Heart Café at WCC 2026

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.

Thursday, 8 October

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.

Speakers:

Prof Julie Redfern

Moderator

World Heart Federation

Prof José Ramón González Juanatey

Panelist

University Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

Ms Fernanda de Carvalho

Panelist

Instituto Lado a Lado pela Vida

Prof Amitava Banerjee

Panelist

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.

Speakers:

Prof Daniel Pineiro

Moderator

University of Buenos Aires

Prof Bruno Nascimento

Panelist

Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)

Dr Luisa Fernanda Aguilera Mora

Panelist

Salvando Latidos A.C

Portrait image of Luis Eduardo Echeverria

Dr Luis Echeverria

Panelist

Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia (FCV)

Prof Mariachiara di Cesare

Panelist

University of 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.

Speakers:

Prof Mariachiara di Cesare

Moderator

University of Essex

Prof Mark Miller

Panelist

University of Edinburgh

Ms Kelcey Armstrong-Walenczak

Panelist

World Health Organization

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.