June 1, 2010 — Dr. Irving L. Kron, University of Virginia Health System cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, was elected president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery at its annual meeting in Toronto.

Kron, who chairs U.Va.'s Department of Surgery, will lead the association's more than 1,200 members.

Founded in 1917 by the earliest pioneers in the field of thoracic surgery, the association requires its members to have a proven record of distinction within the cardiothoracic surgical field and have made meritorious contributions to knowledge about cardiothoracic disease and its surgical treatment.

After graduating from Medical College of Wisconsin in 1975, Kron completed his surgical residency at Maine Medical Center and his thoracic cardiovascular surgery residency at U.Va. Kron was appointed chair of U.Va.'s Department of Surgery in 2002. The National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association have funded his laboratory for more than a decade.

In addition to his research, Kron leads the Network for Cardiothoracic Surgical Investigations in Cardiovascular Medicine. The consortium, comprising seven medical centers in the United States and Canada, evaluates newer surgical techniques, technologies, devices, and innovative pharmaceutical and bioengineered products to ensure that the public has access to the best procedures as determined by careful assessment.