From August 29 to September 1, 2025, PHRI researchers participated in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Madrid, Spain, presenting findings across a wide range of cardiovascular topics.
A dedicated session highlighted insights from the PURE trial, titled “25 Years of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study”. PHRI researchers shared presentations on various aspects of the trial: 
- Rationale, design, and methods – Salim Yusuf, PHRI Founder and Emeritus Executive Director and Senior Scientist.
- Participant and community characteristics, countries, and follow-up – Sumathy Rangarajan, Director of the Global Health Program at PHRI.
- Main results: regional variations across five continents in risk factors and cardiovascular disease – Philip Joseph, PHRI Scientist.
- Main results: urban vs. rural differences in risk factors, cardiovascular disease, and mortality – Darryl Leong, PHRI Senior Scientist.
- Environment and cardiovascular disease: indoor/outdoor pollution and temperature effects – Perry Hystad, PHRI Senior International Fellow.
- Genetics and epigenetics: impact on global cardiovascular disease – Guillaume Pare, PHRI Senior Scientist.
- Health systems: access, financial barriers, and outcomes.
- Conclusions: multidimensional influences affecting cardiovascular disease – Salim Yusuf.
The session concluded with a discussion led by Martin McKee, PHRI Senior International Fellow. Additional PURE study insights were presented by Scientist Andrew Mente on global dietary patterns and cardiovascular outcomes.
Other PHRI presentations at ESC 2025 included:
Senior Scientist Sonia Anand
- Presented on polypill therapy and atherothrombosis during a session on cardiovascular drug adherence and persistence. Her talk emphasized the practical benefits of fixed-dose combination strategies, improving medication adherence, and long-term cardiovascular outcomes.
Scientist Harriette Van Spall
- Delivered two presentations on “Poorly Developed Algorithms to Address Women’s Cardiovascular Health”, and “Pharmacotherapy in HFpEF: Where Do Cardiometabolic Drugs Fit?” during the session Therapeutic Advances in Cardiometabolic HFpEF.
- Chaired two sessions on AI in cardiology and global insights in heart failure.
McIntyre presenting at the ESC Congress
Scientist William McIntyre:
- “Device-Detected or Clinically Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation: The Same Decision for Oral Anticoagulation Therapy – Pro” during a debate on anticoagulation in device-detected atrial Fibrillation (AF) and the role of left atrial appendage closure.
- “Efficacy and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Device-Detected AF with and without Dose Reduction Criteria”, a pooled analysis of ARTESiA and NOAH-AFNET 6 trials.
- “PRAETORIAN/ATLAS: Inappropriate Shock with S-ICD vs. Transvenous ICD”, presented in a late-breaking clinical trials session on advances in cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).
Senior Scientist Jeff Healey:
- Chaired a session on stroke prediction in atrial fibrillation and presented insights on detection strategies for subclinical AF to improve stroke prevention.
Senior International Fellow Martin O’Donnell
- Presented findings from the INTERSTROKE trial on diet and stroke, emphasizing the impact of dietary patterns on stroke risk and subtypes.
Senior Scientist John Eikelboom
- Served as discussant for TACSI during a HOT LINE session, providing expert analysis and contextualizing results for the audience.
Senior Scientist David Conen
Chaired moderated e-poster sessions on biomarkers in atrial fibrillation and catheter ablation, facilitating discussions on new clinical evidence and translational applications.
