The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB) is pleased to announce that world-renowned cardiologist, Dr Gina Lundberg, will be one of four leading cardiovascular health experts, all women, joining Barbados-based medical faculty to speak at the Heart of a Woman (HoW) Medical Symposium, coming July 13 to 14, to the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Gina Price Lundberg, MD FACC is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Emory University and Clinical Director of the Emory Women’s Heart Center. She is a Preventive Cardiologist and leader in women’s cardiovascular care in Atlanta since 1998. She was invited to join the Emory University faculty in 2012 and led the development of the Emory Women’s Heart program with three locations across the metro Atlanta area. She attended the Medical College of Georgia and trained in Internal Medicine at Atlanta Medical Center (Georgia Baptist). Her cardiovascular fellowship was at Rush University from 1991 to 1994. She started the first women’s heart program in the state of Georgia and has been a passionate advocate for women’s cardiovascular health in the southeast.
She has been interviewed on the subject of Heart Disease in Women on CNN, NPR and has appeared frequently in USA Today. She is a National American Heart Association (AHA) Spokesperson. She served on the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Committee from 2006 till 2012. The mother of two shares her passion about better health through social media.
Foundation Unlocking the Heart of A Woman
HSFB’s Medical Director and Course Director for the HoW Medical Symposium, Dr Dawn Scantlebury recently shared the aims and objectives of the two-day Continuing Medical Education (CME) event for physicians, nurses, allied healthcare professionals and medical students.
According to Dr Scantlebury, who also serves as an interventional cardiologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, “Cardiovascular disease [CVD] is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality in women here in Barbados and worldwide. Yet, research consistently reveals a profound lack of awareness of this fact, not only among women, but also among many healthcare professionals. Beyond this lack of awareness, disparities in treatment of cardiovascular disease in women exist, often because of failure to appreciate differences in disease presentation between men and women.”
She explained that these observations prompted HSFB to conceptualise HoW, as “… a forum designed to educate both the Barbadian public and healthcare providers in concurrent symposia. The aim of the CME activity is to heighten awareness and to bridge the knowledge gap of manifestations, diagnosis and management of CVD] in women.”
Dr Scantlebury confirmed that beyond HoW’s medical focus, HSFB would host the HoW Stakeholder Symposium on July 12.
“At this symposium, we will bring together public and private sector stakeholders, trade unions, HR practitioners, educators, medical professionals, and relevant NGOs and CSOs to explore national and institutional policy prescriptions for promoting women’s heart health at home, work, school, in healthcare facilities and the wider community.” She invited prospective attendees to both symposia to visit the website www.how2019.hsfbarbados.org for more information and to register.
