Conversations From the Heart: Recent Episodes
World Heart Federation
Conversations from the heart unravels big and small ideas, developments, and breakthroughs in cardiology. From vital issues such as how to prevent cardiovascular disease, to the latest in treatment and care for the millions of people affected by it, we take our listeners on an exploratory journey. A journey towards stronger health systems and healthier hearts. Brought to you by the World Heart Federation and hosted by Pablo Perel and Borjana Pervan, the podcast features conversations with practitioners and authors of key publications and discoveries. From our heart to yours, thank you for letting us in.
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World Heart Federation host Shreya Shrikhande speaks with Mike Lane from the Amyloidosis Army and David Gregory from the Amyloidosis Alliance on their powerful journeys with ATTR-CM.
They share the challenges of misdiagnosis, treatment access, community support, and the urgent need for awareness and early detection of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.
Find out more about Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy ATTR-CM on World Heart Federation website.
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Host Pablo Perel and co-host Prof. Raul Santos talk with Dr Jiao Luo about Mendelian randomisation (MR) in cardiovascular research, what it is, core assumptions (relevance, independence, no horizontal pleiotropy), common pitfalls (weak instruments, population mismatch, non-linearity), and how to read MR papers.
The episode references:
Unraveling the Causal Links Between Immune Cells, Lipids, and Cardiovascular Diseases: Insights from Mendelian Randomization and
Mendelian Randomisation: Concepts, Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions.
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In this episode, host Pablo Perel speaks with Mr. Girma Dessie and Dr. Andrew Moran about a powerful example of real-world cardiovascular implementation research from Ethiopia.
Mr. Dessie presents a recent study investigating why patients enrolled in a hypertension program were missing follow-up visits, despite strong program support and a standardized care model. The discussion covers the challenges of conducting field research in low-resource settings, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest—and how their findings directly informed national health policy changes in Ethiopia.
Dr. Moran, co-author of the study and deputy editor of Global Heart, introduces the journal’s new section “Lessons from the Field,” aimed at amplifying implementation and operational research from low- and middle-income countries. He explains how this new platform will support practitioners and policymakers by bringing visibility to local innovations that improve cardiovascular care.
Tune in to learn how frontline research can drive evidence-based policy, improve retention in care, and shape global cardiovascular health strategies.
Read the featured paper in Global Heart:
Factors Associated with Hypertension Care Follow-Up in the Ethiopia HEARTS Program
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This episode is hosted by Sean Taylor, Director of Science and Public Health at the World Heart Federation, and Shreya Shrikhande, Science and Public Health Officer in the same team. They speak with two patients, Maria and Chandrima, who share their personal journeys with angina.
Although their experiences are different—one facing years of uncertainty, the other enduring rapid, severe symptoms—both describe the struggle to receive a diagnosis and to have their symptoms taken seriously. They discuss the ongoing impact of angina on their daily lives, including physical, emotional, and social challenges.
Their stories highlight the importance of recognising non-typical presentations, listening to patients, and ensuring better awareness and support for those living with angina.
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In this episode, we explore the key findings of the World Heart Report 2025, which focuses on obesity and cardiovascular disease. The report’s lead authors, Professor Mariachiara Di Cesare from the University of Essex and Professor Francisco Lopez-Jimenez from the Mayo Clinic, delve into why obesity remains one of the most neglected cardiovascular risk factors, how it directly contributes to heart disease, and what makes this report distinct from previous editions.
The conversation also highlights the biological and societal drivers of obesity, the need for stronger clinical and public health responses, and what current trends mean for global health systems.
Tune in to hear about the latest evidence, clinical recommendations, and public health insights shaping the global response to obesity and cardiovascular disease.
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In this episode, we explore the 2025 WHO guidelines on the use of low-sodium salt substitutes. Prof. Mary L’Abbé, a member of the WHO guideline development group, explains the evidence, recommendations, and key considerations behind this important new guideline. Later, Prof. Jaime Miranda reflects on the global public health implications, implementation challenges, and how salt substitution could be a game changer for reducing population-level cardiovascular risk. Tune in to learn about the science, the controversies, and the potential for real-world impact.
And you can have access to the full WHO report here:
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240105591
Read the Editorial on Global Heart Journal
https://globalheartjournal.com/articles/10.5334/gh.1419
Further reading:
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Salt study in Peru: Effect of salt substitution on community-wide blood pressure and hypertension incidence - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0754-2
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UN GSDR 2023 report: Global Sustainable Development Report 2023: Times of Crisis, Times of Change - Science for Accelerating Transformations to Sustainable Development - https://sdgs.un.org/gsdr/gsdr2023
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Season with Sense - a public health campaign with the aim of driving down consumer sodium intake - https://www.seasonwithsense.com
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Wrap up February with the latest episode of the World Heart Podcast! This time, hosts Lisa Hadeed and Shreya Shrikhande, PhD welcome Prof. Laurence (Larry) Sperling, a leading expert in preventive cardiology, to discuss the critical connection between influenza and heart health.
Prof. Sperling shares key insights on how the flu can increase cardiovascular risks, why the annual flu shot is a powerful heart disease prevention strategy, and what steps we can take to protect ourselves and our communities. Tune in for an engaging conversation on the importance of vaccination, the science behind flu-related heart risks, and the role of healthcare professionals in building vaccine trust.
Listen now on all major podcast platforms!
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Kick off 2025 with the Global Heart Podcast! Our January episode features Dr. Raul Santos, Global Heart's new Editor-in-Chief, and Dr. Jagat Narula, WHF President, sharing their inspiring visions for advancing global cardiovascular research through Global Heart and the World Heart Federation to improve heart health worldwide.
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Join us for the latest episode of the World Heart Federation Podcast, hosted by WHF Senior Science Advisor, Pablo Perel. This time, we welcome Professor David Wood, a global leader in cardiovascular prevention, to discuss the groundbreaking and recently published INTERASPIRE study. Discover its key findings related to the critical gaps in achieving care standards for cardiovascular secondary prevention.Link to the paper: https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/45/39/4184/7742405
Details on the INTERASPIRE study on World Heart Observatory website:
https://world-heart-federation.org/world-heart-observatory/multi-national-studies/
In this third episode of our podcast series ‘Global Heart Podcast', World Heart Federation Science Advisor Pablo Perel discusses recent global cardiovascular research on air pollution and explains findings and implications with lead authors of the papers.
- Mark Miller (Reader, Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.): World Heart Report 2024 | World Heart Federation
- Dorairaj Prabhakaran (Executive Director, Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India): Longitudinal associations between ambient PM2.5 exposure and lipid levels in two Indian cities | PubMed
In this second episode of our podcast series ‘Global Heart Podcast', World Heart Federation Science Advisor Pablo Perel and Global Heart Journal Editor-in-chief Rick Grobbee discuss recent global cardiovascular research on secondary prevention and explain findings and implications with lead authors of the papers.
- Clara Chow (Professor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Australia): World Heart Federation Roadmap for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: 2023 Update - Global Heart (globalheartjournal.com) | Global Heart
- David Flood (Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan, United Stated of America) & Sang Gune (Kyle) Yoo (Fellow, Washington University School of Medicine in St.Louis, United States of America): Aspirin for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in 51 Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries | Cardiology | JAMA | JAMA Network | JAMA
In this first episode of our new podcast series ‘Global Heart Podcast', World Heart Federation Science Advisor Pablo Perel and Global Heart Journal Editor-in-chief Rick Grobbee discuss recent global cardiovascular research on hypertension and explain findings and implications with lead authors of the papers.
- Vilma Irazola (Director, Department of Chronic Diseases, Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy, Argentina): Implementation outcomes and strategies for delivering evidence-based hypertension interventions in lower-middle-income countries: Evidence from a multi-country consortium for hypertension control |PLOS ONE
- Anthony Rodgers (Professor of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia): Rationale for a new low-dose triple single pill combination for the treatment of hypertension | Global Heart
- Thomas Gaziano (Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States): Results of a Remotely Delivered Hypertension and Lipid Program in More Than 10 000 Patients Across a Diverse Health Care Network | PubMed
In this second episode of our new podcast series 'Data at the Heart', journalist Tony Johnston talks to Sarah Des Rosiers, Director of Health Equity at the Novartis Foundation. Sarah manages strategic public-private partnerships to advance the response against cardiovascular diseases worldwide, leveraging the power of data and digital for population health impact.
The World Heart Observatory is the first global data hub for cardiovascular conditions and risk factors. It combines data from different sources to provide the latest, most accurate information on the global burden of cardiovascular disease: https://worldheartobservatory.org/
This episode is supported by Novartis Foundation.
In this first episode of our new podcast series 'Data at the Heart', journalist Tony Johnston engages in a compelling conversation with Mariachiara Di Cesare, Professor in Population Studies and Global Health and Director of the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing at the University of Essex. Chiara has played a pivotal role in shaping the World Heart Federation's World Heart Observatory and is lead author of the World Heart Report 2023.
The World Heart Observatory is the first global data hub for cardiovascular conditions and risk factors. It combines data from different sources to provide the latest, most accurate information on the global burden of cardiovascular disease: https://worldheartobservatory.org/
This episode is supported by Novartis Foundation.
A limited-edition podcast series on women and cardiovascular health
Women and cardiovascular health is a topic close to our hearts and at the centre of the activities of many of our Members. This year, our podcast Conversations from the Heart will take a deep dive into gender equity as a way of improving heart health for everyone. To mark International Women's Day 2022, we are kicking off with women in cardiology: the role they play in the workforce, in patient-physician relationships and in changing the culture of cardiology.
We speak with two young cardiologists from Sri Lanka and Iraq, who are at the forefront of promoting gender equity and who are also WHF’s Emerging Leaders. Aaysha Cader is an interventional cardiologist originally from Sri Lanka and currently working at the Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital & Research Institute, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Zainab Atiyah Dakhil, is an academic and interventional cardiologist working at Ibn AlBitar Cardiac Centre Baghdad, Iraq. They share with our listeners the source of their drive to help people and why they chose cardiology, despite the hurdles they encountered along the way.
Join us to listen to the Interview of Prof. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India and formerly headed the Department of Cardiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Widely regarded as a leader of preventive cardiology at national and international levels, Reddy has been a researcher, teacher, policy enabler, advocate and activist who has worked to promote cardiovascular health, tobacco control, appropriate nutrition across the life course, chronic disease prevention and healthy living across the lifespan.
Today, we have the pleasure to speak with Prof. Liesl Zuhlke, a paediatric cardiologist in Cape Town, an emerging leader in cardiovascular medicine on the African continent. If you check her biography online you will find out that her major research interests lie in Rheumatic Heart Disease and congenital heart disease but today we will offer more than this to our listeners, we will find out from her about her life, her passions, and fears, why she chose this path in life, what inspires her, and what she sees as a hurdle in her job and globally in public health.
Today we have the pleasure to speak with Prof Salim Yusuf, a renowned cardiologist, WHF Past President, Distinguished Professor of Medicine at McMaster University and Executive Director of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI).
For the last 40 years, his research has played a key role in improving CVD treatment and prevention in different parts of the world.