WIB-Greater Boston: Heart Disease, Our #1 Threat – Understanding Our Risks as Women

On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, WIB-Greater Boston held an insightful conversation in partnership with the American Heart Association at Novo Nordisk in Lexington, MA. About 40 attendees learned about the differences in how cardiovascular disease presents in women compared to men and how to identify risk factors and stay on top of early detection and risk mitigation. We showcased a three-speaker panel moderated by Rachel Adjemian of the American Heart Association. The panelists, Amy Sarma, MD from Massachusetts General Hospital; Sangeeta Krishan, VP, Apellis Pharmaceuticals; and Dr. Johnna Wesley, from Novo Nordisk, provided the perspectives of a clinician, a heart attack survivor, and a scientist and drug developer.

Points that resonated the most with WIB attendees included:

• The broad scope of heart disease and cardiovascular disease. CVD is an umbrella term for a broad group of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels, which can all have different symptoms and require different treatments.
• The need to increase the number of women in clinical trials, especially women of different ethnicities and at life phases (e.g. pregnancy, perimenopause). Having a small dataset impacts the ability to recognize, diagnose, and correctly treat heart attacks in female patients.
• Symptoms present differently with these comorbidities.
• “Treat yourself as you would treat a loved one and listen to your body.” Busy people often brush off unusual signs until everything reaches a point – whether on the treadmill or at a desk. 
• Exercise is a great stress test that provides a more continuous and ongoing heart assessment than the episodic annual physical. But again, listen to your body and take action when needed.

It was a positive night of networking and heart health awareness for all.

Submitted by Erika Hanley-Onken