PHILADELPHIA Mariell Jessup, MD, associate chief-Clinical Affairs, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and medical director of the Penn Medicine Heart and Vascular Center, has been named president-elect of the American Heart Association (AHA). Dr. Jessup will begin her term on July 1, 2012. Then on July 1, 2013, she will officially become the president of the AHA.

“My involvement with the American Heart Association has spanned more than 20 years and I am honored to be so engaged with the nation’s leading health organization dedicated to the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke,” said Dr. Jessup, who is also a member of the Penn Medicine Cardiovascular Institute.

Dr. Jessup’s focus throughout her career has been on the optimal management of patients with heart failure, including the appropriate selection of patients for heart transplant or ventricular assist devices (VADs). As medical director of the Penn Medicine Heart and Vascular Center, she works with a multi-disciplinary team of cardiologists, cardiac and vascular surgeons, nurse practitioners, and nurses to deliver collaborative, cutting-edge care to heart patients.

As a world renowned expert, she has been an integral member of numerous guidelines committees aimed at directing optimal decisions and criteria regarding diagnosis, management, and treatment of patients with heart failure. Most recently, she was the Chair of the American College of Cardiology/AHA Guidelines committees focused update for heart failure. She has also been integral in the establishment of the new Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology subspecialty, a secondary subspecialty in Cardiology. The new specialty was created because of the rapid progress in treatment options for patients with heart failure and the ever growing need to monitor, assess, and advance these new technologies for patients.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Hahnemann University Hospital and a cardiovascular fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jessup has served on the AHA’s Council of Clinical Cardiology Program Committee, and was a member-at-large on the AHA annual meeting’s program committee. She was most recently the Chair of the Committee for Scientific Sessions Program of the AHA. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the national AHA as well.

As president-elect, Jessup will work closely with the new incoming president, as well as the immediate past president, to handle strategy issues. She will represent the president when she can’t travel and will also represent the AHA at various national meetings.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report’s survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation’s top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania — recognized as one of the nation’s top 10 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.

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