UF cardiologist Carl J. Pepine installed as president of American College of Cardiology

Educating the public about heart disease will be a top priority for the American College of Cardiology, says its newly installed president, Carl J. Pepine, M.D., a University of Florida cardiologist.

“This leads me to an area where the college has traditionally not played a prominent role, but where I believe there are boundless opportunities: educating the public about heart disease,” Pepine told ACC members Tuesday at the organization’s Annual Convocation, part of its 52nd annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago. “There is a growing sentiment among ACC members that we need to do a better job of reaching out to our patients — not only to educate them about the perils of and potential treatments for heart disease, but also to make them better appreciate that those four uppercase letters that follow our names — FACC — mean that they are in the hands of a skilled physician who is committed to providing the highest quality care possible.”

Pepine, also chief of cardiovascular medicine at UF’s College of Medicine and an internationally recognized authority on the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease, will serve a yearlong term.

In recent years, researchers have made extraordinary progress in the field of cardiovascular medicine, from uncovering new information about the role of inflammation in heart disease to unveiling innovations like drug-coated stents, biventricular pacemakers to treat congestive heart failure, and cellular and gene therapy to treat other conditions. Pepine called the advances “dizzying.”

As part of his mission to educate patients as well as the health practitioners who care for them, Pepine plans to move the ACC’s headquarters, Heart House, from Bethesda, Md. to the District of Columbia.

“Exactly what this new headquarters will look like is still a long way from being decided,” Pepine said. “But imagine a facility that is the pre-eminent showcase for the treatment of heart disease. A state-of-the-art building in the heart of the capital where visitors could take tours of exhibits that provide information about the cutting -edge of cardiovascular care, detailed procedure simulations, and kiosks where they can enter in their health information and get back details on their risk factors and potential diagnostic procedures.”

Pepine was among the first to describe the condition known as silent ischemia, caused by blocked or diseased coronary arteries. Patients with silent ischemia experience episodes of reduced blood flow to the heart without the chest pain known as angina that typically signals the problem. Ischemic heart disease can cause sudden death or heart attack.

In recent years, Pepine has studied aggressive ways to treat the condition and has been instrumental in designing and conducting clinical trials aimed at deciphering how the disease may differ in women compared with men. He has had continuous federal funding for his research for 30 years.

In 1994, Pepine originated the Vascular Biology Working Group, a coalition of academicians and industry experts dedicated to improving the cardiovascular health of patients through the development of educational programs. The group reviews and exchanges new information related to cardiovascular biology research and integrates findings with clinical research results in an effort to reach consensus and, ultimately, advance patient care.

He currently chairs the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Clinical Trials Review Committee and also is an eminent scholar, American Heart Association — Suncoast Chapter Chair. He has also collaborated with his peers to develop practice guidelines on unstable angina and coronary angiography.

He has played major roles in the ACC and other cardiovascular organizations and has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals, including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

He has contributed more than 500 original manuscripts to the scientific literature.

Pepine was the founding president of the ACC’s Florida chapter, which formed in 1987. He has served the national organization in many capacities, including a term as chairman of the board of governors and two terms as a member of the board of trustees. In 1999, the ACC recognized his leadership and service in the field of cardiology and conferred upon him the distinction of master in cardiology.

Among his many honors and awards, Pepine has been honored with the Association of Military Surgeon’s Paul Dudley White Award, the American Clinical and Climatological Association's Theodore E. Woodward Award and the Florida Chapter of the ACC’s Founders Award.

Pepine earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey and ultimately joined the faculty at UF in 1974.