WHF Heart Café in Rio de Janeiro
The WHF Heart Café, taking place during the 81st Brazilian Congress of Cardiology and World Congress of Cardiology in Rio de Janeiro from 8–10 October 2026 will provide an informal and interactive space for participants to connect over coffee or tea and discuss key cardiovascular and global health challenges. Bringing together policymakers, healthcare professionals, people living with CVD, scientists and advocates, the sessions will combine brief expert insights with open audience discussion to encourage collaboration and practical solutions.
The programme will focus on translating global cardiovascular priorities into national action, with particular attention to Chagas disease and other neglected CVDs, gaps in hypertension detection and control, and the cardiovascular impact of air pollution.
Jueves, 8 de octubre
9:30 – 10:15 – From Framework to Action: Building a National Cardiovascular Health Action Plan
Countries increasingly recognise the need for coordinated cardiovascular health action plans that translate global commitments into measurable national action. This Heart Café session will explore how the WHF cardiovascular health action plan framework can help countries identify priorities, engage key stakeholders, define measurable actions, and strengthen implementation and accountability. Drawing on country and member perspectives, the discussion will focus on turning cardiovascular strategies into practical action and accelerating national progress.
Ponentes:
La profesora Julie Redfern
Moderador
Federación Mundial del Corazón
Prof. José Ramón González Juanatey
Ponente
University Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Sra. Fernanda de Carvalho
Ponente
Instituto Lado a Lado pela Vida
Prof. Amitava Banerjee
Ponente
Professor of Clinical Data Science, University College London
15:00 – 15:45 Neglected Cardiovascular Diseases: Why Are We Still Missing Patients?
Neglected cardiovascular diseases, including congenital heart disease (CHD), rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and Chagas disease, disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and share challenges including delayed diagnosis, fragmented care and limited access to specialist services. This Heart Café will explore where and why patients are missed along the care pathway and identify practical opportunities to strengthen early detection, referral, continuity of care and access to appropriate services, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
Ponentes:
Prof. Daniel Piñeiro
Moderador
University of Buenos Aires
Prof Bruno Nascimento
Ponente
Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)
Dr Luisa Fernanda Aguilera Mora
Ponente
Salvando Latidos A.C
Dr. Luis Echeverría
Ponente
Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia (FCV)
Prof Mariachiara di Cesare
Ponente
Universidad de Essex
Friday, 9 October
16:00 – 16:45 Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Health: From Evidence to Action
Air pollution is a major cardiovascular health risk, disproportionately affecting people with existing health conditions and disadvantaged communities. This Heart Café will explore how to translate growing evidence into action, focusing on practical ways cardiovascular professionals, health systems and policymakers can reduce the impact of air pollution on heart health.
Ponentes:
Prof Mariachiara di Cesare
Moderador
Universidad de Essex
Prof Mark Miller
Ponente
Universidad de Edimburgo
Ms Kelcey Armstrong-Walenczak
Ponente
Organización Mundial de la Salud
Saturday, 10 October
10:30 – 11:15 Closing the Hypertension Care Gap: From Diagnosis to Cardiovascular Prevention
Hypertension is a leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, yet major gaps remain in detection, treatment and control. This Heart Café will explore how to translate effective interventions into practice, focusing on primary care approaches including cardiovascular risk assessment, standardised treatment protocols, access to essential medicines, team-based care and monitoring of patient outcomes.
Ponentes:
Dra. Adrianna Murphy
Moderador
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Prof Vilma Irazola
Ponente
University of Buenos Aires
Prof. Tazeen Jafar
Ponente
Duke-NUS Medical School
Prof Koji Hasegawa
Ponente
Kyoto Medical Center
Prof. Elijah Ogola
Ponente
University of Nairobi