HIGHLIGHTS

World Heart Day launches by helping UN employees to "Know Their Risk!"

UN employees based at the Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland will have the opportunity to have their heart-health checked from 15-18 September 2008. Trained staff from the mobile testing unit Bus Santé, which belongs to the University Hospitals of Geneva, will perform interviews and tests including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body mass index and waistline to hip measurements. This will officially launch the 2008 World Heart Day, taking place on 28 September with the theme “Know Your Risk!"

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica receives regional grant from the Bloomberg Global Initiative

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica along with its partners of The Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control, have received a grant of USD$627,824 from the Bloomberg Global Initiative. This grant will support the implementation of rotating picture-based package warnings on tobacco products sold in Caribbean countries and will be administered through the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

IN THIS ISSUE

“Eat for Goals”: Combining cooking and football to tackle youth obesity

“Eat for Goals” is about good food, cooking and football. It has been created to encourage young people to be more conscious of living active lifestyles and eating well. The book’s simple message, “A healthy lifestyle is also based on healthy food”, is conveyed by a multi-ethnic group of 13 internationally renowned male and female football players and their food choices. “Eat for Goals” was created under the patronage of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), World Heart Federation and the European Commission.

Dr Pekka Puska to chair the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Chronic Disease and Malnutrition

Dr Pekka Puska, President-Elect of the World Heart Federation, has been invited to Chair the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Chronic Disease and Malnutrition. This council will convene 15–30 of the most innovative and relevant minds to capture the best knowledge and integrate it into global collaboration and decision-making processes.

How one paediatric cardiologist in training is benefiting from a Twin Centres Fellowship

Barbara Edewele Otaigbe, a paediatrician from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in Nigeria was awarded a Twin Centres Fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to complete her training in paediatric cardiology at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases of the Madras Medical Mission in Chennai, India. Her main goal is to return to Port Harcourt, where there are no paediatric cardiologists, with the ability to make competent diagnoses with echocardiograms. Read about her experiences to date.

Rheumatic Heart Disease Programme in Tonga receives Heart Hero Award

Dr Toakase Fakakovikaetau is the 2008 recipient of ProCor’s Louise Lown Heart Hero Award on behalf of the Rheumatic Heart Disease Prevention Programme activities developed by the Ministry of Health in Tonga. The award recognises innovative, preventive approaches to cardiovascular health in developing countries.

World Heart Federation endorses Sydney Resolution

The World Heart Federation fully endorsed the Sydney Resolution delivered during the annual Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA) summit held in February 2008, in Australia. The resolution calls on the United Nations’ agencies, governments, corporations and businesses, donor agencies, professionals, consumers, non-government organizations and employee unions, civil society and individuals to collaborate in taking urgent action to halt the devastating global impact of chronic diseases.

“Smokefree in a Box”: A guide for smokefree workplaces

The Global Smokefree Partnership, of which the World Heart Federation is a member, has published “Smokefree in a Box”. A guide which aims to help companies design and implement a smokefree workplace. Experience from smokefree companies shows that proper implementation of these policies requires planning and coordination. The tools in this guide provide senior leadership, managers, and staff with easy-to-use advice on what to do from the moment their company decides to implement a smokefree policy.

CardioCare Live: Virtual conference for healthcare professionals

CardioCareLive is a virtual event for healthcare professionals dedicated to the management of patients with multiple cardiometabolic risk factors. The two-day, online-only conference will be held LIVE over the web from 3-4 March 2009, and there is no registration fee.

Continuing education: Masters in Preventive Cardiology

Would you like to learn more about Preventive Cardiology? Are you: a hospital or primary care physician, nurse, dietician, physiotherapist, physical activity specialist, psychologist, occupational therapist, pharmacist, or a health professional with an interest in cardiovascular disease prevention? If so, you may be interested in applying for a new Masters Degree course on this subject being run by the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London UK.

UPCOMING EVENTS

22-24 September - Tel Aviv, Israel

9th International Dead Sea Symposium (IDSS) on Cardiac Arrhythmias and Device Therapy

24-27 September - Vienna, Austria

6th World Stroke Congress

22- 25 October  - Venice, Italy

7th International Symposium on Multible Risk Factors in Cardiovascular Diseases - Prevention and Intervention - Health Policy

See all events >