Gabriela Melo Ghisi
When I began co-leading the 2025/2026 global audit on cardiac rehabilitation (CR; https://globalcardiacrehab.com/2025/26-Audit-Update), my motivation was both professional and deeply personal. Despite decades of evidence showing CR’s benefits in reducing morbidity and mortality, vast inequities remain in its availability and accessibility worldwide. In many countries, CR is either absent or available only to a fraction of those who need it. My motivation has always been to bridge that gap – to provide evidence that can help make CR available to every patient who needs it, regardless of where they live.
The project was designed with three main objectives: to update the global status of CR availability and capacity (done initially in 2016, prior to the pandemic), to evaluate changes in delivery models since the pandemic, and to identify strategies to improve access and equity. In early September 2025, we successfully completed the data collection phase, with participation from across all WHO regions of the world and over 3000 responses. Over the coming months, we will begin the complex task of data analysis.
This journey, however, has not been without challenges. Coordinating a study of this scale requires engaging stakeholders across diverse health systems, navigating differences in language and resources, and ensuring that local realities are adequately represented. In some countries, simply identifying whether CR exists demanded persistence and creativity – searching websites, contacting ministries, and leveraging networks to find champions willing to collaborate. At times, progress felt slow and uncertain. Yet each response and each partnership reminded me why this work matters.
It was in this context that the LAC Programme became pivotal. The training did not just provide me with tools; it reshaped how I think about impact. The modules on persuasive messaging, policy fit, and SMART objectives pushed me to consider the “so what?” of my work beyond publications. Evidence alone is not enough – policy-makers, clinicians, patients, and communities need solutions framed in ways that resonate and mobilize action.
The LAC framework of five domains of advocacy – political, media, professional, community, and organizational – offered me a roadmap for how the findings of our survey can drive real-world change. For example, I am now better prepared to communicate results to ministries of health in countries with the highest unmet need, to engage professional associations in capacity-building, and to work with media partners to raise awareness about inequities in CR access.
Perhaps most importantly, the programme gave me confidence. Knowing how to craft a persuasive message, tailor it to different audiences, and measure its impact has made me feel better equipped for the next phase of this project: knowledge translation and advocacy. I no longer see our study as only an academic endeavour, but as a catalyst for stronger health systems and better outcomes for patients globally.
As I move into the data analysis phase, I carry with me the lessons from the LAC Programme. They will guide how we translate evidence into action, ensuring that the voices and needs of patients around the world are placed at the centre of the cardiovascular health agenda.