Meltzer and Yancy to Lead American Heart Association ...( DALLAS July 1 -- The American Heart ...),Health

DALLAS, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Heart Association's new national officers begin their 2009-10 terms on July 1.

Neil M. Meltzer, M.P.H., president and chief operating officer of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore (Md.), is national chairman of the board. Meltzer will be responsible for the association's business affairs, public relations and fund raising, and will preside over all Board of Directors and Administrative Cabinet meetings. Meltzer has been an American Heart Association volunteer since 1995. He chaired the association's Advocacy Coordinating Committee from 2006 to 2008 and is a board member with the association's Mid-Atlantic Affiliate.

Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., medical director of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, is national president. Yancy, an association volunteer for more than 15 years, will serve as chief volunteer scientific and medical officer, responsible for medical, scientific and public health matters. A specialist in heart failure, Yancy is the 2003 recipient of the association's Physician of the Year Award, presented annually to a practicing physician who has rendered outstanding contributions to the accomplishment of the organization's mission.

William H. Roach Jr., a partner at the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, LLP, based in the firm's Chicago office, is secretary-treasurer. In this role, Roach will oversee the association's operational functions and revenue-generating opportunities. An association volunteer for more than 10 years, Roach is also chairman of the association's Midwest Affiliate. He is the author of Medical Records and the Law, a leading textbook on the use of healthcare information now in its fourth edition.

Debra W. Lockwood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Provident Group in Baton Rouge, La., is chairman-elect. Lockwo
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