Healthy Caribbean Coalition -
Promoting Cardiovascular Health in the Developing World: A Critical Challenge to Achieve Global Health
Promoting Cardiovascular Health in the Developing
World: A Critical Challenge to Achieve Global Health
Valentin Fuster and Bridget B. Kelly, Editors; Committee
on Preventing the Global Epidemic of Cardiovascular
Disease: Meeting the Challenges in Developing
Countries; Institute of Medicine
About 10 years ago, in an address as the newly appointed President of the American Heart
Association (AHA), I alluded to three serious challenges facing the field of cardiovascular
disease: (1) How to support and energize research, which is so crucial to preventing the still evolving
epidemic of cardiovascular disease (CVD)? (2) Is it realistic to expect that this global
epidemic can be lessened or avoided solely by professional and public education, or is there a
need for more aggressive implementation strategies at a global level? (3) Would a more
integrated and cooperative global approach, involving many if not all of the national and
international organizations represented at the AHA Scientific Sessions, maximize the
effectiveness of individual organizations and their volunteers?