Dear Members,  

In our first update of 2024, I’m proud to report that SCAI’s revitalized governance structure has been definitively completed. As I detailed in last year’s message, the new governance is composed of three components: 

1. Defined competencies for Board leadership. 
2. Representative and deliberate composition of Board. 
3. Greater member engagement in leadership selection. Starting this spring, members will select (by electronic voting process) the Secretary of SCAI between two very qualified candidates identified by the governance committee. 

We implemented these important changes to ensure we addressed evolving member expectations and demands to support a strong and impactful Society. 

In addition to positive internal developments, progress continues on the establishment of an independent cardiovascular disease board. SCAI and the other cardiovascular organizations (American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America, and the Heart Rhythm Society) entered into a final agreement to move forward with all societies providing an equal number of representatives. We submitted a preliminary application to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and anticipate feedback and deliberations continuing over the next year.

I’m proud of the openness of our process, which included a six-week open commentary. We ensured nothing was behind closed doors. Thanks to your many contributions, we have a clear written roadmap for our representatives on the cardiovascular disease board to implement. When everything is said and done, we're going to be happy that we followed a very open and inclusive deliberation.

Last month, SCAI and its partners “kicked off the conversation” for its Get a Pulse on PAD campaign, which aims to educate and raise public awareness about the risk factors and potential symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). In the weeks since its official launch, physician spokespeople from SCAI and our partners were featured in hundreds of broadcast interviews in local and national press all over the United States.

Thank you to Drs. Foluso Fakorede, Andrew Klein, and Eric Secemsky for their outstanding contribution to this campaign on behalf of SCAI!  

We are especially focused on reaching underserved communities and populations that are disproportionately affected by PAD. You have an important part to play in getting the word out: 

• We provide some excellent resources that our members can use when meeting with patients, including a step-by-step guide which covers understanding the risks, how to recognize the symptoms of PAD, questions to ask your doctor and what is the right treatment once diagnosed. Find the resources and share the link with your patients to www.PADPulse.org.
• Download the toolkit and share the link to the webpage on social media and with your friends.
• Update your profile in the membership portal if you haven’t already. Make sure you have elected to opt into the ‘find an interventional cardiologist’ so that you appear in the search on the website. You can find this option by logging into your membership profile and clicking into the “Directories” tab. 

Finally, we are now on the final dash towards this year’s SCAI Scientific Sessions, on May 2-4 in Long Beach, CA. After an exciting SCAI Fellows course last December in Miami, FL, and dynamic webinars focused on bifurcation PCI, emerging technologies & trends, and Women in Innovations, anticipation is high for broad participation in Long Beach.

Please register at www.scai.org/scai2024 by April 1 if you haven’t done so to get a room in the official SCAI room block with discounted rates in the three conference hotels next to the convention center.   

As always, please contact me with any of your questions or concerns at president@scai.org. Thank you for all of your contributions and we look forward to seeing you all soon. 

Sincerely,  

George D. Dangas, MD, PhD, MSCAI
2023-24 SCAI President