Heart Café ACC 2025: A Global Hub for Collaboration and Innovation

Strengthening Commitments to Achieve Cardiovascular Health for All

Moderator: Borjana Pervan (Switzerland)
Panelists: Elijah Ogola (Kenya), Vilma Irazola (Argentina), and Salim S. Virani (Pakistan)

This powerful opening session highlighted the urgent need for political will, multisectoral collaboration, and evidence-based policies to create meaningful country-level impact—especially as the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs 2025 approaches. The panelists emphasised the importance of data-driven decision-making to strengthen healthcare systems and ensure equitable access to cardiovascular care. Success stories from diverse regions showcased how well-implemented policies can yield measurable improvements in cardiovascular outcomes.

Shaping the Future of Cardiovascular Care for Women

Moderator: Lana Raspail (Switzerland)

Panelists: Dr. Athena Poppas (USA), Prof. Martha Gulati (USA), and Dr. Adriana Cecilia Puente Barragan (Mexico)

This engaging session explored the persistent disparities in cardiovascular care for women and the need to address systemic biases that contribute to delayed diagnoses and unequal treatment. The experts emphasised the importance of inclusion of women in clinical research, promotion of gender-sensitive guidelines, need for better awareness of sex differences in symptoms and risk factors, across the life course.

The discussion underscored the importance of incorporating sex-specific education into medical training to better equip future healthcare professionals. A key message resonated: “Women’s health is not just a women’s issue.” Men—whether partners, family members, or healthcare providers—must take an active role in advocating for women’s cardiovascular health.

Advancing Global Strategies for Effective Tobacco Control

Moderator: Jeremiah Mwangi (Switzerland)
Panelists:  Noreen T. Nazir (USA) and David Lloyd (Australia)

This critical discussion examined the ongoing challenges in global tobacco control and the need to scale up efforts to combat tobacco use—a leading cause of preventable illness and premature death. The panelists shared best practices in policy enforcement, cessation interventions, and community education to accelerate progress toward a tobacco-free future.

Key Insights:
– Stronger enforcement of tobacco control policies
-Expansion of evidence-based cessation programmes
-Addressing the rise of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) among youth

The panel stressed that prevention is key—ensuring that young people never take up smoking or nicotine products in the first place remains a top priority.

Strengthening the Health Workforce in the Post-COVID Era

Moderator: Prabhakaran Dorairaj (India)
Panelists: Yvonne Commodore-Mensah (USA) and Demilade Adedinsewo (USA)

This timely session addressed the challenges facing the cardiovascular workforce in the post-COVID era, including workforce shortages and the need for adaptation to digital models of care. Panelists explored strategies to rebuild and strengthen the workforce while ensuring high-quality, patient-centered care.

Key Priorities Identified:
-Investment in digital technologies to support remote care
-Sustainable training pathways for the next generation of healthcare professionals
-Addressing workforce well-being and retention to maintain resilience and effectiveness

Deepening Our Understanding of the Heart–Brain Connection

Moderator: Prof. Larry Sperling (USA)
Panelists: Dr. Laxmi S. Mehta (USA) and Dr. Adrián Noriega de la Colina (Canada)

This fascinating session explored the intricate relationship between the cardiovascular and nervous systems, highlighting how emotional well-being, brain function, and inflammation influence the progression of cardiovascular disease. Experts emphasised the importance of taking an integrated, holistic approach to managing cardiovascular and mental health.

Key Insights:
-Recognising emotional well-being as a vital component of cardiovascular health
-Developing interventions that address both physical and mental health
-Leveraging neuroscience to improve CVD prevention and treatment

Leveraging Heart Failure Registries to Improve Outcomes and Advance Research

Panelists: Prof. Amitava Banerjee (UK), Prof. Albertino Damasceno (Mozambique), and Dr. Angela Koh (Singapore)

This impactful closing session emphasized the importance of heart failure registries in capturing real-world data to inform evidence-based care and research. Panelists from diverse regions shared best practices in data management and explored innovative ways to use registries to improve outcomes and guide policy development.

Key Takeaways:
-Standardise and expand registries to capture comprehensive, real-world data
-Foster global collaboration to share experiences and insights
-Use registry data to address complex challenges in heart failure prevention and treatment

The session reinforced the need for cross-border collaboration to build a strong foundation for future heart failure research and intervention strategies.