The American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service as the world's leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, is joining with other top cardiovascular research funders around the world to support an international scientific research grant focused on women's cardiovascular health. Scientific researchers around the world are invited to apply for the award to foster global advancements in understanding and improving the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among women. A 2022 presidential advisory from the American Heart Association reported that women continue to be underrepresented in research for cardiovascular disease (CVD), leading to gaps in knowledge and understanding of how CVD impacts women.
The advisory emphasizes that some risk factors for heart disease are specific to women or carry a different risk for CVD events in women than in men, often in relation to the way life stages affect cardiovascular health. The grant will be awarded by the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF) – an international alliance of 12 major funders of cardiovascular research across the world. The International Research Challenge on Women's Cardiovascular Health will fund one world-class international research program with up to $10 million over five years, to study and identify solutions to unmet clinical needs within women's cardiovascular health, including: Risk factors and prevention of ca.