The American College of Cardiology (ACC) selected Shalom Jacobovitz to lead the organization as its chief executive officer.  He will assume the position in May.

He replaces Jack C. Lewin, MD, who stepped down a year ago after serving in that role for more than five years. Tom Arend, ACC’s chief operating officer and general counsel, had served as interim chief staff officer.

Jacobovitz will leave Actelion Pharmaceuticals U.S., a company that specializes in cardio-pulmonary therapies, where he has been president since 2004. “Shal brings a unique perspective at a time when the college is ramping up to meet the evolving needs of cardiovascular professionals domestically and around the globe,” said ACC President John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, in a release.

Before joining Actelion, he was general manager for Central America and the Caribbean F. Hoffmann LaRoche. He also has worked at Abbott Labs and Marion Merrill Dow in Canada in sales and marketing. Jacobovitz earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.