New grants to improve patient outcomes in underserved communities
The EACTS Outreach Programme will distribute grants of up to €20,000 with funding from the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation and the Every Heartbeat Matters (EHM) initiative to qualified surgeons involved in humanitarian work caring for patients who have limited access to heart valve treatments.
Recipients of the grants – who must be an EACTS member – will provide education to help reduce the global burden of heart valve disease and drive progress towards global equity in cardiothoracic, vascular and thoracic surgical care.
Commenting on the new programme, Patrick Myers, EACTS Secretary General, said: “Many EACTS members already engage in vital educational and humanitarian programmes, particularly in Africa. The EACTS Outreach Programme will drive and coordinate more of this important work – harnessing the expertise of EACTS members and fostering collaborations with industry partners, charities and other organisations. Together we can improve long term patient outcomes by opening up access to heart valve treatments around the world.”
To oversee this vital work, a new Outreach Committee has been established. Chaired by Professor Carlos Mestres, Extraordinary Professor at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of the Free State in South Africa, the committee will award industry or charity-sponsored grants to EACTS members. By leveraging industry and charity contacts EACTS aims to shift the focus from short-term missions to sustainable programmes that improve long-term patient outcomes in underserved regions, with growing interest from industry to fund such efforts.
