The Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) is an organization founded to bring special attention to the adverse impact of

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

on African Americans.

History

The ABC was founded in 1974 by

Richard Allen Williams Richard Allen Williams (born 1936) is an American physician who is founder of the Association of Black Cardiologists. He previously served as the President of the National Medical Association. Early life and education Williams was born in Wilm ...

, in association with Boisey O. Barnes, Paul Terry Batties, Walter M. Booker, Kermit L. Brown, Charles L. Curry, Major Geer, Richard F. Gillum, L. Julian Haywood, Hannibal E. Howell, Paul M. Jackson,

Edith Irby Jones Edith Irby Jones (December 23, 1927 – July 15, 2019) was an American physician who was the first African American to be accepted as a non-segregated student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the first black student to atten ...

, Alphonso Jordan, Huerta C. Neals, Levi V. Perry, Felipe Robinson, Daniel D. Savage, and Elijah Saunders, at the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...

conference. The decision to create the organization was spontaneous and happened over a dinner meeting convened to discuss the cardiovascular problems faced by African Americans. After speaking with Williams, the American Heart Association assigned Glen Bennett to be executive director for the ABC and paid his salary in this role. Williams served as the association's president for ten years.

Work on health inequalities

According to research, fewer than 3% of cardiologists were African American as of 2015, yet it is important for patients to be able to identify with their doctors to build trust. In 2007, the ABC were invited to contribute to a ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...

'' issue on controversies around race-based medicine. In 2019, a paper was published describing the creation of the ABC Cardiovascular Implementation Study (CVIS) which sought to facilitate robust participation of African Americans, other minorities and underserved populations in clinical trials. At around the same time, a study was conducted on the potential use of ABC membership to recruit investigators who could lead clinical research to increase the enrollment of black patients. In 2020, the ABC shared resources on

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

's impact on black communities in response to the higher death rates seen in African Americans. The ABC response to the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

campaign was highlighted by the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety as an example of the need for systemic change to address healthcare inequalities.

References

{{Authority control African-American professional organizations Organizations established in 1974 Organizations based in Manhattan Medical and health organizations based in New York City