New York: An Indian American has taken over as president of the American Society of Geriatric Cardiology, becoming the first Asian to head the 22-year-old organisation based in Washington DC.

Navin C. Nanda, 65, professor of medicine and director of the Heart Station / Echocardiography Laboratories at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, intends to take initiatives during his one-year term to fulfil the society's mission to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in older people and improve the care of older adults with cardiovascular disease.

Talking to IANS about his priorities, he said: "We will strive to get geriatric cardiology introduced in medical schools. For the purpose, the society will partner with the American College of Cardiology to develop a core curriculum for training in geriatric cardiology."

He pointed out that currently only a small percentage of the practising physicians in the US have received training and education in geriatrics, which is necessary to provide older patients with the best possible care.

Since people are living longer, almost 60-70 percent cardiac problem patients in the US are older, Nanda said, and they need different types of treatment and care than younger people.

Medical practices for the aged are also changing. "For example, surgeons were earlier afraid to do heart valve replacement for older patients, but now it is routinely done," said Nanda, whose specialisation is non-invasive cardiac care.