Elijah Ogola

Elijah Ogola

Kenya

Statement of motivation

I am Professor Elijah Ogola form the University of Nairobi, Kenya. I am kindly asking to vote for me as a board member at large of the World Heart Federation (WHF). I am a Professor of Medicine and a clinical cardiologist by background.

Other than my academic and professional record, I have a long track record in leadership in professional societies. I Joined the leadership of the Kenya Cardiac Society as a young cardiologist in the early 1990s. I held various positions in the society culminating in being elected chairman, equivalent to president currently, from 2000 to 2024. Indeed, the society joined the WHF at a time when I was vice chairman, I believe in 1998 or 1999. Similarly, I have been involved in the leadership of the Pan African Society of Cardiology for the past two decades. I have held the positions of the regional vice president for Eastern Africa, secretary general and currently I have the privilege of being the president. I was elected the inaugural governor of the African international chapter of the American college of cardiology. In these various positions, I have worked closely with the WHF over the years. Examples of WHF activities I have worked in include being a member of the writing group of the 2020 update of the WHF hypertension roadmap. I am currently a member of a member of the WHF fixed dose combination expert group and a member of the WHF secondary prevention implementation roadmap group.

As we are all aware, cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Low and middle income countries (LMICs), especially sub-Saharan Africa faces unique challenges is confronting this epidemic. First of all, 70% of this burden occurs in LMICs. This is constrained by poorly resourced healthcare systems with competing priorities, from for example communicable diseases. This is compounded by the perception by both local political leadership and international partners that CVDs are not a priority, reflected in the scarce resources devoted to CVDs and NCDs in general. There are also specific CVDs that remain endemic, e.g. rheumatic heart disease and Chagas’s disease. Tackling these unique challenges requires both local action but also global advocacy and partnerships. The WHF a s a global organization has a unique position as a global leader to champion these initiatives. I believe I would enrich WHF’s role in this capacity from the perspective of someone lives through these challenges on a daily basis.

I believe I would bring to WHF leadership with a proven track record, and global networks. I would bring the unique perspective as a practitioner in SSA who lives the experience on a daily basis. I promise to work in a collaborative and collegial manner with colleagues from across the globe so that together we can tackle the menace of CVD. I once gain humbly ask for your vote.