Seed funding opportunity - request for propposal

Application form can be accessed here

SA Heart^® continues to invite abstracts to be submitted for its congress in October up to Sunday 18 July. 

To submit your abstract click here.

To register for this congress click here. Early Bird registration offering 20% discount ends 14 July 2021.

Deadline: 09 July 2021

CATEGORIES FOR SUBMISSION

• Arrhythmias
• Basic Science
• Cardiac Imaging
• Controversies in Cardiovascular Disease
• Coronary Artery Disease
• COVID-19 and Heart Disease
• Heart Failure
• Paediatric Cardiology
• Preventative Cardiology
• Statistics in Clinical Trials
• Valvular Heart Disease

To submit your abstract follow this link 

A Lancet Commission report released on 16 May states that cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes 35% of deaths in women worldwide, with mortality increasing for young women. It is the first global report on this disease among women, and was presented by the all-women-led commission at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session.

Find the link to more information in this UCT news article here

A study on the prevention and management of RHD in the African Union has been published in The Lancet Global Health on 10 May 2021.

Findings challenge the current assumption that primary prevention is more cost-effective than disease management and a need to adept intervention according to regional circumstances. 

Access the interview with Prof Karen Sliwa on this subject here and Gene Bukhman here or watch the video The Beat of Change: Rheumatic Heart Disease in Mozambique 

The new SA Heart Board is sharing a light moment during the Induction Course middle March.

Here Dr David Jankelow, past SA Heart president and Board Chair is thanked for his term and enourmous input over the past years.

Prof Deon Bezuidenhout is the new Chairperson of the SA Heart® Board with Dr Blanche Cupido being the president.

The other Board members are Dr Tawanda Butau, Dr Martin Mpe, Dr Alfonso Pecoraro, Dr Tom Mabin and Ms Robyn Hey (independent).

We would like to introduce you to the South African Heart Association's dynamic new president, Dr Blanche Cupido. 

Born and raised in Cape Town, this senior clinical and interventional cardiologist practices at Groote Schuur Hospital and UCT Private Academic Hospital. She has a particular interest in adult congenital heart disease and is also passionate about medical- and cardiology-specific education.

Dr Cupido received her medical training in South Africa and abroad. She graduated from the University of Cape Town (MBChB) in 2001, obtained her  Fellowship to the College of Physicians (FCP) in 2009 and her a Certificate in Cardiology from the Colleges of Medicine of SA in 2013. She went on to complete an MPhil  in Cardiology at UCT. In 2016-2017, she completed a Fellowship in Adult Congenital Heart Disease at the Leeds General Infirmary Hospital, UK (2017), and her Certificate in Advanced Heart Failure Management from the European Society of Cardiology and University of Zurich in 2018.  She has participated in the Women Transforming Leadership Programme from Said Business School, University of Oxford (2019), among other qualifications.

Dr Cupido has published several peer-reviewed articles and lectured at major local and international conferences over the years, contributing to the medical community’s knowledge of her field. In March 2020, she was one of only five international recipients of the inaugural Women as One's Escalator Awards aimed at catalysing qualified female cardiologists' careers.

Apart from leading the SA Heart Association towards its goals this year, Dr Cupido currently serves as the International Society of Adult Congenital Heart Disease's (ISACHD) Regional Ambassador: Africa and Section Editor of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Journal Watch for the Congenital Heart International Professionals (CHIP) Network . Right now, she also lectures at her alma mater, the University of Cape Town.

On behalf of its members the SA Heart Board^® expresses its heartfelt condolences on the tragic loss of our dear colleagues, Dr Curnick Siyabonga Mahlangu, Dr Kgopotso Rudolph Mononyane, Mpho Xaba and Sinjin Joshua Farrance who have lost their lives when a helicopter they were travelling with to transfer a patient for critical care, crashed and killed all on board. We pay utmost respect to their selfless dedication to duty and mourn their untimely passing. SA Heart® extends its deepest sympathies to their and the pilot’s families, to Netcare, the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons and the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists.

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/civil-aviation-authority-probing-netcare-helicopter-crash-that-killed-pilot-4-healthcare-workers-20210121

Digital health is no longer an abstract concept but a lifeline for people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and for the overstretched workforce that cares for them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among NCDs, circulatory diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain the leading causes of mortality and disability globally. Changing this sobering reality - as well as contributing to achieving target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals - will require leveraging digital health tools to prevent, diagnose and manage cardiovascular and other circulatory diseases.

The new WHF position paper – The Case for the Digital Transformation of Circulatory Health – explores how digital innovation can improve healthcare for people with circulatory diseases and supports policymakers to leverage technology through five recommendations:

1. Investing in end users: building the digital capacity of the health workforce.
2. Serving end users: building the digital literacy of patients, their families and communities.
3. Protecting end users: establishing regulations and protocols for patient privacy & safety.
4. Ensuring sustainable financing mechanisms for digital health: establishing infrastructure and prioritizing funding.
5. Supporting research on digital health: setting priorities that address digital health inequalities.

Click here to read the paper and here to read our blog on how the digital age can remedy the unequal access to healthcare that has preceded it.

If you have missed the Sunday Times Connect webinar on heart matters and angina with Drs Jankelow and Butau, the webinar will remain on the Sunday Times Facebook page and online (https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/health-and-sex/2020-09-23-join-the-sunday-times-connect-digital-discussion-about-heart-health-on-september-29-2020-at-1pm/ to consult at your leisure.