Elijah Ogola

I am Professor Elijah Nyainda Ogola form the University of Nairobi, Kenya. I am a Professor of Medicine and previous chairman of the department of medicine. I am a clinical cardiologist by background. I am seeking reelection as a member at large of the World Heart Federation (WHF) board. I have successfully completed one term, courtesy of your votes, and I am again humbly requesting for your vote. 

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 2004. Indeed, the society joined the WHF at a time when I was vice chairman. Similarly, I have been involved in the leadership of the Pan African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) for the past two decades. I have held the positions of the regional vice president for Eastern Africa, secretary general and I have had the privilege of having been the president from 2021-2025. 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 in various activities including membership of the hypertension, secondary prevention implementation and Polypill roadmaps. 

Low and middle income countries bear a disproportionate, and rising burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This high burden exists in the setting of considerable challenges, including persistence of communicable diseases; severe resource constraints; fragile healthcare systems and lack of locally relevant data to inform action. Several endemic CVDs, that have largely been eliminated in the global north persist e.g. rheumatic heart disease and Chagas’s disease continue to ravage the population. These unique challenges, of necessity, require local solutions. However, this can only be achieved with strong international partnerships. 

The WHF is uniquely positioned to champion for CVD for the vulnerable, including LMICs, a task that it has performed with distinction. I believe that in the two years that I have served on the board, I have brought in a proven track record of leadership. I believe that I have enriched the WHF by bringing in the unique perspective of an experienced practitioner in a LMIC who understands the true perspective. I am a strong believer in collaborative leadership and consensus building. I believe I have enriched the WHF by bringing in these unique perspectives. 

I am offering myself again for election to continue to work with my colleagues in the WHF board to continue to advance cardiovascular health globally and especially among the most vulnerable.