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#ACCAdvocacy joined clinicians & staff from other medical specialty organizations to discuss prior auth, clinician wellness, telehealth & more at @AmerMedicalAssn's State Advocacy Summit.

📸: Dr. J. Jeffrey Marshall & @DrAliceMann on panel talking non-compete reform legislation pic.twitter.com/qxgPUOgdSC

— ACC Advocacy (@Cardiology) January 16, 2024

Dear Georgia Chapter,

We had another exciting and impactful annual ACC Legislative Conference in Washington, DC from Oct 15-17. This year we had more than 400 attendees spanning the entire cardiovascular care team, including more than 130 first-time attendees and 9 members of our own Georgia Chapter! I had a great time co-moderating a lively discussion between former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill and former White House staffer Mary Matalin at our HeartPAC Fundraiser dinner on Sunday evening. On Monday we attended sessions covering the current political landscape, ACC’s advocacy priorities, and strategies for meeting with lawmakers. We then convened on Capitol Hill and met directly with nearly 300 congressional offices about policies impacting patient access to care, clinician well-being and workforce, and improving heart health for all.

I am proud of all we achieved there, including raising nearly $40,000 for HeartPAC, ACC’s political action committee, with over 80% of conference attendees contributing. We also had tremendous impact with our voices on Capitol Hill, with The Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act seeing an increase of 62.5% in congressional co-sponsors, and the GOLD Card Act with an increase of 37.5% in congressional co-sponsors immediately following the Conference.

If you are interested in learning more about advocacy for our cardiovascular patients and practices, HeartPAC will have a table later this month at our annual Chapter Meeting, or you can learn more about our legislative priorities or make a contribution here: https://www.heartpac.org/home.aspx. Please save the date for next year’s conference in DC from Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2024, and remember Georgia ACC will cover $1000 in travel expenses for all member attendees. Our goal is to double the size of the Georgia Delegation and we will need your help!

If you have any questions I would love to hear from you, and you may contact me via email at pschafer@augusta.edu.

Pascha E. Schafer, MD, FACC
Vice-chair, HeartPAC
Advocacy Chair and Secretary-Treasurer, Georgia Chapter

Byron R. Williams, Jr., MD | Emory Heart & Vascular Center

Dr. Byron R. Williams, Jr. is a native of South Carolina who received his undergraduate degree from The Citadel in 1970 and his medical degree from the University of Florida in 1974. He
 did his internal medicine residency at Carolinas Medical Center
in Charlotte, NC.

In 1977, he came to Emory University for his cardiology fellowship under the tutelage of Drs. Willis Hurst, Bruce Logue, Bob Schlant, Nanette Wenger and others. He also did a fellowship in the emerging field of nuclear cardiology at Yale University in 1979-80 with Drs. Barry Zaret and Franz Wackers.

From 1980-1984, he was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University’s Crawford Long Hospital where he helped establish their non-invasive cardiology program. From 1984 to 1993, he was a member of the Atlanta Cardiology Group at Saint Joseph’s Hospital. During that period in private practice, he remained on the Emory faculty and volunteered as an attending in the Grady Memorial Hospital cardiology clinic. In 1993, he returned to Emory Crawford Long Hospital (later renamed Emory University Hospital Midtown) and was named the Linton Bishop Professor of Medicine and served at the Chief of Cardiology. In 2002, he became the Martha West Looney Professor of Medicine and served as the Chief of Medicine at EUHM. In 2013, he returned to Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital and served as the clinical chief of cardiology until 2021.

He has mentored countless Emory medical students, internal medicine residents, cardiology fellows and junior faculty over his distinguished career. In 2012, he was awarded the Wadley R. Glenn, MD Award recognizing his contributions to EUHM and his distinguished service to Emory Healthcare. In 2018, he received the Napier Burson, MD Award for his years of distinguished service to Emory Saint Josph’s Hospital.

He has been married to the former Barbara Scanlon of Melbourne, FL since 1972. He is the proud father of five children and twelve grandchildren.

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

Dear Georgia Chapter,

Congratulations! We have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round of the HeartPAC March Mayhem Challenge. Thank you to all who have contributed thus far this year, and especially to those who have either given for the first time this year during the contest or encouraged your colleagues to do so. We are poised to win it all, including a full scholarship for a Georgia FIT to the annual Legislative Conference when we make the Final Four, and an opportunity for all chapter members to participate in an intimate advocacy discussion with our own members of Congress when we take the final prize.

There is still work to do for us to continue to advance, so please reach out to colleagues and encourage them to join in the competition. As reminder, no giving amount is too small, as advancement to the Elite Eight is based on the number of new contributors for this calendar year rather than dollar amount. Every single dollar contributed supports our advocacy efforts to improve patient access and outcomes and to sustain our practices. Make your contribution today at this link: https://auth.acc.org/ACCFederatedLogin/Login?src=DDC&SP=DDC&targeturl=https://www.heartpac.org/default.aspx#

Go ACC Georgia!

Sincerely,

Pascha E. Schafer, MD, FACC
Vice-Chair, HeartPAC
Secretary-Treasurer and Advocacy Chair, Georgia Chapter

The ACC is proud to announce that Paul L. Douglass, MD, MACC is the winner of the Pamela S. Douglas Distinguished Award for Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion. He will be formally recognized during the annual Convocation ceremony on Monday, March 6 as part of at ACC.23 Together With WCC in New Orleans. Congratulations Dr. Douglass!

Biography

Paul L. Douglass, MD, MACC, FSCAI

Dr. Douglass is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. He joined Metropolitan Atlanta Cardiology Consultants in 1982 and now practices Clinical and Interventional Cardiology with Wellstar Medical Group, Center for Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Douglass served as Chief, Division of Cardiology and Director, Cardiovascular Services at the Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center from 2001 until its closure in 2022. He also served as Chairman of the Hospital Board at Atlanta Medical Center, 2006 – 2008. He serves as Clinical Assistant Professor (Cardiology) at Morehouse School of Medicine. He is currently on the Board of Trustees for Wellstar Health System and serves on the Executive Committee. In 2020 and 2021 he was named to the Top Docs list by Georgia Trend Magazine. Also he was named by Atlanta Magazine as a Top Doctor in Cardiovascular Disease in 2022. He received the National Medical Association Region III Award of Excellence in 2019. He is the current Chair of the American College of Cardiology Health Equity Task Force. He serves as a Member of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease Examination Committee. He has been the Chair of the Wellstar Board of Quality and Safety since 2018. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology Industry Advisory Forum. He is a past Chair of the American College of Cardiology Publications and Editorial Coordinating Committee. He served as President, Metro Atlanta American Heart Association from 2014 – 2016. He currently serves on the American Heart Association Heart Failure Systems of Care Advisory Group.

He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern he was captain and Most Valuable Player of the basketball team in 1972. He also received the Achievement Award as the most outstanding scholar – athlete in 1972.

His M.D. degree was awarded at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society in 1976. He also was elected and served as President of the Student Body in 1976.

Dr. Douglass performed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine between 1976 and 1982 in Atlanta, Georgia.

He has been the recipient of numerous professional awards including the Physician of the Year Award and the Nash – Carter Award from the Atlanta Medical Association; the Distinguished Service Medallion from the Georgia State Medical Association; several years of Teaching Excellence Awards from the Department of Internal Medicine at Atlanta Medical Center; and the Hero Award from the Association of Black Cardiologists. Dr. Douglass has worked diligently on behalf of cardiovascular practice serving on the NHLBI Advisory Panel and the Special Emphasis Panel and Disparities Working Group. He has served as president of the Atlanta Medical Association, president of the Georgia State Medical Association, and national president of the Association of Black Cardiologists. He was the Co – Chairman of the Venue and Training Site Sub – Committee for the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. He was instrumental in the planning and establishment of the Georgia chapter of the American College of Cardiology and served as its first Secretary – Treasurer. He also became president and governor of the Georgia chapter of the American College of Cardiology. In 2015 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Cardiology for his dedication and service to cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Douglass has participated on numerous committees and task forces for the American College of Cardiology including serving on the Board of Trustees from 2006 – 2011. He was named a Master of the American College of Cardiology in 2016 for his lifelong contributions to cardiology and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Douglass has published numerous scientific articles and editorials. He has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on various topics related to cardiovascular diseases with a special interest in cardiovascular diseases in African – Americans and other underrepresented minorities. His hobbies include Jazz, reading, jogging, and tennis. He has three children, Toi (Adoption counselor), Paul III (Operations Analyst for Porche USA), and Travis (Assistant Professor of Medicine-Hospital Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine). Dr. Douglass is married to Sheila A. Robinson, M.D., F.A.C.C., also a cardiologist with Wellstar Medical Group, Center for Cardiovascular Care.

At this year’s GA ACC Annual Meeting, the Lifetime Achievement Award will be delivered to Dr. Robert Campbell, who will be recognized for contributions to medicine and the ACC.

During his professional career, Dr. Robert Campbell was a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center and a Professor of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology.  In 1990 was a founding member of the Emory-Egleston Children’s Heart Center (now known as Sibley Heart Center Cardiology (SHCC)).
 
From 1997 – May 2015, served as the Director of SHCC, Chief of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center cardiac service line, and Division Director for cardiology in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. 

Dr. Campbell was a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society, Fellow of the American Heart Association, and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.   He served on the Georgia Chapter of the ACC Board (2014 – 2016) and was active within the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics until his retirement.  He was a member of the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES).  He served as a Board member of the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS) Foundation since 2006. 

In 2004, Dr. Campbell established the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Project S.A.V.E. (Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Awareness, Vision for prevention, and Education) and served as Medical Director from 2004 – 2021.  Project S.A.V.E. is a local Atlanta and statewide Georgia initiative to prevent pediatric sudden cardiac death.  Project S.A.V.E. became the first Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory) affiliate in 2006.  Project ADAM has become an international collaborative to make schools and communities safer as a result of the development of cardiac emergency action plans.  Dr. Campbell served as Co-medical Director of Project ADAM 2017 – 2021.

Dr. Campbell’s interests and expertise were arrhythmia diagnosis and management, cardiomyopathy diagnosis and management, prevention of sudden cardiac arrest, and prevention of sudden cardiac death. 
 
Dr. Campbell believed that the foundation of a successful cardiac practice was communication and teamwork and the development of program leaders. 

Dr. Campbell retired from clinical practice June 2021.