American Society of Hypertension, Inc Leadership Message
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: The summer and autumn months have been a time of renewed energy and intense activity for the American Society of Hypertension, Inc (ASH) leadership and the dedicated staff of ASH. We have made up for lost time in finalizing projects long under development, implementing initiatives of the previous leadership group and, most importantly, planning for the future. Clearly, the challenges and opportunities facing ASH today are far different from those of the 1980s, when ASH was founded. Cognizant of the rapidly changing needs of hypertensive patients, their health care givers, and the scientists who provide the fundamental basis for advances in prevention and treatment, ASH has undertaken a sweeping strategic planning initiative to define its core values and purpose and frame its vision for the future. From these core values and this vision ASH will derive a consistent and cohesive strategic plan to find the path that we will follow to reach our goal: reducing the burden of disease attributable to hypertension and related risk conditions. Our initial discussions have revealed a compelling need for a major paradigm shift if we are to fulfill our responsibilities and realize our potential as the leading voice in the fight against hypertension and its cardiovascular consequences in the United States. We must leverage our past successes as a recognized and respected forum for hypertension research and education of hypertension specialists to reach out to new constituencies, including primary care providers, health care policy makers, managed care providers/payers, and most of all, our patients. To attain our goal, reducing the burden of hypertension-related cardiovascular disease, we will need to order our priorities carefully and leverage our resources by strengthening our alliances with other major stakeholders in the hypertension field. To this end, we have entered into dialogue with a number of organizations, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research (CHBPR), International Society of Hypertension (ISH), European Society of Hypertension (ESH), International Society of Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB), and Inter-American Society of Hypertension (IASH). These organizations have expressed enthusiasm for working with us on such important initiatives as writing new guidelines for hypertension prevention and treatment and developing novel education programs for patients and physicians, and appropriate planning is under way. Clearly the collective expertise of the ASH membership in translational and clinical research and in the treatment of hypertensive patients is well known and respected by our sister organizations. We look forward to a fruitful period of collegiality and networking with hypertension researchers and care providers with diverse backgrounds and points of view as we develop our own vision for the future. The theme for our 22nd Annual Scientific Meeting, Translating Hypertension Research for Cardiovascular Health, reflects our ongoing commitment to finding innovative solutions to problems experienced by hypertensive patients and their caregivers. Featured sessions will address Future Solutions to the Hypertension Problem in the United States, from the scientific, systems, payer, and regulatory perspectives; Quality Improvement Strategies to Achieve Blood Pressure Control, including several models that feature nonphysician providers; International Perspectives on Improving the Care of the Hypertensive Patient, with participation of the leadership of the ESH and ISH; Lessons Learned From Major Clinical Trials and Population-Based Studies in Hypertension; and Does One Size Fit All? Patient Profiling in Hypertension. More specialized sessions on selected topics will focus on translating cutting-edge research findings to practical patient care. Consistent with our strategic plan, sessions designed by and for primary care providers will be highlighted, and engagement of younger faculty members new to the ASH forum will be enhanced. We anticipate a vibrant and collegial Annual Scientific Meeting. See you in Chicago on May 19–22, 2007! Suzanne Oparil, MD President, American Society of Hypertension, Inc
Source: Journal of Clinical Hypertension
Author: Suzanne Oparil
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2031705317