ACC Georgia Chapter

Gayle Davies

GA ACC Members Appointed to Committees and Receive Honors

By

Jeff Marshall, MD, FACC

Appointed by ACC to Chair-Elect of the Health Affairs Committee for 1 year and then Chair beginning in April 1, 2026.

Heval Kelli, MD

The Emory Medical Alumni Board has selected Dr. Kelli as a recipient of this year’s Distinguished Medical Achievement Award. This award honors distinguished medical alum from the Emory School of Medicine who have provided extraordinary service to their community, fulfilling the obligations of their education through creative citizenship and exemplary leadership.

Jason Grady, NRP, AACC

Selected by ACC to participate in the 2025 ACC Emerging Faculty Leadership Academy.

ACC Appointed:

  • Snigdha Bhatia, MD – Adult Congenital & Pediatric CV Section
  • David Kandzari, MD, FACC – NCDR Clinical Science and Quality
  • Anant Madawat, MD, FACC – Cardio-Oncology Section Leadership Council
  • Corrin McCloskey, CCMA – Cardiovascular Management Section Leadership Council
  • Modele Ogunniyi, MD, FACC – Diversity and Inclusion Committee
  • Ifeoma Onuorah, MD, FACC – Prevention of CV Disease Section Leadership Council
  • Rajesh SAchdeva, MD, FACC – Accreditation Oversight Committee
  • Jeffrey Wang, MD – Critical Care Section Leadership Council
  • Faisal Merchant, MD, FACC – NCDR EP Registry Steering Subcommittee

Congratulations to all members appointed to
ACC committees and leadership!

Call for Nominations for 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award

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Nominations are now open for the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at our annual meeting at the Ritz Carlton Lodge at Lake Oconee, November 21-23, 2025.

This award honors an adult or pediatric cardiologist or cardiovascular surgeon that has made significant contributions to medicine through patient care, medical education, research or community service as a member of the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, and whose lifetime of service deserves special recognition.

If you would like to nominate someone, please send your nomination directly to Arthur Reitman, MD, FACC, Chair, Awards Committee, arthur.reitman@wellstar.org.

Please explain the basis for your nomination and why you think the person is worthy of this coveted award. Our committee will then prioritize the nominees and present them to the Chapter’s Council for selection.

The deadline for receipt of nominations for the award is March 15.

Don’t forget to save the date for our annual meeting.

Past Award Recipients

  • 2024 William A. Blincoe, MD, FACC
  • 2023 Byron R. Williams, Jr., MD
  • 2022 Robert M. Campbell, MD

  • 2021 Robert A. Guyton, MD, FACC
  • 
2019 Robert Vincent MD; CM, FACC, MSCAI

  • 2018 John Cantwell, MD
  • 
2017 Jere Lutz, MD

  • 2016 Kenneth Dooley, MD
  • 
2015 Paul S. Douglass, MD
  • 
2014 Douglas Morris, MD
  • 2013 Charles Wickliffe, MD
  • 2012 Stan Sherman, MD
  • 
2011 Robert Franch, MD
  • 
2010 John S. Douglas, Jr., MD

  • 2009 Nanette K. Wenger, MD
  • 
2008 Willis Williams, MD

  • 2007 Stephen Clements, MD

  • 2006 J. Willis Hurst, MD; Bruce Logue, MD
  • 
2005 Robert Ellison, MD
  • 
2004 C. Walker Beeson, MD

  • 2003 William Plauth, Jr., MD
  • 
2002 Spencer King, III, MD

Victory for ACC Advocacy – Senate Passes Heart Act

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Your ACC Advocacy team worked diligently alongside the broader Smart Heart Sports Coalition to advance this legislation, which includes components of the Access to AEDs Act, another ACC-supported bill. Our Advocacy efforts included:

  • Over 1,200 messages sent from ACC members to their lawmakers through our grassroots alert system
  • More than 250 meetings with lawmakers during ACC’s 2024 Legislative Conference
  • Over 150 HeartPAC events with lawmakers, where education about the benefits of AEDs in schools was a prominent topic

As we celebrate this achievement, we want to thank you for your contributions in advancing this issue. We also remain committed to pushing our remaining priorities, such as Medicare payment cut relief and prior authorization reform, across the finish line before the conclusion of the 118th Congress.

How can you continue to support our Advocacy efforts?
ACC currently has two live federal action alerts, urging lawmakers to advance Medicare payment cut relief and prior authorization reform. If you haven’t participated yet, please take a moment to do so. It’s quick and easy to do – we have already provided a pre-written message, so all you need to do is add your information and click send!

We’ll keep you updated on any significant developments through email, social media, and our weekly newsletter, the Advocate. Thank you once again for your support of ACC Advocacy.

2024 CME Certificate GA ACC CVT Program

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Thank you for your feedback! Please do not close this page until you have retrieved your CME certificate.

  • Please click through the link below to begin retrieving your CME certificate.
  • If you need further instructions for retrieving your certificate, click here to download detailed instructions on the process.
  • Please note that you will need to confirm your email address prior to receiving your CME certificate, so it is suggested that you use a personal email to avoid any employer spam filters or firewall policies.

We truly appreciate your participation in this year’s GA ACC CVT Program and hope to see you in 2025.

Access Your CME Certificate Here

2024 Lifetime Achievement Award

By

William A. Blincoe, MD | Piedmont Heart Institute

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Dr. William Blincoe was born in Midland, Texas April 30, 1953. Raised in the midwest, primarily Wichita, Kansas, with 3 siblings and wonderful, loving parents. He grew up always wanting to be a physician if he could not be a professional athlete

He decided to “go away” for college at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, graduating in 1975. He tried to play football but again was reminded this was not going to make a career. He went to med school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in
Kansas City, Kansas and graduated in 1979. He completed his first two years of Medicine residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas and his last year of Medicine residency at Emory Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia. He started a cardiology fellowship in 1982 at Emory under Dr. J. Willis Hurst. The fellowship program was one of the largest in the nation at the time with over 50 fellows. A truly exciting time to be “in training” with the advent of coronary angioplasty and other cardiovascular advances in the early 1980’s.

Dr. Blincoe joined a small cardiology practice based at Piedmont in 1985. Over time this group grew, morphed and merged with the culmination of the development of the Piedmont Heart Institute in 2007. He practiced general and interventional cardiology from the outset but retired from the cath lab in 2017. He has held a variety of clinical, governance and leadership positions at Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Heart Institute. Currently, Bill is Chief of Staff of the Physician Enterprise for Piedmont Healthcare, supporting over 1000 physicians and 600 advanced practice providers. He still takes call and has clinic two times a week but spends majority of his time with administrative duties. Dr. Blincoe is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology since 1985. He is a proud founding member of the Georgia ACC Foundation. He will be happy to tell you about the Foundation!

Dr. Blincoe is happily married to Marti Blincoe for 43 years. He moved to Atlanta and was able to transfer to Emory “for love” in 1981. Marti and Bill have 3 daughters and now three son-in-law’s with five grandchildren, all living in Atlanta, Georgia.

This award will be presented Saturday evening at the President’s Reception and Dinner.