Executive Committee

Jagat Narula, MD, PhD, MACC, FRCP is currently the executive vice president and chief academic officer at UTHealth Houston. He works with the six deans and members of the UTHealth Houston leadership team to advance the academic mission and promote excellence in education and research. This includes leading a diverse team of faculty and administrators to oversee strategic planning and implementation of the university’s education and research platform. 

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.

Dr. Mbakwem is a professor of Medicine at the University of Lagos and a consultant cardiologist to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. She completed her residency training in internal medicine and cardiology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and received a Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians. She underwent further training in cardiology at the Wolfson Heart Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel and Azienda Sanitaria, Tuscany, Italy. Dr Mbakwem’s research interest includes Heart failure, systemic and pulmonary hypertension, heart disease in women, effective communication in disease management and the psychosocial issues in cardiovascular diseases. She is a member of the Nigerian Hypertension society guidelines writing committee. She is a past President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society and a member of the European Society of Cardiology working group on Peripartum cardiomyopathy. She is the current vice president of PASCAR, West Africa region.

Professor Dorairaj Prabhakaran is an eminent cardiologist, epidemiologist and academician of global repute. He moved beyond the conventional world of clinical cardiology to advance science in the prevention of heart diseases and diabetes in India so that his work could benefit millions of people in this country. He is currently Executive Director, Centre for Chronic Disease Control and the President-Elect of the World Heart Federation.
Prof. Prabhakaran has more than 750 publications in prominent scientific journals and has an H‐Index of 126.
His work spans from understanding the pathways as to why Indians have a high propensity to CVD and diabetes, the role of air pollution and climate change in chronic diseases, identifying low-cost solutions including digital health, telemedicine and AI, and large-scale capacity building of researchers and physicians. His exceptional contributions spanning Science, Medicine, and Public Health have catapulted the field of Preventive Cardiology in India.

Daniel José Piñeiro Full Professor of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina Immediate Past President, World Heart Federation Former President, Inter-American Society of Cardiology Former President, Argentine Society of Cardiology Former Trustee, Board of Trustees, American College of Cardiology Former Board Member, World Heart Federation Former Roadmaps Liaison Officer, Science Committee, World Heart Federation Prof. Daniel José Piñeiro has been a Full Professor of Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 2005. He is actively involved in several international organizations, having served as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the American College of Cardiology from 2018 to 2021, and as the Roadmaps Liaison Officer on the Science Committee of the World Heart Federation from 2019 to 2020. Prof. Piñeiro has held significant roles within the World Heart Federation, including two terms as a Board Member from 2011 to 2013 and from 2017 to 2018. He was also a member of the Membership Committee of the American College of Cardiology from 2016 to 2017 and served as the Chair of the Assembly of International Governors from 2015 to 2017. He was the President of the Inter-American Society of Cardiology from 2011 to 2013 and the President of the Argentine Society of Cardiology in 2005. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association. Prof. Piñeiro graduated with honors in medicine from the University of Buenos Aires. His work encompasses academic and educational activities, as well as clinical practice, with a strong interest in Public and Global Health, which is evident through his involvement with WHF Roadmaps and roundtables. Prof. Piñeiro regularly presents his research at international and national conferences and has an extensive publication record, including books, book chapters, and articles in both international and national journals. His publications include guidelines, consensus statements, white papers, and roadmaps focused on Global Health. He has received more than ten national and international awards in recognition of his contributions to the field.

David Lloyd is CEO of the National Heart Foundation of Australia. He is concurrently a Board member and Vice President (Elect) of the World Heart Federation in Geneva; Chair of the Timor Leste Hearts Fund; a board member of the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum; and a board member of Momentum Triathlon Academy.

Prior to joining the Heart Foundation, he served as founding CEO of the South Australian Immunogenomics Cancer Institute at the University of Adelaide, CEO of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, Chief Operating Officer of the Baker Heart Research Institute, and CEO of the University of Melbourne’s commercial subsidiaries Melbourne Enterprises International and Melbourne University Private. He is a keen but strictly amateur endurance sport enthusiast.

Rick Chazal is a senior cardiologist and the Medical Director for Quality/Transformation/Innovation for the Lee Health Heart Institute in Fort Myers, Florida. He is the Past President of the American College of Cardiology and the current Treasurer of WHF. He has practiced clinical cardiology in Fort Myers since 1983 with expertise in imaging and quality management.

Close to 12 years contributions to global public health with on prevention and control of NCDs. MD, Gynecologist and Obstetrician and master’s degree in health administration and management, University of Oslo, Norway. Over 20 years of senior management experience from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations.
Chairperson of the World Heart Federation advocacy steering committee. I am committed to advancing global initiatives like HEARTS and the Global Diabetes Compact, as well as fighting air pollution, integrating heart and cardiometabolic diseases into Primary Health Care (PHC), Universal Health Coverage (UHC), humanitarian settings, climate and environment, human rights, and gender agendas with a specific focus on the 4th HLM on NCDs in 2025.
It is an inspiration to build networks and foster participation among partners, stakeholders, the private sector, employees, patient organizations to develop solutions. Co- creation with those with lived experience is a cornerstone for innovation and implementation.

Borjana Pervan is Chief Executive Officer of the World Heart Federation (WHF), where she leads the global organisation’s efforts to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and improve heart health for everyone, everywhere.

A journalist by training, Borjana has built her career around asking questions, challenging assumptions, and bringing people together to drive change. She began as a broadcast and print reporter in her native Bulgaria, where her investigative work helped uncover a major international human trafficking ring. She later moved into strategic communications and organisational leadership, working across global health, environmental conservation, child protection, and human rights.

Before becoming CEO, Borjana served as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO of WHF, having joined the organisation in 2019 as Director of Strategy and Communications. During her tenure, she helped shape some of WHF’s most significant achievements, including transforming World Heart Day into one of the world’s largest public health awareness campaigns, strengthening the Federation’s global advocacy efforts, and helping secure the first European Union-level cardiovascular health plan. She also played a leading role in positioning the World Heart Summit as a premier global platform where science, policy, and media come together to advance cardiovascular health.

Prior to joining WHF, Borjana held senior leadership roles at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Cocoa Initiative. Her work focused on strengthening global partnerships, increasing organisational impact, and promoting transparency, accountability, and sustainable systems that improve people’s lives.

Throughout her career, Borjana has been driven by a belief that complex global challenges can be solved through collaboration, evidence-based action, and strong leadership. She is passionate about ensuring that scientific knowledge is translated into policies and practical solutions that improve health outcomes and create lasting change for communities around the world.