Dr. Samuel Gidding Joins the FH Foundation as Chief Medical Officer

PASADENA, Calif., July 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The FH Foundation, a global research and advocacy organization, today announced that Dr. Samuel Gidding will join as chief medical officer. Dr. Gidding brings more than 30 years of experience in preventative cardiology, pediatric cardiology and heart failure/transplantation with a strong focus in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), most recently serving as division head of pediatric cardiology at Nemours Cardiac Center and A. I. DuPont Hospital for Children, and professor of pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University.

"As the scale and scope of the FH Foundation's national and international portfolio of work grows, we are pleased to have Dr. Gidding join the leadership team of the FH Foundation as our Chief Medical Officer," said Katherine Wilemon, founder and CEO of the FH Foundation. "Dr. Gidding's extensive expertise as a pediatric cardiologist and scientist, as well as his deep understanding of FH as a family condition, will contribute greatly to the FH Foundation's research, advocacy, and community programs."

"FH is a pressing public health concern, leaving 1 in 220 individuals at tremendous risk of early heart disease," Dr. Gidding said. "The FH Foundation has been a catalyzing force to drive both clinical practice guidelines and the implementation of novel precision medicine approaches to ensure the early identification and treatment of individuals with FH. By building upon these efforts, we have the opportunity to change the trajectory of heart disease in the U.S. and worldwide."

Dr. Gidding has practiced pediatric and preventive cardiology for the Nemours Cardiac Center for the past 18 years. He has led and designed clinical trials that span statin interventions in adolescents, PCSK9 inhibitors, diabetes, early imaging of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular morbidity of obesity. Dr. Gidding founded The Pediatric Atherosclerosis Prevention and Lipidology (PeDAL), a consortium dedicated to prevention of adult onset lipid related diseases beginning in youth. He has developed clinical practice guidelines and scientific statements on familial hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, tobacco, obesity, nutrition, diabetes, and congenital heart disease for AHA, AAP, NHLBI, WHO, CDC, EAS, NLA and ADA. He received his medical degree from the College of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ Rutgers Medical School and conducted additional training at University of Michigan and SUNY-Upstate.

About Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)
FH is the most common genetic cause of early, life-threatening cardiovascular disease.ⁱ FH is a global public health concern that affects over 30 million people worldwide and more than 1.3 million people in the U.S., but less than 10 percent are diagnosed.ⁱⁱ FH causes high LDL cholesterol from birth and is the cause for 20 percent of early heart attacksⁱⁱⁱ (heart attacks that occur in the 20's, 30's and 40's). Early and significant reduction of LDL cholesterol is key to successful management of FH, which requires lifelong treatment.

About the FH Foundation
The FH Foundation is a leading research and advocacy non-profit organization focused on reducing heart disease by driving scientific understanding and evidence-based care of FH. The mission of The FH Foundation is to save lives by contributing to scientific research that leads to greater understanding and improved diagnosis and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia worldwide. Please visit www.TheFHFoundation.org for more information.

ⁱ Gidding SS, et al. The agenda for familial hypercholesterolemia: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2015;132:2167-2192.
ⁱⁱ Knowles J, et al. Reducing the burden of disease and death from familial hypercholesterolemia: A call to action. Am Heart J.2014;168:807-811.
ⁱⁱⁱ Hopkins P, Toth P. Familial hypercholesterolemia: prevalence, genetics, diagnosis and screening recommendations from the National Lipid Association Expert Panel on Familial Hypercholesterolemia. J Clin Lipidol. 2011 June;5(3 Suppl):S9–17.

SOURCE The FH Foundation