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Dr Navin C Nanda has been elected president of the American Society of Geriatric Cardiology. He is the first Asian American to head the 22-year-old organisation.
"With the help of my colleagues, I hope to be able to advance the Society with initiatives that fulfil its mission to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in older people and improve the care of older adults with cardiovascular disease," Dr Nanda said in the wake of the appointment.
Dr Nanda, professor of medicine and director of the Heart Station/Echocardiography Laboratories at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, is also founding president of the American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin and past president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.
He will succeed Dr Jeanne Y Wei, professor of geriatrics and executive vice chair of the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
The not-for-profit Society of Geriatric Cardiology was founded in 1986 by research and clinical cardiologists to meet problems resulting from cardiovascular diseases in the increasing numbers of aging men and women in the United States, and throughout the world.
'It is anticipated that by 2030 there will be 51.4 million people in the United States over 65, including 7.1 million over age 85,' the Society says, pointing out that these people are in many instances 'hampered by cardiovascular disability, dependency and infirmity.'
Dr Nanda told rediff India Abroad his priorities would be, besides "compassionate care at end-of-life for the elderly", to "provide education of health care professionals and the public about cardiovascular aging, cardiovascular disorders in the elderly, strategies for preventing or ameliorating the effects of cardiovascular diseases at older age."
He listed research into the effects of aging on cardiovascular structure and the impact of aging on cardiovascular disease; a campaign that would see the Society use audiovisual, print and electronic media to disseminate information to the public; developing public policies designed to foster and maintain cardiovascular fitness and health at an older age; ensuring appropriate care for older persons in terminal states of cardiovascular disease and involving the Society in collaborations with similar bodies in Europe, Latin America and Asia as among the topmost items in his agenda."
"We plan to have joint scientific sessions and create a National Centre for Aging Heart Health that would serve as a think tank and national resource," Dr Nanda said, adding that the proposed centre would also provide training programs and educational opportunities, and "create an easy to access data-bank for methods of treatment and care techniques that is imperative for an aging population."
Underlining the necessity for such a resource, Dr Nanda said only a tiny fraction of the 650,000 physicians currently practicing "have received training and education in geriatrics that is necessary to provide older patients with the best possible care."
"Only three of America's 145 medical schools have a full-fledged department of geriatrics that requires a mandatory rotation of geriatrics. Two more schools are starting geriatrics departments on a trial basis and less than three percent of all medical students even take one course in geriatrics."
In order to bridge this training gap, Dr Nanda said, the Society will partner with the American College of Cardiology to develop a core curriculum for training in geriatric cardiology.
Dr Nanda trained in cardiology at the National Heart Hospital in London and the University of Rochester in New York.
The winner of honours ranging from the first ever Tufts University Award in Echocardiography and the Ellis Island Medal of Honour, he has served two terms on the board of directors of the Association of Black Cardiologists, who presented him with 'The Bridge Award' for building bridges across cultures, particularly among African-American and Indian cardiologists.