José Ramón González Juanatey

In the case of my election as WHF Board Member I would like to express my commitment with the organization goals and particularly contribute to achieve cardiovascular health for everyone around the globe. It is our main task to maintain a sense of urgency relating to the inequity in cardiovascular health care prevention, treatment, and management.

From my perspective, and according with the WHF Strategy and The World Heart Vision 2023, it is needed to promote initiatives with partners like WHO, Governments, Scientific Societies, Patient’s Organizations, Foundations, sectoral specialists in digital health interventions and other stakeholders oriented to impact the cardiovascular health in low- and medium-income countries. This should be the “core” of our agenda.

I would like joint the group focused on transform our organization in a more credible reference for global cardiovascular health and a recognized resource in shaping the health agenda. Our resources such as the World Heart Observatory, Roadmaps, policy documents, communications, and campaigns need to have an “implementation science plan”. My previous experience working in Spanish and European CV health plans may be of interest in this objective with the aim to place cardiovascular health at the top of the global, regional, and national agenda, reinforcing, and maintaining our focus on equity, neglected cardiovascular conditions and diseases.

I suggest that The World Heart Summit, organized every year in Geneva before the World Health Assembly, can be more focused in “implementation science/health policies” discussing with the stakeholders how develop and implement best practices for cardiovascular health. Describing and disseminate cardiovascular health projects of success which can be implemented in other countries. It’s also needed to increase its resonance as a global flagship event to share the future of cardiovascular health and try to involve more actively professionals engaged in our Emergency Leaders program. Accordingly, beyond increasing the number of emergency leaders mainly from low- and medium-income countries, its needed to be more precise defining the specific tasks/roles these professionals be involved and include indicators on the projects health impact.

According with the WHF strategic plan I also would like to work on the development of our advocacy work on preventable risk factors (socio-economic, environmental, and behavioural) through a broad coalition that includes our membership as well as others. Reinforce understanding of the connection between wider issues such as environmental quality and climate change and impacts on cardiovascular health especially of vulnerable communities (low- and medium-income countries, female orientation, etc).

Through the Observatory and our numerous global communications and engagement platforms, WHF is a reliable source of information, knowledge, and monitoring, proactive for CV health and showing thought leadership. The WHF Observatory is a major tool not only for the cardiovascular health awareness worldwide but most importantly for identify the major opportunities for improvement and accordingly develop health plans focused on this information. Its needed to improve the Observatory resources and work plan.