title: The Adult Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology Section: increasing the opportunities for the congenital heart disease community within the American College of Cardiology.
abstract: The Adult Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology (AC/PC) Section was established to develop a clear voice within the American College of Cardiology and address the myriad issues facing the congenital heart disease profession. The Section is governed by the AC/PC Council, which includes pediatric cardiologists, adult congenital cardiologists, a cardiac care associate, and a fellow-in-training member. The Council is responsible for bidirectional communication between the College's Board of Trustees and the AC/PC Section members. Since its founding in 2004, Section objectives have been defined by the College's mission: to advocate for quality cardiovascular care through education, research promotion, and the development and application of standards and guidelines and to influence health care policy. The pillars of the College-advocacy, quality, education, and member engagement-serve as the defining template for the Section's strategy. The Section has developed work groups in advocacy, clinical practice, education and training, quality, and publications. A separate leadership group has been developed for adult congenital heart disease. Work groups are open to all Section members. Recognition of the importance of lifelong care in congenital heart disease led Section leaders to incorporate pediatric cardiology and adult congenital heart disease content into each of the work groups. There are more than 1,200 Section members, with nearly 400 members actively contributing to Section activities. This article outlines Section efforts to date and highlights significant successes to date.
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
authors.forename: Gerard R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Beekman
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Feinstein
authors.forename: Kathy J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landzberg
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Webb
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002309:Cardiology / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D002321:Career Choice; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States