Epidemiology Working Group

Given the increase in the burden of heart valve disease that is expected in the following decades, and the growing inequality when it comes to access to health care, it is time for a global initiative to improve insight into heart valve disease epidemiology.

The Working Group on Heart Valve Disease Epidemiology is aimed at both clinical epidemiology and population epidemiology, primary and secondary prevention, and studying determinants of therapy selection and outcome in patients with heart valve disease.

The main goals of the Working Group are (1) to improve insight into the occurrence of heart valve disease worldwide and determinants of outcome, (2) connect professionals involved in the subject and (3) put this important health burden on the agenda of health care policy makers. Read how these 3 goals are achieved.

Working Group Initiative(s):

“World of Difference" study comparing characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing AVR in Rotterdam (NL) and New Delhi (India) "Statistics re-analysed: From complexity to simplicity and utility" – a statistical guidelines paper for cardiovascular clinicians, focusing on heart valve disease, produced by Working Group members Johanna J.M. Takkenberg, MD, PhD and Magdi H. Yacoub, MD, and Ismail El-Hamamsy, MD

We invite colleagues who are involved in heart valve disease research and who are interested and committed, to join the working group, help to address the above-mentioned topics and propose new topics and projects that will further improve insight into heart valve disease epidemiology. For more information: j.j.m.takkenberg@erasmusmc.nl.

Members of the working group are:
Jonathan R. Carapetis, MBBS, B Med Sc, FRACP, FAFPHM, PhD, Darwin, Australia
Arkalgud S Kumar, New Delhi, India
Nalini M. Rajamannan, MD, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Raphael Rosenhek, MD, Vienna, Austria
Johanna J.M. Takkenberg, MD, PhD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Chair)
Christina M. Vassileva, MD, Springfield, Illinois, USA
Magdi H. Yacoub, MD, Harefield, United Kingdom