Neglected Cardiac Diseases

R. Krishna Kumar MD, DM, FAHA

Under Dr. Krishna Kumar’s leadership, the Pediatric Heart Program at the Amrita Hospital has acquired global reputation in quality of clinical services, research and training. The program received the BMJ award for quality improvement (2014) and status of center of excellence in research by ICMR (2023). A substantial proportion of the national work force in pediatric cardiology has been trained at Amrita Hospital. His interests relate to epidemiology of pediatric heart disease, cost effective care and population-based programs for care delivery. He conducted a number of projects as a principal investigator for ICMR and has published over 250 indexed original and review articles and edited four textbooks.

Andrea Beaton is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and a Pediatric Cardiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She is a founding member of the Rheumatic Heart Disease Research Collaborative in Uganda (RRCU) which has collaboratively published over 40 studies across the translational spectrum in RHD research. Dr. Beaton is currently the Center Director of an American Heart Association Strategically Focused Research Network (ADD-RHD) that is developing technology-enabled approaches to get more patients living with RHD onto secondary antibiotic prophylaxis. She also led the GOAL Trial, determining the impact of secondary antibiotic prophylaxis on latent RHD, and will lead the follow-up study of these patients, GOAL-Post. Dr. Beaton has multiple leadership positions in the American Heart Association (immediate past-chair of the Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease Committee, International Committee, Epidemiology and Statistics Committee) and World Health Organization (Chair, RHD Guideline Development Group).

I am a pediatric cardiologist and the Head of the Pediatric Cardiology Department at Complexo Hospitalar de Doenças Cardio-Pulmonares, Angola, where I lead clinical services and oversee medical training programs. With extensive experience in the management of congenital and acquired heart diseases in children, I am deeply committed to advancing cardiovascular care in Angola and across the African region.
Over the years, I have actively contributed to national and regional initiatives aimed at improving access to high-quality cardiac care. I played a pivotal role in implementing secondary prophylaxis programs for rheumatic heart disease and establishing congenital heart disease screening protocols using pulse oximetry in newborns. My advocacy has also led to collaborations with international organizations, promoting surgical and percutaneous treatment opportunities for pediatric patients in Angola.
My motivation for joining the World Heart Federation lies in the opportunity to promote equitable access to cardiovascular care and foster global partnerships to address neglected cardiovascular diseases. I believe that a collaborative and inclusive approach is essential to achieving WHF’s mission of cardiovascular health for everyone.
In addition to my clinical and leadership roles, I am a founding member and Secretary General of the Angolan Pediatric Cardiology Council and SG assistant for Southern Region at Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) to strengthen cardiology networks across the southern region. I have also organized and facilitated educational courses in ECG and echocardiography to build local capacity in cardiac diagnostics.
I am honored to contribute to the WHF’s mission and look forward to advancing initiatives that make a meaningful impact on global heart health.

Director Heart failure and Cardiac Transplant Program
Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia
Director of Scientific Council for Chagas Diseases
Interamerican Society of Cardiology SIAC

MD-PhD.
Graduate degree in Cardiology, (University of Buenos Aires), Clinical Investigation and Biostatistics (Argentine Medical Association), and Advanced Heart Failure/cardiomyopathies/pulmonary hypertension (Duke, UCA, Cleveland Clinic).

Professor, pharmacology department, University of Buenos Aires. Argentina.

2 books and >50 published papers in refereed journals and book chapters; >300 lectures & abstacts in CV congresses.

WHF emerging leaders program, 2018 cohort; director of SIAC´s emerging leaders program.

Research areas: Thrombosis, Antithrombotics, Atrial Fibrillation, Lipids/LLTs, Obesity and CVD, cardiometabolism, Heart Failure, Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Embolism, Chagas Disease, CV Pharmacology, Antiarrhythmics-QTc, Influenza, Covid-19 and CVDisease.

I have been working on the relation of infectious diseases and the heart, including influenza vaccine guidelines, neglected tropical diseases and the heart (NTD heart project), Chagas disease roadmap, Chagas and COVID-19, both at interamerican society of cardiology (SIAC) and WHF.

I´m based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and currently also working at Arg Society of Cardiology (SAC) on cardiometabolic health, and as medical advisor in CV drugs development.