About Emerging Leaders

Empowering the next generation of leaders to shape the future of cardiovascular health.

The Salim Yusuf Emerging Leaders Programme was created in 2014 by WHF Past President Professor Salim Yusuf, with the long-term goal of developing a diverse team of experts who collaborate, research, and act to reduce premature mortality from cardiovascular disease globally.

This WHF initiative is among the first international training programmes on cardiovascular health policy research, health systems and implementation science, and aims to build up capacity through professional development, mentorship and provision of networking opportunities for the selected candidates.

Each year, through a competitive process, 25 Emerging Leaders are selected. These are outstanding individuals who have demonstrated long-term promise through their early careers, and creativity and passion for improving cardiovascular health and preventing CVD. By participating in the Programme, these individuals will develop expertise in:

• Monitoring and evaluating health systems
• Identifying barriers and facilitators for implementation of evidence-based prevention and treatments for CVD
• Developing evidence-based policy research
• Influencing critical stakeholders including policymakers, legislators and media

WHF and its Members believe in a world where heart health for everyone is a fundamental human right, and the Emerging Leaders Programme plays an important part in realising this vision. Focusing on a different priority area each year, the objective of the training module is to help reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.4.

Our 150 strong expert community has so far tackled a range of issues, including secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, raised blood pressure, tobacco prevention and control, access to essential medicines, stroke and heart failure.