WomenHeart is working on many fronts to raise awareness of missed and delayed diagnosis of heart disease in women. In December, the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology published a Commentary by Dr. Heather Johnson, Dr. Martha Gulati and WomenHeart staff Celina Gorre and Amy Friedrich-Karnik, “Addressing the Bias in Cardiovascular Care: Missed and Delayed Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disease in Women.”  It highlights the report we released earlier this year on ways to address the diagnostic challenges faced by women with heart disease. Then earlier this month, we released the first in a series of videos featuring WomenHeart Champions’ misdiagnosis stories. You can watch Glenda’s story and read more about the effort, which includes an opportunity to write your members of Congress to raise awareness of this problem. The next story will be released in February.

February is the month to shine a spotlight on women’s heart health. WomenHeart will feature our annual #29DaysofHeart social media campaign in honor of Black History Month, highlighting the impact of heart disease on Black women and lifting up their voices. Tune in on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn each Friday at 1:00pm ET for a live interview with CEO Celina Gorre and one of our Champions. Toward the end of the month, we will kick off a six-week series of weekly cardiac yoga sessions on Zoom and host a HeartTalks webinar on thriving with heart disease. Be sure to follow us on social media for more details! In addition, we are excited to participate in Heart Failure Awareness Week February 13-19, including a Twitter chat on February 16 at noon ET, and in Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day on February 22.

WomenHeart is hosting the annual Wenger Awards on May 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. We are now accepting nominations for the Awards in the categories of Excellence in Communications/ Media, Excellence in Medical Leadership/ Research, Excellence in Public Policy, and Excellence in Community Outreach/ Advocacy. Learn more about the criteria and how to submit a nomination. The deadline to submit nominations is February 18, 2022.

Superstar Barba Streisand and Dr. Noel Bairey Merz authored an editorial on December 28 entitled, “Let’s hope COVID’s aftermath is wake-up call that ends neglect of women’s heart health.” It mentioned WomenHeart as an organization offering important peer-to-peer support.