SHEIKH ELECTED TO SUCCEED FUSTER AS PRESIDENTThe World Heart Federation welcomes Shahryar Sheikh of Pakistan as President in January 2007, when Prof. Sheikh succeeds Valentin Fuster of the United States. The World Heart Federation’s General Assembly elected Prof. Sheikh at the Sydney World Congress of Cardiology in 2002. His two-year term will last through 2008. The World Heart Federation’s General Assembly in Barcelona in 2006 elected Pekka Puska of Finland as President-Elect to succeed Prof. Sheikh in January 2009. Pledge of supportProf. Sheikh pledged to lead the World Heart Federation’s critical work in awareness building, advocacy, sharing science and demonstration projects. He also pledged to strengthen relations between the World Heart Federation and its member societies and foundations and to build bridges between the societies and foundations themselves. "To have a positive impact on cardiovascular disease in developing countries, we need to listen and understand the needs of the people," he said. "Our members, both societies and foundations, must work together to address the issues of patients' care and population health." A strong track recordProf. Sheikh lives in Lahore, Pakistan. He received his medical degree from King Edward Medical College in Lahore in 1969 and post graduate training in medicine and cardiology in the United States of America, initially as an intern at Mount Sinai Hospital Services at Elmhurst General Hospital New York. Later, he spent many years at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, as a Medical Resident, Cardiology Fellow and Associate Staff Cardiologist. He returned to Pakistan in 1980 and joined the department of cardiology at King Edward Medical College as Assistant Professor. In 1985, he became Associate Professor of Cardiology. In 1989, he was appointed first Executive Director and Professor of Cardiology at Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, and served in this capacity for more than 10 years. He is currently Professor of Cardiology at Allama Iqbal Medical College and Consultant Cardiologist at Doctors Hospital & Medical Centre, Lahore. In 1998, Prof. Sheikh received the Government of Pakistan’s Pride of Performance Award for his contributions to cardiovascular health care in Pakistan. He was President of the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology during 1999-2003 and President of the Pakistan Cardiac Society from 2002-2004. He has been Chairman of the editorial board of the Pakistan Heart Journal, served as an Executive Board Member of the World Heart Federation during 1999-2002 and is currently a member of International Committee of the American College of Cardiology. Puska looks forwardAs President-Elect, Dr Puska looks forward to making his own contributions, especially in the area of prevention. "Working with the World Heart Federation I will be able to concentrate more on the health issues and less on major stakeholder politics and hope to make a real difference to the global health agenda," said Dr Puska. Other elected postsOthers who took office in January 2007 are: • Srinath Reddy of India, Foundations' Advisory Board Chair. Lyn Roberts of Australia joined the Board in January 2007, as Vice-President-Elect. | |||||||
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