For the past three decades, Neil Johnson has been working with patients who live with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Empowering this global community to participate in their care drives him to help patients\u2019 advocate for their health, and to connect patient organisations and caregivers. It is a crucial filler of the current \u201cimplementation gap\u201d so that someday we can vanquish — or at least mitigate — the world\u2019s leading cause of mortality.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

With thanks to\u00a0<\/em>Servier<\/em><\/a>, a global sponsor of\u00a0<\/em>World Heart Day<\/em><\/a>, for their nomination of Neil Johnson as one of our\u00a0<\/em>heart heroes<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

When it comes to awareness, diagnosis and treatment, Neil Johnson has seen some progressive change, albeit slow, over the years. It is one reason for his strong focus today on prevention and research. \u201cWe\u2019re all going to become a patient at some point in our lives, and I fundamentally believe that the patients\u2019 voice could serve as the disruptor that improves CVD health, he says.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neil \u2018wears many hats\u2019: He is Chief Executive of the West of Ireland Cardiac Foundation, known as Cro\u00ed (Gaelic for \u2018heart\u2019) and a founder of Ireland’s first Heart and Stroke Centre dedicated to Cardiovascular Health & Wellbeing. The Centre has been recognised as a \u201cEuropean Centre of Excellence in CVD Prevention<\/a>.\u201d He is also the founder of the Global Heart Hub<\/a>, the first not-for-profit international alliance of heart patient organisations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether prescribed as preventive care or following diagnosis, sticking to a treatment plan is crucial for cardiovascular health,\u201d says Neil. \u201cAdherence to medication is sometimes a challenge and yet it plays such a determining role in patients\u2019 well-being and their prospects for healthier heart living.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read his full story here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About WHF Heart Heroes<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Cardiologists, healthcare professionals, policymakers, patients and their family members and friends are the heroes among us \u2014 battling, treating and beating heart disease. Read the unique stories of people and teams committed to improving cardiac health and reducing cardiovascular disease all over the world. Meet our other Heart Heroes.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the past three decades, Neil Johnson has been working with patients who live with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Empowering this global community to participate in their care drives him to help patients\u2019 advocate for their health, and to connect patient organisations and caregivers. It is a crucial filler of the current \u201cimplementation gap\u201d so that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12953,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"event":[],"project-campaign":[367],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-12963","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n