Nicotine, Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs

I am Dr. Jaqueline Scholz, a dedicated cardiologist and academic currently serving as a board member of the World Heart Federation. I earned my PhD in Cardiology from the University of São Paulo, complemented by a specialization in cardiopneumology and a cardiology residency at Instituto do Coração (InCor). My educational background has provided me with a strong foundation in cardiovascular medicine, which I have built upon through extensive clinical practice, research, and public health initiatives.
For over two decades, I have focused on advancing tobacco control and improving heart health. As the Director of the Smoking Cessation Program at InCor – HCFMUSP, I have led innovative projects designed to help patients quit smoking. Notably, I developed the “PAF” software and a COVID-19 response chatbot to support smokers during challenging times. My research includes cost-effectiveness analyses of smoking-cessation treatments and studies on the impact of public smoking bans on cardiovascular health, work that has been published in respected journals such as Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, Tobacco Control, and the International Journal of Cardiology.
My contributions extend beyond the clinical and research realms. I have actively participated in policy-making as a member of the State Commission on Tobacco Control for the São Paulo State Health Department and as a collaborator with the World Health Organization’s Tobacco or Health Program. These roles have deepened my understanding of public health challenges and enriched my approach to reducing tobacco-related harm.
My personal motivation for serving on the board of the World Heart Federation comes from a deep commitment to improving community health and reducing the global burden of cardiovascular diseases. I believe that by working together with like-minded professionals, we can create effective strategies to combat tobacco use and promote heart health worldwide. My goal for the organization is to leverage my clinical and research experience to guide impactful policies and initiatives that advance our shared mission of a healthier future.
In addition to my professional work, I have been involved in community outreach and volunteer activities aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and the importance of cardiovascular health. These efforts have allowed me to connect with diverse communities and further reinforce my dedication to public health. I have also received recognition for my work in tobacco control and smoking cessation, which motivates me to continue pushing for meaningful change.
I am honored to be part of the World Heart Federation and remain committed to contributing my expertise to drive initiatives that will improve heart health globally and help reduce tobacco-related harm for generations to come.

Drawing on an expansive 25-year tenure in cardiovascular medicine, my career encompasses a trio of pivotal domains: clinical research, education, and administration. As the former President and current Vice President of the Emirates Cardiac Society, alongside leadership roles in the Gulf Intervention Society and Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology, I’ve honed an intrinsically global perspective on heart health initiatives.

My efforts as Chairman of Examination Committees for the Arab Board over a decade have fortified educational standards across the region. Collaborating with the Presidents of the Gulf Heart Association and the European Heart Failure Association, I’ve spearheaded the ‘Heart Failure in Focus’ and ‘Year in Cardiology’ conferences, foregrounding emerging research and clinical practices.

Mouhamad Bigwanto is a public health researcher and advocate with a decade of experience in tobacco control. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. HAMKA (UHAMKA) and is the founder of the Indonesia Health Policy Forum (RUKKI), a non-profit organization dedicated to integrating health considerations into all policy areas. Since 2015, he has been a key partner of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), focusing on advocacy efforts to denormalize the tobacco industry in Indonesia. Bigwanto is the lead author of Indonesia’s Tobacco Industry Interference Index report and has published several scientific articles on tobacco control. His research interests include tobacco industry interference and e-cigarette use in Indonesia.

Yvonne Olando, PhD, has over 15 years experience in the substance use prevention and management sector. She is a Clinical Psychologist and an International Certified Addiction Professional -Tx (ICAP IV) and Prevention (ICAP-1). She is a Tobacco Cessation Specialist (CTTS-MAYO, USA), a Global Drug Demand Reduction Trainer (UNODC) and a Global Master Trainer, Universal Treatment Curriculum (Colombo Plan). She is a World Heart Federation Emerging Leaders Fellow. She is the Africa Lead and a Co-Chair- International Strategy area on Deflection and Diversion at Police Treatment and Community Collaborative (PTACC)- which advocates for support for those with behavioral disorders and are in conflict with the criminal justice system, to access support for reintegration.
She is currently the Director- Public Education and Advocacy at the national Campaign against Alcohol and Drug abuse (NACADA) a state corporation under the Ministry of Interior – Kenya. She also sits at the National Youth Council as a Board Member.
She has worked in different roles including being a consultant at the Colombo Plan as an Addictions Expert, and the World Health Organization – AFRO as the Regional Expert on Tobacco Cessation, where she trained primary healthcare providers on integration of cessation strategies to their daily activities as well as monitoring and evaluation of cessation clinics across AFRO. She was an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Psychology, University of Nairobi. She has worked in substance abuse residential rehabilitation centres, outpatient programs and hospital settings.
Dr Olando holds a Doctorate and MSc in Clinical Psychology both from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelors in Social Sciences (Psychology Major) from Moi University. She also holds a Certificate in Global Tobacco Control from John Hopkins School of Public Health (USA), a Diploma in Chemical Dependency from SAPTA and a Diploma in Public Relations from Nairobi Institute of Business Studies.
Some of her achievements for the past 4 years include:
Successful operationalization of the Miritini substance abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (MTRC) in Miritini Mombasa (Inpatient-72 capacity and outpatient 300 capacity) which is a presidential flagship project; Operationalization of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Workplace Committees in more than 350 ministries, departments and agencies that span the whole country; advocated for the piloting of life skills programs (Botvin) in 30 schools in South Rift Region and 9 schools in North Eastern Region, spearheaded the development and launch of the following national policy documents: National Standards for Substance Abuse Management, Code of Practice for Prevention Professionals, National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention System, National Aftercare Guidelines, Framework for Community Engagement in management of alcohol and drug abuse and the Community based rehabilitation framework for substance use disorders management.
The most interesting latest achievement is the hosting of the National Substance Use prevention week- with a 2 days summit; that is celebrated across the country. This forum brings together about 1,000 stakeholders who run prevention and treatment programs.

Dr. Hung-I Yeh is an adult cardiologist with basic research background. He graduated from Taipei Medical College in 1986, completed the training of internal medicine and cardiology in MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan in 1991, and got the PhD degree from National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, United Kingdom in 1997. Afterwards he pursued a physician scientist career in MacKay Memorial Hospital and advocated translational research. He is also experienced in clinical research, been the Co-PI of more than 30 international large-scale clinical trials. His administration experience includes Director, Innovation and Incubation Center, MacKay Memorial Hospital (01/2008 – 12/2011), founding Chairperson of Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College (08/2009 – 07/2016), and Vice Superintendent of MacKay Memorial Hospital (07/2015 – 07/2023). During the presidency of Taiwan Society of Lipids and Atherosclerosis (10/2015-09/2018), he led the revision of lipid management guidelines in Taiwan (J Formos Med Assoc. 2017;116:217-248), which lead to revision of the reimbursement regulations of National Health Insurance in Taiwan.

In 2018, Dr. Yeh advocated that doctors relevant to cardiovascular disease subspecialty actively participated in smoking cessation of smokers. He proposed annual contest to encourage cardiologists, neurologists, diabetologists, and nephrologists to provide smoking cessation treatment services to their patients who smoked. The proposal was endorsed by 8 medical societies, including Taiwan Society of Cardiology, and supported by the Health Promotion Administration of Taiwan government (Acta Cardiol Sin. 2022;38:521-525). Sequential expert meetings, group training of doctors, contests to reward service quantity and abstinence rate, and an annual awards ceremony were held over the past 7 years, and the campaign has helped more than 20,000 patients with cardiovascular disease or high cardiovascular risk to quit smoking. He also participated in the latest revision of Smoking Cessation Guideline in Taiwan, leading the writing for cardiovascular risk of smoking and benefit of quitting, published by the Health Promotion Administration. In addition, he has served as an evaluator of “Tobacco-free hospitals” in Taiwan, accredited by Global Network for Tobacco Free Healthcare Services.

Currently Dr. Yeh is the Executive Supervisor of Taiwan Society of Cardiology and Taiwan Circulation Research Society, Honorary Director of Taiwan Society of Lipids and Atherosclerosis and Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, as well as the Editor-in-chief of International Journal of Gerontology.
His major research interest involves novel therapy in cardiovascular medicine, and vascular biology and medicine. He has published more than 300 original and review articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Circulation, Circulation Research, ACS Nano, and Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology. Along the research, he has owned 7 patents.

Awards and Honors
1. Professor Guy Scadding Prize for Outstanding PhD Thesis (Imperial College, UK, 12/1997).
2. Research Award (National Science Council, Taiwan, 08/1998, 08/2000).
3. Young Investigator Award (Taiwan Society of Cardiology, 05/1999).
4. Ta-You Wu Award (National Science Council, Taiwan, 12/2002).
5. Outstanding Research Award (Taiwan Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis, 09/2011).
6. Most Valuable Research Article Award (Journal of Formosan Medical Association, 11/2019)