Le will lead ACC’s patient engagement initiative

Intermountain Health cardiovascular clinician and researcher Viet Le, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C, FACC, will serve as the next editor of the American College of Cardiology’s CardioSmart program. Le is the first non-physician leader of the program.

ACC’s CardioSmart is a patient engagement program that provides helpful tools to better understand heart health. The program aims to personalize care and foster the partnership between the patient and the clinician.

CardioSmart features a multitude of trusted resources and tools that cover a wide range of heart conditions. Clinicians can utilize infographics, decision aids and action plans to help facilitate important health care conversations with their patients. CardioSmart fully embodies ACC’s Core Value of patient-Centeredness and includes the following tenets:

• Advocate on behalf of the cardiovascular patient population in promotion of the public good,
• Practice organizational altruism – the safety and needs of cardiovascular patients are central to everything we do,
• Support and educate patients and clinicians in the practice of shared decision-making,
• Encourage the patient as part of the care team

"In my 20+ years as a PA, I've focused on patient-centered care and high-level patient education to enhance engagement and health self-efficacy. With increasing medical options and complexity, it's crucial for patients, their loved ones and clinicians to collaborate on medical decisions,” Le said.

Le is an associate professor of research at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a preventive cardiology PA. He has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science/athletic training and a master’s degree as a Physician Assistant from the University of Utah School of Medicine. He earned the degree of Doctor of Medical Science in Health Professions Education from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.

He co-directs the Preventive Cardiology Clinic at Intermountain Medical Center and serves as an investigator on multiple sponsored and investigator-initiated cardiovascular clinical trials. He has authored and co-authored 50 publications.

Le’s health care areas of expertise are patient-centered care, improved shared decision-making processes and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic health and preventive cardiology.
“I'm honored to be the next editor of CardioSmart and excited to build on my predecessors' work, providing tools for informed decisions and supporting healthy life journeys," Le said.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. Through its world-renowned family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or follow @ACCinTouch.

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