The Challenge

Heart valve diseases are “mystery killers.” Generally, they progress very slowly and almost imperceptibly yet are capable of causing sudden and unexpected death.

More than five million Americans have moderate or severe heart valve disease. Left undiagnosed and untreated, their condition can cause progressive deterioration in heart function, which can result in heart failure and premature death.

Among Americans aged 70 and older, more than half have detectable heart valve dysfunction. As the population ages, the absolute number of people with valvular heart diseases will grow. Currently, some 5.9 percent of the U.S. population is over 75-years-old (U.S. Census does not define population >70 years). By 2050, the percentage will rise to 11.6 percent

The Mission

The Heart Valve Society of America (HVSA) has been formed to:

• advance development of new knowledge regarding valvular heart diseases through promotion, organization and support of research (basic, pre-clinical, clinical, and epidemiological);
• facilitate transfer of research results to clinical practice; and,
• promote dissemination of knowledge about valvular heart diseases to medical, scientific, and general audiences.

The Founding Board

Jeffrey S. Borer, MD (President)

• Chief/Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center and SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
• Director, The Howard Gilman Institute for Valvular Heart Diseases, SUNY Downstate Medical Center and SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
• Past president, American College of Cardiology, New York State Chapter, and the New York Cardiological Society

Maurice E. Sarano, MD (Executive Vice President)

• Professor of Medicine, Mayo Medical School
• Director, Valvular Heart Disease Clinic, Mayo Clinic
• Consultant, Cardiovascular Diseases and International Medicine, Mayo Clinic

A. Jamil Tajik, MD (Secretary)

• Thomas J. Watson Jr., Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
• Chairman (Emeritus), Zayed Cardiovascular Center, Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)
• Consultant, Cardiovascular Division, Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale, AZ)

Mark Starling, MD (Treasurer)

• Medical Director, Banner Baywood Heart Hospital, Mesa, AZ

Cary W. Akins, MD (Vice President/Interspecialty Liaison)

• Clinical Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
• Division of Cardiac Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Robert O. Bonow, MD (Vice President/Membership)

• Goldberg Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of
• Cardiology, Northwestern University Medical School
• Immediate past president, American Heart Association

Blase Carabello, MD (Vice President/Programs & Education)

• The W.A. “Tex” and Deborah Moncrief Jr. Professor of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
• Vice Chairman, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
• Medical Care Line Executive, Houston VA Center

O. Wayne Isom, MD (Vice President/Interspecialty Liaison)

• Terry Allen Kramer Professor and Chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• Co-Director, The Howard Gilman Institute for Valvular Heart Diseases, Weill Medical College
• Chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital New York Weill Cornell Medical Center

Jagat Narula, MD (Vice President/Policy)

• Professor of Medicine, Chief of Cardiology, Associate Dean, University of California/Irvine

Board Members

David H. Adams, MD

• Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Professor and Chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City

Hartzell Schaff, MD

• Chair, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Medical School (Rochester, MN)
• Professor of Surgery, Mayo Medical School