Heart Café at ESC 2025

This panel discussion will explore the evolving landscape of atrial fibrillation (AF), focusing on opportunities to improve prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and management across diverse populations and healthcare systems. Panelists will discuss the latest insights on AF risk factors, innovative approaches to screening and diagnostics, and strategies to optimise patient outcomes through integrated care pathways. The session will also examine the role of digital health, health system strengthening, and equitable access to care in addressing the global burden of AF.

Moderator
Prof Amitava Banerjee, University College London, UCL Hospitals NHS Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust, WHF Board Member, United Kingdom

Panel
– Prof Jose Roman Gonzalez Juanatey, University of Santiago de Compostela Spain
– Prof Lis Neubeck, Edinburgh Napier University – Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza have revealed critical links between infection and cardiovascular health, from acute complications during illness to long-term effects like those seen in Long COVID. As healthcare systems adapt, there is a need to better understand, prevent, and manage cardiovascular consequences of infectious threats. This session will gather experts and frontline clinicians to discuss the latest evidence, identify research gaps, and explore practical strategies and policy priorities to protect cardiovascular health in an era of emerging and recurring infectious diseases.

Moderator
Prof. Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Public Health Foundation of India, WHF President-elect (India)

Panel
– Prof Karen Sliwa, University of Cape Town (South Africa)
– Professor David Strain, Associate Professor in Cardiometabolic Health at the Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School (United Kingdom)
– Dr Kavita Singh, Public Health Foundation of India (India)

Single Pill Combination (SPC) therapies offer a powerful tool to improve cardiovascular outcomes by simplifying treatment regimens, enhancing adherence, and optimizing risk factor control. As the World Heart Federation launches its new Roadmap on Improving Uptake of Single Pill Combination Therapies, this session will bring together global experts, policymakers, clinicians, and patient advocates to explore the roadmap’s key recommendations and practical implementation strategies. Panelists will share experiences from different healthcare contexts, highlight policy and system-level enablers, and address barriers to broader SPC adoption. This interactive discussion aims to inspire collaborative action to scale up the use of SPC therapies and drive meaningful progress toward global cardiovascular health goals

Moderator
Prof Pablo Perel, World Heart Federation (Switzerland)

Panel
– Dr Tom Gaziano, Harvard Medical School (United States)
– Dr Adrianna Murphy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom)
– Prof Habib Gamra, Les Oliviers Medical Center, Sousse (Tunisia)
– Dr Enrico. G. Ferro, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts (United States)

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a vital component of secondary prevention and recovery for people living with cardiovascular disease — yet it remains severely underused and inaccessible for many patients worldwide. The new WHF Cardiac Rehabilitation Roadmap provides a strategic framework to address barriers and expand access to CR across diverse health systems and settings. This session will celebrate the launch of the roadmap and bring together international experts, clinicians, policymakers, and patient advocates to discuss innovative solutions to scale up CR services globally. Panelists will explore practical pathways for implementation, highlight successful models, and examine how to embed CR into national cardiovascular strategies. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in this timely dialogue and contribute ideas to drive equitable and sustainable improvements in CR delivery worldwide.

Moderator
Prof Julie Redfern, Bond University (Australia)

Panel
– Dr Dion Candelaria, University of Sydney, (Australia)
– Dr Irene Gibson, National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland)
– Mr Pat O’Donnell, Global Heart Hub (Ireland)

Despite advances in treatment, secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a critical gap in global heart health. This Heart Café session will explore how we can move beyond clinical guidelines to implement effective, equitable, and sustainable secondary prevention strategies in real-world settings. The panel will bring together global experts, frontline clinicians, and patient advocates to discuss innovative approaches for improving long-term outcomes in people living with established CVD. Discussions will cover the use of guideline-directed therapies, health system challenges, the role of digital tools, and how to tackle issues of access, adherence, and health equity—particularly in low-resource settings.

Moderator
Prof Raul Santos, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo and the Lipid Clinic, Heart Institute (InCor) at the University of São Paulo (USP) Medical School (Brazil).

Panel
– Prof Kausik Ray, Imperial College London (United Kingdom)
– Prof Clara Chow, University of Sydney (Australia)
– Prof Denis Xavier, John’s Medical College, Bangalore (India)
– Dr Lilian Mbau, Centre for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (Kenya)
– Mr Ram Khandelwal, Heart Health India Foundation (India)

People living with cardiovascular disease (CVD) often face the additional burden of other chronic conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes, forming a complex web of interrelated health challenges. These coexisting conditions intensify the risk of adverse outcomes, require careful therapeutic balancing, and demand more sophisticated monitoring and care coordination.

This session will explore how the presence of multiple long-term conditions complicates clinical pathways and impacts overall cardiovascular health. It will also spotlight how integrated, patient-centered care models can better respond to these realities and improve both individual outcomes and system-level efficiency.

Moderator
Prof Larry Sperling, Emory University (United States)

Panel
– Prof Tazeen Jafar, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore General Hospital (Singapore)
– Dr Andres Rosende, Pan American Health Organization (Spain)
– Prof Naveed Sattar, University of Glasgow (United Kingdom)
– Prof Lijing Yan, Duke Kunshan University (China)

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a critical threat to cardiovascular health worldwide, driving rising rates of heat-related illness, air pollution, food insecurity, and population displacement. This panel will bring together leading experts to explore the cardiovascular impacts of climate change, highlight vulnerable populations, examine health system responses, and discuss practical strategies to build resilience. Participants will gain insights into the latest science, policy frameworks, and advocacy opportunities to protect heart health in the face of a changing climate.

Moderator
Mr David Lloyd, Heart Foundation, Australia, WHF Vice-President elect (Australia)

Panel
– Dr Maria Neira, World Health Organization (Switzerland)
– Dr Poornima Prabhakaran, Centre for Health Analytics Research and Trends, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, Centre for Chronic Disease Control (India)
– Dr Hatim Kerniss, Heart Center Bremen (Germany)