ACC names first Waites Rural Cardiovascular Research Fellow to address care gaps in underserved communities
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, but access to specialized cardiac care varies sharply by geography. Rural communities face lower specialist density, longer travel distances to catheterization laboratories, and structural barriers that delay treatment and reduce the likelihood of preventive intervention. A new fellowship program at the American College of Cardiology is designed to generate the evidence base for closing those gaps.
The ACC has named Plicy Perez-Kersey, MD, as the first recipient of the Thad and Gerry Waites Rural Cardiovascular Research Fellowship Award. Perez-Kersey will be recognized at the ACC's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26) taking place March 28 to 30, 2026, in New Orleans. The fellowship provides up to $70,000 in research funding to support work at the intersection of rural cardiovascular care, community engagement, and health equity.
The fellowship and its origins
The program was established through Thad F. Waites, MD, MACC, in honor of his wife Gerry. Dr. Waites, a veteran cardiologist with decades of experience working with underserved populations, endowed the fellowship to translate personal commitment to the problem into structured, sustainable research funding.
"I've always believed in the power of giving back. Over the years, I've witnessed the barriers many face to achieving good health. I envision our fellowship will help break down those barriers and move us closer to improving heart health for all," Waites said.
The fellowship is open to Fellows-in-Training and early-career cardiologists. Candidates must demonstrate commitment to rural cardiovascular care and community engagement alongside the research qualifications expected for a competitive academic award. The $70,000 funding envelope is designed to support a discrete research project rather than fund a full salary, positioning the award as a launchpad for early-career investigators.
Who Perez-Kersey is and what she studies
Perez-Kersey is currently completing an advanced cardiac imaging fellowship at Seattle Children's Hospital and holds an acting instructor appointment in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington. Her clinical training has been shaped by consistent engagement with communities facing systemic barriers to health care access.
As a medical student, she co-managed a free clinic in Harlem providing care for people without insurance and those experiencing homelessness. During pediatric residency at the University of Washington, she joined the Alaska Medical Track program, delivering culturally conscious care to Alaska Native communities. Her research focus involves identifying and addressing social drivers of health - including housing instability, transportation barriers, and language access - that determine outcomes for children and adults with congenital heart disease.
"Throughout my training, I have developed a deep awareness of the barriers that prevent vulnerable populations from receiving optimal care - and an enduring commitment to addressing them so that circumstance no longer dictates cardiovascular outcomes," Perez-Kersey said. "The Thad and Gerry Waites Rural Cardiovascular Research Fellowship is an extraordinary opportunity to advance this mission."
Why this type of research matters
Disparities in cardiovascular outcomes between rural and urban populations, and between wealthy and lower-income communities, are well documented but less well understood at the mechanistic level. Knowing that rural patients have worse outcomes after myocardial infarction than urban patients does not, by itself, identify whether the primary driver is delayed presentation, lower specialist access, lower rates of secondary prevention, worse medication adherence due to cost, or some combination. Fellowship research that precisely characterizes these pathways provides the evidence base that health systems and policymakers need to allocate interventions effectively.
Research on congenital heart disease populations is particularly valuable given the condition's lifelong nature and the complex transitions between pediatric and adult care that frequently result in coverage gaps and lost follow-up. Patients who survive complex congenital heart surgery as infants and children require decades of specialized monitoring, and disruptions in that care - often driven by the same social factors Perez-Kersey studies - carry serious consequences.