Executive Committee

Prof Karen Sliwa is Director of the Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa, Professor in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town, and Past President of the World Heart Federation (2019-2020). Karen Sliwa is widely recognized as a world expert in cardiovascular disease, with a particular interest in reducing mortality in women with cardiovascular disease in maternity. She has contributed to better understanding on the pathophysiology, treatment options and awareness of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a global disease particularly prevalent in African populations. She leads several inter-Africa research projects, which have had a major impact for creating knowledge about CVDs common in Africa, leading to changes in policy. Her considerable experience in setting up simple, cost-effective registries and web-based data entry platforms have had a major impact on planning several innovative research projects and has facilitated the training of physicians from several African countries, including Mozambique, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda and Tanzania. Her translational research from bed-to-bench-to-bedside population studies have led to a much better understanding of CVDs in pregnant women and subsequently to improved patient care.  Professor Sliwa leads several high-profile special interest groups including a dedicated EORP Working Group on PPCM of the Heart Failure Association of European Society of Cardiology. Over her distinguished career she has served in many notable roles, including that of Chair of the South African Heart Failure Association, President of the South African Heart Association (2014-2016), President of the World Heart Federation (2019-2020), and Vice President, Southern Region of the Pan African Society of Cardiology (2016-2021). She holds numerous awards such as the German Cardiac Society Paul Morawitz Award for Exceptional Cardiovascular Research (2013), an Honorary Doctorate University Diderot-Sorbonne, Paris, France (2017), European Society of Cardiology Geoffrey Rose Award for Population Sciences (2019) and the South African Medical Research Council Gold Award (2021). She has authored more than 350 publications, trained more then 30 post graduate students, and her papers are highly cited (72,270 citations; h-index of 84, i10-index 239; accessed Feb 2021).

Jagat Narula, MD, PhD, MACC, FRCP is Philip J. and Harriet L. Goodhart Chair in Cardiology, Chief of Cardiology, St. Luke’s & Roosevelt Hospital of Mount Sinai, Professor of Medicine and Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also Associate Dean, Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Imaging, Executive Editor of Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Editor-in-Chief of the Global Heart (the official Journal of World Heart Federation).

Dr. Narula after completing his cardiology fellowship training and PhD (Cardiovascular Immunology) from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, relocated to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School in 1989. At MGH, after cardiology, heart failure & transplantation, and nuclear cardiology fellowships and he joined the cardiology faculty. In 1997, he moved to Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, where he was Thomas J. Vischer Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Cardiology, Vice-Chairman of the department of Internal Medicine, and Director of Heart Failure & Transplantation Center. He subsequently joined University of California, Irvine School of Medicine (2003) as Chief of the Division of Cardiology, Associate Dean for Research, and Director of the Cardiovascular Center of the UC Irvine’s Douglas Hospital. He was also the Director of Memorial Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial Hospital, and Medical Director of the Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology in UC Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering. He moved to Mount Sinai as the Philip J. and Harriet L. Goodhart Chair in Cardiology, and the Director of Cardiovascular Imaging Program in the Mount Sinai’s Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute in 2011.

Dr. Narula has the unique distinction of being able to combine molecular and subcellular pathology and imaging with clinical imaging of the failing myocardium and high-risk coronary atherosclerotic plaques to develop novel strategies for prevention of cardiovascular disease and promotion of cardiovascular health in developed as well as developing countries. He has specifically contributed to two major areas including heart muscle cell apoptosis in heart failure, and lipid-rich atherosclerotic plaques that are susceptible to rupture and acute coronary events. He has brought novel experimental strategies to bedside and defined their applicability at the community level. He is currently actively involved in numerous population-based heart attack prevention programs including HAPPY [Heart Attack Prevention Program for You]. Based on his expertise in global medicine, he serves on the Advisory Council on Global Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences.

His research has been funded, in part, by the grants from National Institutes of Health. He is considered to be a true translationist and one of the infrequent investigators who has distinction of publishing in the best basic science and the best clinical journals including Science, Nature Medicine, PNAS, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Circulation and JACC. With more than 1000 original research publications or presentations to his credit and more than 35 books or journal supplements edited, Dr. Narula has been awarded as ‘the best young investigator’ on several occasions for his research contributions. His mentoring prowess is exemplified by the fact that 20 of his fellows, working in his research laboratory, have been awarded young investigator awards. He was recently awarded as the Best Educator as also the Innovator in Cardiovascular Medicine by the American College of Cardiology in the year 2012, and was honored as the Master of the American College of Cardiology in March 2013. He has just received the Distinguished Scientist Award 2015 from the American College of Cardiology.

DANIEL JOSÉ PIÑEIRO • Full Professor of Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina • President-Elect, World Heart Federation • Advisor for HEARTS, Pan American Health Organization • Former President, Inter American Society of Cardiology and Argentine Society of Cardiology • Former Board of Trustees, American College of Cardiology World Heart Federation, • Former Board Member, World Heart Federation • Former Roadmaps Liaison Officer, Science Committee, World Heart Federation Prof. Daniel José Piñeiro currently is a Full Professor of Medicine at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina (2005-). He is very active in different international organizations: Trustee at the Board of Trustees of the American College of Cardiology (2018-2021), Advisor for HEARTS at the Pan American Health Organization (2018-), and Roadmaps Liaison Officer at the Science Committee of the World Heart Federation (2019-2020). Prof. Piñeiro has served twice as Member at the Board of the World Heart Federation (2011-2013 and 2017-2018), Member at Membership Committee of the American College of Cardiology (2016-2017), Chair of the Assembly of International Governors of the American College of Cardiology (2015-2017), President of the Inter American Society of Cardiology (2011-2013) and President of the Argentine Society of Cardiology (2005) He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association. Prof. Piñeiro graduated as a physician with honors at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He is involved in academic and educational activities as well as clinical practice. He also has a great interest in Public and Global Health as WHF Roadmaps and roundtables. He regularly presents his work at international and national conferences. He has publications including books, book chapters, and articles in international and national journals. Some of these articles are guidelines, consensus, white papers, and roadmaps devoted to Global Health. He deserved 8 national and international awards.

John Kelly has broad experience in clinical, management and leadership roles across the health sector. John was appointed Group CEO of the National Heart Foundation of Australia in August 2016.  John commenced his health career as a cardiothoracic nurse specialist. After graduating in Organisational Psychology and Law, John worked in various health organisations, non-profit entities and the law. John was a health law partner for 15 years at leading top 10 legal practices in Australia.

Immediately prior to his role at the Heart Foundation, John served for four years as CEO of Aged & Community Services Australia, which represented the church and charitable sector in the $9b retirement living and aged care sector. 

John has extensive experience on non-profit boards, including time as Chair of large Australian charities, The Smith Family as well as the Royal College of Nursing Australia and Uniting Care Ageing (NSW & ACT). His international experience includes representing Australia on the International Council of Nurses. 

John holds academic appointments with the Sydney Nursing School at University of Sydney and the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).  

In 2009 John was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and received the Alumni Award for Excellence from UTS. In 2010 John was appointed by the Federal Government as Commonwealth Aged Care Commissioner. In 2019 John was awarded a Distinguished Life Fellow with the Australian College of Nursing.

EMPLOYMENTS

General Secretary, Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, 20141001 – ongoing

Assistant Secretary General, Heart-Lung Foundation, 2012 – 2014

Support the GS in business development. Creating commitment and consensus on business and brand and communications platform internally and externally. Ensure that Board decisions are implemented by operational lead efforts to develop and implement the overall strategy and plans for the business. Ensure revenue targets.

Fundraising and Marketing Manager, The Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Stockholm, October 2004 – 2014

Overall responsible for the strategy which aims to develop the business total revenue (collection), marketing and brand awareness.

Results for the first 8 years is a revenue increase from 70 million to about 234 million / per year (see picture below). A revenue increase of about 20 percent per year. The main tasks are to take responsibility for the brand, marketing and communication, advertising and marketing initiatives, product ie all revenue channels and loyalty strengthening efforts sensors (clients). Responsible for revenue and cost budget. Dense relationship with agencies, partners, suppliers, directors, researchers and European colleagues. Personnel included in the service of about 20 people and two group leaders. Member of the management.

Fundraising Manager, The Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Stockholm, August 1999 – October 2004

Developed a basis for the existing collection and marketing efforts. Implemented methods DR, TM and requirements posed new computer system for the collection business. Responsible for the customer – and exhibition activities.

Budgetary and supervisory responsibility for about four people. Contact with clients and advertising agencies, printers, agents, agencies Etc.

Project manager and coordinators, The Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Stockholm,

August 1996 – August 1999. Start-up and establishment of a new international health project in Sweden; Health Path. In cooperation with the municipalities establish specific walking trails to the public in order to increase the daily exercise for everyone. Today there are about 80 loops.

Coordinator of the exhibition activities and events and to the Fund volunteering.

District Manager Janne Class AB, Stockholm, Sales Manager for Mälardalen. November 1995 – July 1996. Sales of all products to opticians and its workshops excl frames and lenses. Travel service with client meetings and largely phone contact.

District Manager, IMMOBILIZER AB, Stockholm, August 1995 – November 1995. Responsible seller immobilizer system for motor vehicles to dealers and workshops.

Sales through its own pre-booked meetings with customers.

Teachers, Spånga Gymnasium, Stockholm, September 1992 to June 1995 Fittjaskolan, Stockholm, January 1989 – June 1991 and January 1987 – June 1987 Resource Teachers in Swedish, electrical / telecommunications engineering, English and mathematics for grades 7-9 and high school students ride first

PROPERTIES

Communicative, curious, driven and innovative.

EDUCATION

Lindberg & Göthberg, Executive senior program, 2015 – 2017

Stockholm School of Economics IFL Executive, 2012- 2013

LPU, leadership through personal development

Executive MBA from Stockholm University School of Business at the Department of Business Administration, Executive MBA 2 years

EMBA Stockholm, 2010 – 2012

– Financial Statisment Analysis

– Strategy in Practice and Marketing Management –

Corporate Social Responsibility

– Change management

– Global Cross Cultural Business Behavior

– Ethical leadership

– Corporate Governance

– Essay – Does the SFC-code support donor’s interest?

IHM MASTER 1.5 years 2005-2007

DIHM, Operations Management

DIHM, Business Development

DIHM, Personal Leadership

DIHM, Business Communication, 2 years 2001-2003

– Business Acumen, Module 1

– Business of Communication grounds, Module 2

– Communication management and change instruments, Module 3

– The company’s reputational capital, Module 4

– Communication with the market, Module 5

– Shareholders thesis, Module 6

3-year technical school Brännkyrka and Åsö School, 1984-88

TRUST

Swedish Pharmaceutical Society, board member 2018- ongoing

Research Sweden, board member 2015 – ongoing

King Oscar the II jubilee foundation, board member 2014- ongoing

The Swedish Fundraising Council (SFC), board member 2012-2018

The Swedish Fundraising Council European certification training (EFA) for fundraisers at Berghs School of Communications, 2009 – ongoing

The Swedish Fundraising Council Volunteer Fundraising., Course Leader for FRII’s annual course in collection, 2007- 2014

Swedish Fundraisers; board member 2004 – in 2008. Non-profit association for the industry fundraisers (collector) with a mandate to pursue knowledge between different fundarisers.

OTHER

Engaged as a lecturer at the example:

– Bonnierförlagen AB

– European Heart Network,

– DR Academy

– Berghs School of Communication

– SFC seminar, NGO Fundraising

LANGUAGE

Swedish – Native. Fluent spoken and written

English – Good command of spoken and written.

Professor D. Prabhakaran is a cardiologist and epidemiologist by training. He is an internationally renowned researcher and is currently the Vice President- Research & Policy, Public Health Foundation of India, Executive Director of Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India and Professor (Epidemiology) London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. He heads the Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions at PHFI which is a joint initiative of four leading institutions (Public Health Foundation of India, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Emory University). This centre conducts cutting edge research in the prevention of chronic diseases in India and the developing world.

His work spans from mechanistic research to understand the causes for increased propensity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among Indians, to developing solutions for CVD through translational research and human resource development. Prof. Prabhakaran is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, UK, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, and an Adjunct Professor at the Emory University. He is member of Executive Council of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and Chair of the International Society of CVD Epidemiology and Prevention (ISCEP). He has received funding from NHLBI, Wellcome Trust, European Commission and several other international and national funding bodies. He has mentored over 50 post-doctoral and doctoral students so far. He has authored several chapters and over 500 scholarly papers with an H index of 97. Listed as the topmost researcher in Medicine in India terms of publications for the years 2009-2014 by Scopus and Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. He is the lead editor of the Cardiovascular Disease Volume of the latest Disease Control Priorities Project. He is the lead editor of Tandon’s text book of Cardiology a two volume comprehensive book on Cardiology for Indian Cardiologists and Fellows.

As a member of the InterAmerican Heart Foundation, Beatriz is dedicated to the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases or NCDs, heart diseases and stroke in the Americas.  She helped found her organization and was Executive Director from 1995 to 2017.  She continues her active engagement with a focus on advocacy.

Beatriz’s contributions include advocacy to promote and defend policies supporting good nutrition, physical activity, control of tobacco and alcohol. She organized and has led the Healthy Latin America Coalition (CLAS) that has more than 300 member organizations in the region and has been instrumental in presenting a coherent response from civil society to issues arising nationally and internationally. She advocates for salt reduction in the region as part of the “Scaling up Salt Reduction Consortium.”

In tobacco control she set up the first tobacco control virtual network in Latin America and a separate one in the Caribbean. She organized many capacity building workshops to promote effective tobacco control policies including smokefree environments and tobacco warning labels. She supported tobacco warning labels research in the Caribbean and Central America resulting in a compendium of tested well-tailored warning labels for this region. She organized 7 journalism contests and awards. In smoking cessation, Beatriz worked to implement WHO guidelines including supporting national planning, training and networking of health professionals. She was a Principal Investigator of the CARMELA study of CV risk factor prevalence in seven Latin American cities; and co-Principal Investigator of the NIH funded “From production to retailing:  policy-oriented research on tobacco economy in Argentina.”  Beatriz was president and main organizer of five Latin American and Caribbean Tobacco or Health Conferences that took place in Rio de Janeiro; Mexico City; Lima, Peru; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Montevideo, Uruguay. She also supported economic studies in Central America in preparation for tobacco taxation.

Her organization received the 2009 Luther L. Terry Awards for Exemplary Leadership in Tobacco Control. The CLAS coalition received the 2017 Sharjah Award for Excellence in NCD Civil Society Action for its initiative “Rapid Regional Response to Strengthen and Defend National NCD Policies”. More recently she received the 2018 WHO World No Tobacco Day Award.

She holds a Master of Science and Ph.D. from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.  She was born and spend her formative years in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Jean-Luc Eiselé has worked in the field of medical association management for almost 20 years. He was trained as a biochemist working at the Biozentrum in Basel and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. In 1999, he joined the European Respiratory Society as Scientific Affairs Manager in charge of the Annual Congress and was offered to develop the educational activities, in particular the online portfolio. In 2001 he was nominated Deputy Executive Director and in 2007 ERS Executive Director. In 2011, he was appointed by FDI World Dental Federation as Executive Director, developing in particular its advocacy work and launching successfully the World Oral Health Day. He joined the World Heart Federation (WHF) as Chief Executive Officer in May 2017, strengthening the business model, the focus on communication and advocacy and membership engagement.