now is on retention, adherence tothe intervention, participation in follow-up datacollection, and outcomes. Since the study is ongoing,results will not be available until the year 2005. Severalancillary studies are ongoing which will address amultitude of questions in post-menopausal women. Thesestudies range from “baseline” prevalence of disease andbehavior patterns to those involving genetics andinflammatory markers for CAD.

The WHI should bring some straightforward guidelinesfor the role of HRT for primary prevention of CAD andstroke, given that since the HERS trial, the field of HRThas become more chaotic and confusing. Stay tuned!

Kiran B Sagar, MD

Women in Cardiology Tr avel Grant Pro g r a mA m e rican Heart A s s o c i at i o n / Wye t h - Aye rs t

Deadline for Receipt of Application: August 15, 2001PLEASE TYPELast Name: ___________________________________________ First Name and M.I. ________________________________________________Date of Birth: _________________________________________ Degrees _________________________________________________________Preferred Mailing Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Daytime Phone _________________________________ Fax _________________________________ Email _____________________________Fellowship Training Program: ____________________________ Institution: ________________________________________________________Fellowship Year (1/2/3 etc.) ______ Name of Training Program Director: ___________________________________________________________Check Payable to: Institution ___________________________ Trainee _________________________ SS#: ______________________________Ethnic Origin White Black Hispanic Native American or Asian Pacific Islander

Education: Name/Location of Institution Date Graduated DegreeCollege or University:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Medical School:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Postgraduate Training: Appointments (e.g. Internship/Residency/Fellowship)Name and Location of Institution Area of Specialization Inclusive Dates____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If selected, I will attend the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2001 and the Women in Cardiology professional development programon Nov. 11–14, 2001, in Anaheim, CA. AHA Abstract Submitted Attended Prior AHA Sessions

Nominee’s Signature _____________________________________________________ Date___________________________________________

TRAINING PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S ENDORSEMENT (ACGME — or AOA — approved program in Cardiology) I certify that this candidateis enrolled in our program.

Training Program Director’s Signature _______________________________________ Date ___________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN THE APPLICATION TO THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION BY:AUGUST 15, 2001. APPLICATIONS EXCEEDING 2 PAGES MAY BE DISQUALIFIED.Jonna Moody, Women in Cardiology, AHA, 7272 Greenville Ave. Dallas, TX 75231

NOMINEE’S PERSONAL STATEMENT: Please confine to 1 page a personal statement outlining: 1) how receipt of the Women in CardiologyTravel Grant will further your professional development and goals; 2) your research and clinical interests; 3) any publications and presentations atmeetings, and 4) any additional information pertaining to your choice of cardiology as a career.

The AHA Council on Clinical Cardiology Committee on Womenin Cardiology is pleased to announce a travel grant program forwomen cardiology fellows. The purpose of this grant is toencourage and recognize outstanding academic and clinicalperformance during cardiovascular-related specialty training.The grant subsidizes travel expenses to the American HeartAssociation’s annual meeting and attendance at the Women inCardiology professional development program.

Outstanding trainees from ACGME or AOA approved trainingprograms may apply to receive a $750 travel grant to subsidizemeeting registration, airfare, hotel and meals for travel to theAmerican Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2001,November 11–14, 2001, in Anaheim, California.

This grant is intended to acknowledge outstanding trainees whoexemplify a balance between clinical expertise and scientific

interests. While applicants may be actively engaged in researchand have associated publications, this is not a requirement forapplication and selection.

The application is to be made on the enclosed form and shouldnot exceed these 2 pages. The first page must be endorsed bythe training director, and the remainder of the applicationincorporates a statement written by the candidate outlining howreceipt of this grant will further career objectives.

The AHA must receive applications for the 2001 Travel Grant,Attention: Jonna Moody by August 15, 2001. Selection of thetrainees will be confirmed no later than September 1, 2001.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact JonnaMoody at 214-706-1587 or by e-mail at [email protected].


Call for NominationsWomen in Cardiology Mentoring Award

The Women in Cardiology Committee is pleased to issue a call for nominationsfor the 2001 Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award. The purpose of the awardis to recognize individuals who have a record of effectively mentoring womencardiologists.

To obtain a nomination form please contact Jonna Moody by Fax 214-373-3406or by E-mail at [email protected]. Deadline for nominations is May 1, 2001.

Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award Nomination Form

Name of Candidate _______________________________________________________________________________

Address of Candidate______________________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________________ State __________________ Zip Code __________________

Phone_______________________________ Fax ________________________ E-mail ________________________

Please enclose a letter of Nomination specifically addressing the candidate’s contributions in effectivelymentoring women cardiologists. Provision of the names of individuals mentored is encouraged.

Please type

Name of Proposer: ___________________________________

Signature of Proposer_________________________________

Address____________________________________________

Phone ______________________ Fax __________________

E-mail_______________________ Date _________________

Return with letter to:Women in Cardiology Mentoring AwardAttn: Jonna Moody, Scientific CouncilsAmerican Heart Association7272 Greenville AvenueDallas, TX 75231-4596Fax: 214-273-0268

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF NOMINATIONS IS MAY 1, 2001.


Upcoming conferences that should be ofinterest to members of the Council areshown below. Meetings sponsored by theAHA and the various AHA Councils andthose sponsored by other societies areincluded.

AHA SCIENTIFICCONFERENCES

May 11–13, 2001Second Annual Conference onArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, andVascular BiologySponsored by the American HeartAssociation’s Council on Arteriosclerosis,Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, theNorth American Vascular BiologyOrganization, and the National Heart,Lung and Blood Institute.Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA

Jul 29–Aug 10, 200127th 10-Day Seminar on theEpidemiology and Prevention ofCardiovascular DiseaseSponsored by the American HeartAssociation’s Council on Epidemiologyand Prevention.Granlibakken Conference Center,Tahoe, CA

August 9–11, 2001Molecular, Integrative and ClinicalApproaches to Myocardial IschemiaSponsored by the American HeartAssociation’s Council on BasicCardiovascular Sciences and ClinicalCardiology.The Westin Seattle, Seattle, WA

September 20–25, 2001Six-Day Symposium on CongenitalHeart Disease Embryology, Pathology,Imaging and Surgery Co-sponsored by the American HeartAssociation’s Councils on CardiovascularDisease in the Young; Cardio-Thoracicand Vascular Surgery; CardiovascularRadiology; and Clinical Cardiology.Hyatt Regency Albuquerque,Albuquerque, NM

September 22–25, 200155th Annual Fall Conference &Scientific Sessions of the Council forHigh Blood Pressure ResearchHyatt Regency Chicago, Chicago, IL

September 30–October 1, 20013rd Scientific Forum on Quality ofCare and Outcomes Research in CVDand StrokeCo-Sponsored by the American Collegeof Cardiology.Capital Hilton, Washington, DC

November 11–14, 2001Scientific Sessions 2001Anaheim, CA

2002

Jan 14–15, 2002Interdisciplinary A p p r o a ches to ReducingTreatment Seeking Delay in Patientswith Acute Cardiovascular Syndromesand Stroke: An Emerging Science Co-sponsored by the American HeartAssociation’s Councils on CardiovascularNursing, Clinical Cardiology,Cardiopulmonary and Critical Care,Cardio-thoracic and Vascular Surgery,and Stroke.Dallas, TX

February 7–9, 200227th International Stroke Conference Sponsored by the Stroke Council of theAmerican Heart AssociationHenry B. Gonzalez Convention Center,San Antonio, Texas

April 24–26, 2002Asian — Pacific Scientific Forum“The Genomics Revolution: Bench toBedside to Community” and the “42ndAnnual Conference on CardiovascularDisease Epidemiology and Prevention”Hawaii Convention Center,Honolulu, Hawaii

September 25–28, 200256th Annual Fall Conference &Scientific Sessions of the Council forHigh Blood Pressure ResearchWalt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL

November 17–20, 2002Scientific Sessions 2002Chicago, IL

Inquiries for all AHA Scientific Sessionsand Conferences:

American Heart AssociationMeetings and Councils7272 Greenville AvenueDallas, TX 75231Tel: 214-706-1543, Fax: 214-373-3406E-mail: [email protected]

CO-SPONSORED CONFERENCES

August 12–15, 2001XVIII Interamerican Congress OfCardiology

For additional information, contact:

Congress OrganizerBox 6-2102 Dorado Panama, PanamaFax 507-236-6749 or 507-269-4368E-mail [email protected] site www.cicardio.com ATLAPA Convention Center, Panama

September 9–13, 200114th International Symposium on DrugsAffecting Lipid Metabolism

Organizer:

Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Foundation6565 Fannin, M.S. A-601Houston, TX 77030Tel: 713-797-0401Fax: 713-796-8853E-mail: [email protected] Sponsor: World Heart FederationNew York Hilton and Towers, NewYork, New York

EVENTSCalendar of Upcoming

• Council representatives serve on the national andaffiliate research committees and their studysections to peer review grant applications anddetermine how to allocate research supporteach year.

• Council members contribute to the pool ofscientists who serve as AHA journal reviewers,editors, and editorial board members.

• Council members are instrumental in determiningthe nature and scope of professional educationactivities, including scientific sessions, scientificconferences, and other professional educationefforts. The Committee on Scientific SessionsProgram is made up of scientific councils’members, who are responsible for gradingabstracts, selecting plenaries, cardiovascularseminars and how-to sessions, and putting togetherthe entire program. Also, each of the 13 scientificcouncil program committees solicit and rankplenary, cardiovascular seminars and how-tosessions from their members. Further,approximately 1/3 of the attendance at ScientificSessions is made up of council members.

• Council science subcommittees and othercouncil members are responsible fordetermining at which pointknowledge can be incorporated intoscientific statements andadvisories, and serving on thesewriting groups. Councilmembers also serve as peerreviewers for AHA scientificstatements and scienceadvisories.

• Council members provide input into community-based public education programs offered by AHAaffiliates across the country. Some councils haveliaisons to the affiliates to assist them in theirscientific endeavors. Council members also assistAHA staff in writing, reviewing, and updatingpublic education materials and portions of theAHA website.

• Additionally, they monitor the state of the art intheir disciplines and offer advice and guidance indeveloping testimony for FDA, NIH, etc, as wellas AHA advocacy efforts.

• Finally, the scientific councils serve as a core ofindividuals from which members of association-wide committees, such as the Clinical Science,Population Science, and Basic ScienceCommittees, SACC, Professional EducationCommittee, Research Committee, and AdvocacyCoordinating Committee, as well as the nationalofficers, are chosen.

Spring 2001 Women in Cardiology Newsletter

COUNCILS TO AHAValue of the Scientific

26

S h a re the POWER of MEMBERSHIPwith YOUR COLLEAGUES Council on Clinical Cardiology

Please share your commitment to the Council on ClinicalCardiology with your colleagues. Copy this application andpass it on to at least one non-member and expand thescope of your Council.

This council represents the interests of clinicalcardiology nationally and internationally, the councilencourages clinical research and quality patient care. Ithelps to bring clinical perspective to the association’sposition papers, practice guidelines, and scientificstatements. The council is responsible for the clinicalsessions at our annual Scientific Sessions (includingsymposia, panels, and cardiovascular conferences) thatare designed to keep physicians informed about recentdevelopments in clinical cardiology. The council alsosponsors selected scientific conferences and serves as anadvocacy group for patients with cardiovascular disease.

Your membership also provides you with the followingbenefits and opportunities:

• Early notification and reduced registration fees for ourannual Scientific Sessions as well as discountedregistration for other council-sponsored meetings

• 25% discount on subscriptions to our scientific journals

• A Newsletter with updates on council activities andissues of interest to members

• On-line membership/expertise directory, bulletinboards, and council home pages

• Opportunities to apply for council-sponsoredscholarships and travel stipends

For only $50 you become a member of the American Heart Association’sCouncil on Clinical Cardiology at the National Level!

Yes! I want to become a member of the Council on Clinical Cardiology.

Name __________________________________________________________ Degree _______________________________Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________City __________________________ State _________________ Zip/Postal code ______________ Country _______________E-mail _____________________________ Phone ________________________________ Fax _________________________ Month/Year of Birth ____/____ Gender (M) (F) Speciality___________________________________________________

Race/Ethnicity: Alaskan Native American Indian/Native American Asian African American Caucasian Hispanic Pacific Islander Other

% of time spent (=100%) Student____ Research____ Administration____ Teaching____ Clinical____

Other (specify)__________________________________________________________________________________________

Referred by: ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Method of Payment:Bill Me (membership will not be activated until payment has been received)Check or money order enclosed (payable to the American Heart Association drawn on US bank in US dollars)MasterCard Visa American Express Discover

Card Number_______________________________________________________________ Expiration Date_______________

Signature as it appears on the card: _______________________________________ _ _ _ _ __ Total payment $_______________

Please mail completed form to: American Heart Association, Council Services

7272 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75231 OR Fax to: 214-706-1999.

Questions? Please contact Paige Walker 214-706-1371 or email [email protected]

D1J015 This offer expires 8/31/01


Moving?Please print your new address below:

Name ___________________________________

Address _________________________________

________________________________________

City ______________State/Province___________

Country ___________Zip/Post Code ___________

Phone___________________________________

Fax _____________________________________

E-mail Address____________________________

Moving Date______________________________

IMPORTANT!

ATTACH ADDRESS LABEL HERE

Clip this form including your mailing label and send to:

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATIONPO Box 62073

Baltimore, MD 21264-2073

Fax 800-787-8985or 410-361-8048

Tel 800-787-8984or 410-361-8080

Service Department Telephone Fax E-mailAddress Changes Customer Service 800-787-8984 or 800-787-8985 [email protected]

410-361-8080 410-361-8048 [email protected]

AwardsCouncil NewInvestigator Awards Council Services 214-706-1565 214-706-1999 Research Award Research Administration 214-706-1454 214-706-1341Student Scholarship (Council) Scientific Councils 214-706-1565 or 1314 214-706-1999

ConferencesAnnual Scientific Sessions Meetings 214-706-1543 214-373-3406 Scientific Conferences Meetings 214-706-1567 214-373-3406

Council MembershipApplications—Catalog Customer Service 800-787-8984 or 800-787-8985 [email protected] Information Customer Service 410-361-8080 410-361-8048 [email protected]/Memorials Finance 214-706-1417 214-368-1228

JournalsAdvertising Williams & Wilkins 410-528-4047 410-528-4452 [email protected] Information Williams & Wilkins 800-787-8984 or 800-787-8985 [email protected]

410-361-8080 410-361-8048 [email protected] Williams & Wilkins 410-528-4016 410-528-8550 [email protected] Williams & Wilkins 410-528-4292 or 4195 410-528-4305 [email protected]—Catalog Williams & Wilkins 800-787-8984 or 800-787-8985 [email protected]

410-361-8080 410-361-8048 [email protected]/Patient Education Local AHAOffices 800-242-8721Scientific Statements Inquiries 214-706-1552 214-706-2139 [email protected]

American Heart Association ServicesTo provide you with the best customer service, listed below are the services and contact numbers you aremost likely to need. To ensure timely delivery of your newsletter, journals, and other important information,please send your address, telephone and fax number changes to the American Heart Association, PO Box62073, Baltimore, MD 21264-2073 or fax to 800-787-8985 or 410-361-8048.

Call for AbstractsScientific Sessions 2001: November 11–14, 2001Exhibits: November 12–14, 2001Anaheim, California

The Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association encompasses four days of invited lectures andinvestigative reports. Simultaneous presentations represent all fields of cardiovascular and related disciplines,including cardiovascular nursing research.

S u b m i t your abstract electronically — in keeping with current technology, we have automated the abstract process to simplify and improve the abstract submission and review process. After March 16, you can visit theAmerican Heart Association website at www.scientificsessions.org. to access the on-line submitter. Technical Supportwill be available to assist you with the new technology Monday–Friday from 9:00 AM (EDT)–5:00 PM (EDT) and forextended hours in the two weeks prior to the deadline. Phone: (800) 375-2586 or (617) 621-1398 or [email protected].

The deadline for submitting abstracts is May 4, 2001. After that date the submitter site will no longer beactive. Notification of abstract acceptance status will be available on the American Heart Association website afterAugust 15 at www.scientificsessions.org.

A b s t r a c t s s e l e c t e d for p re s e n t at i o n w i l l be published as a supplement to the October 30, 2 001 issue of C i rc u l at i o n .

The Preliminary P rogram for Scientific Sessions 2001 will be ava i l able in Ju n e. If you submit anab s t ract by the May 4 deadline, you will automatically receive a copy of the Preliminary Program which includesimportant registration and housing information. It will also be available on the AHA website in June atw w w. s c i e n t i fi c s e s s i o n s . o rg. O r, you can request a Pre l i m i n a ry Program by fax (214) 706-5262, by email: s e s s i o n s @ h e a rt . o rg,or by mail to American Heart Association Meetings Department, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231-4596.

Over 15 hours of Scientific Sessions 2000 are available on CD-ROM. Included are selected PlenarySessions and a Special Session entitled “It’s Time to Treat Obesity.”

T h e CD-ROM features Rapid Search and Retrieval, and Complete Audio and Slide Presentations. The cost is $249 for a two-disk set plus shipping. To order call (800) 375-2586 or (617) 621-1398.

©2001, American Heart Association

I M P O R TANT NOTICEAbstract submissions will no longer be accepted on d i s k e t t e .

Abstracts accepted for presentation will be announced on-line at w w w.scientificsessions.org after August 15, 2001.

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