Afib News & Events
Interview with Chief Science Officer of the Association of Black Cardiologists About Afib Among Minorities
Video Interview with Dr. Keith Ferdinand on Atrial Fibrillation Among Blacks and African Americans
March 22, 2011
- Summary: This video explores the conundrum of why blacks appear to have less afib than whites, and what blacks should do if they have atrial fibrillation risk factors
- Reading and listening time is approximately 5-6 minutes
In this video interview, Dr. Keith Ferdinand, Professor at Emory University and Chief Science Officer of the Association of Black Cardiologists, talked about minority health. He focused especially on heart disease and atrial fibrillation among blacks and African Americans. He addressed the conundrum of why blacks appear to have less afib than whites, and what blacks should be doing to prevent AF and heart disease.
He also talked about how drug research trials need enough different populations so that we can know if those drugs work as well in those different populations as in whites.
He concluded with a recommendation:
"If you are black or African American, you have hypertension [high blood pressure], obesity, or diabetes, [then] you have a risk for atrial fibrillation. If you feel palpitations, don't let anyone tell you blacks don't get atrial fib—anyone can get atrial fib. And if you get atrial fib, you need to treat it."
That's sound advice.
View the video with Dr. Ferdinand (just over 4 minutes)
About Keith C. Ferdinand, MD:
Clinical Professor, Cardiology Division, Emory University
Chief Science Officer, Association of Black Cardiologists
Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, is a Clinical Professor in the cardiology division at Emory University, an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine, and Chief Science Officer of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC).
Dr. Ferdinand is a clinical cardiologist and was previously the Medical Director at Heartbeats Life Center and professor of clinical pharmacology at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Populations for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee, and the Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) Data Safety and Monitoring Board and chair of Section Four of the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 6). Additionally, he was director of the NHLBI Physician’s Health Network, a program that educated physicians and the lay population on cardiovascular risk reduction.
Dr Ferdinand received his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, a diplomat certified in the subspecialty of nuclear cardiology, a certified specialist in clinical hypertension in the American Society of Hypertension, and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, the National Lipid Association and the American Society of Hypertension.
See a detailed profile of Dr. Ferdinand
Video Transcript Coming Soon
