In our first episode of Alumni Reflections, we head to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh where, in March 2024, BHF Director of Research, Professor James Leiper, was joined by Joanna Wardlaw CBE, Professor of Applied Neuroimaging at the University of Edinburgh.

Joanna, who is among the top 10 most highly cited female researchers in the UK, is internationally recognised for her work in vascular disease and brain imaging. She is also a Group Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute, and this Alumni Voices event celebrated the British Heart Foundation’s new partnership with the UK DRI. Together, we’ll invest £9 million into launching the UK’s first research centre dedicated to finding new treatments to prevent, halt and ultimately cure vascular dementia. We’re proud that Joanna will be Clinical Director of this groundbreaking Centre.

You can find out more about Joanna’s research at https://ukdri.ac.uk/team/joanna-wardlaw, and about the new Centre for Vascular Dementia Research, at https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2023/november/bhf-and-uk-dri-announce-centre-for-vascular-dementia-research.

If you’re a researcher whose work has received BHF funding, or if you’ve worked in a BHF-funded lab, we warmly welcome you to join your BHF research alumni community. For more information, and to sign-up to the BHF Alumni mailing list, visit https://www.bhf.org.uk/alumni.

The BHF spends at least 70p of every £1 donated on lifesaving research. If you’d like to help us fund the next research breakthrough by supporting the work of people like Joanna, visit https://www.bhf.org.uk/donate.

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Alba Butler is only seven years old but she’s been through more in her short life than many of us may face in a lifetime. Diagnosed in the womb with a congenital heart condition, Transposition of the great arteries (TGA), Alba underwent her first heart operation at just an hour old. This was followed by open heart surgery lasting more than nine hours when she was just eight days old.

Alba will need another operation in the coming years, but thankfully now this brave, bright, confident and kind little girl is thriving at school, embracing her love of dance and along with her family is happy to share her story in the hope that it can help others feel less alone.

On this emotional episode with Sarah Marsh, Alba’s mum Alejandra speaks about what it’s like to be told that there’s a 50% chance your first-born may not survive, how she and her partner Dan coped when Alba was in surgery, how far they’ve all come and how incredibly proud they were to see Alba receive a BHF Young Heart Hero Award.

Each day in the UK around 13 babies are diagnosed with a congenital heart condition. Before the BHF was founded in 1961 the majority of babies born with congenital heart disease died before their first birthday, but now thanks to research more than 80% survive.

The charity is powering cutting-edge science that will lead to vital breakthroughs in this field. With your support BHF-funded research can improve diagnosis and treatment for babies, children and adults with a congenital heart condition.

As a charity, the British Heart Foundation depends on the generosity of donors to continue carrying out our lifesaving research. If you too would like to donate, you can do so at bhf.org.uk/donatepod

If you've got any questions or concerns about your heart or circulatory health and want to talk with a cardiac nurse on the BHF’s Heart Helpline, go to our website at bhf.org.uk/hearthelpline and you'll find all the contact options there.

And if you’ve got your own heart story, or have any thoughts on this episode, we'd love to hear from you on email at thetickertapes@bhf.org.uk

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Tom Henson was just 23 years old when his life was cruelly and suddenly cut short in late July 2018. The sport-mad Sheffield United fan had been playing a game of football with friends after work on a summer evening when he collapsed and died having suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Later it was discovered that Tom had a congenital heart condition called supravalvular aortic stenosis, but there had been no signs. Tom was seemingly fit, healthy and full of life – until the day he never came home.

Following his loss the lives of Tom’s loved ones were shattered. But his mum Nikki, brother Joe and step-dad Shaun have devoted themselves in the years since to setting up a charitable foundation in his name, raising money for community defibrillators and Joe – who was only 15 when Tom died - was also inspired to work for the ambulance service. They are also tireless supporters of the work of the British Heart Foundation.

On this episode with Sarah Marsh, Shaun talks bravely about his memories of Tom and his legacy, how the family has coped with crippling grief and yet been inspired to use their experiences to raise vital funds and awareness. This episode was originally published on the sixth anniversary of Tom’s death.

Currently every week in the UK, 12 people under the age of 35 tragically lose their lives to sudden cardiac death. The BHF’s Urgency Campaign is centred around 12 stories of incredible young people whose future hopes and dreams were suddenly lost in an instant because of this condition. Tom and his family’s is one of them. But your donations could help up stop this awful reality. Discover more about the other stories at the heart of our campaign and how you can help here: https://www.bhf.org.uk/

As a charity, the British Heart Foundation depends on the generosity of donors to continue carrying out our lifesaving research. If you too would like to donate, you can do so at bhf.org.uk/donatepod

If you've got any questions or concerns about your heart or circulatory health and want to talk with a cardiac nurse on the BHF’s Heart Helpline, go to our website at bhf.org.uk/hearthelpline and you'll find all the contact options there.

And if you’ve got your own heart story, or have any thoughts on this episode, we'd love to hear from you on email at thetickertapes@bhf.org.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.