Addressing Access Gaps and Maternity Deserts

In this second episode of a collaborative series with the AHA Women in Cardiology (WIC) Committee, CardioNerds (Dr. Gurleen Kaur and Dr. Anna Radhakrishnan) are joined by four leading experts in Cardio-Obstetrics to explore this rapidly evolving field. Dr. Rina Mauricio (Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Cardio-Obstetrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center), Dr. Afshan Hameed (Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine and Cardio-Obstetrics at UC Irvine), Dr. Doreen DeFaria Yeh (Co-director of the MGH Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Program), and Dr. Garima Sharma (Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Cardio-Obstetrics at Inova) define Cardio-Ob as encompassing not only care of women during pregnancy, but also the complex decision-making that extends through the preconception and postpartum periods. From counseling patients with pre-existing or congenital heart disease before pregnancy to managing cardiovascular health during pregnancy and after delivery, they trace how the field has developed in response to the urgent need to address maternal mortality. Listeners will gain valuable insight into the multidisciplinary teamwork, patient-centered decision-making, and advocacy that drive this field – along with the importance of expanding Cardio-Ob education for clinicians and trainees, and innovations and system-level changes shaping its future. Audio editing by CardioNerds academy intern, Grace Qiu.

This episode was planned in collaboration with the AHA CLCD Women in Cardiology Committee with mentorship from Dr. Monika Sanghavi. 

Enjoy this Circulation 2022 Paths to Discovery article to learn about the CardioNerds story, mission, and values.