Global Heart Hub was delighted to share patient-led research and expertise at leading international conferences throughout the year, presenting preliminary findings from our patient-led qualitative research project IPEC2, highlighting women’s experiences with cardiovascular disease.

IPEC2 (Insights & Patient Experiences with Cardiovascular Disease) is collecting patient experience data from women across eight countries, including those with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), elevated Lp(a), heart valve disease, and cardiomyopathy. The research explores women’s experiences of heart disease; their awareness and recognition of cardiovascular symptoms; barriers across the care pathway and the burden of managing heart disease on women’s lives.

At ESC’s ACNAP Congress 2026, Global Heart Hub released IPEC2  preliminary findings revealing that women are slow to seek medical help and there are ongoing gaps in the recognition and diagnosis of heart disease in women despite it remaining the leading cause of death among women globally.

At EuroPCR 2026, Global Heart Hub presented a session, “Beyond the diagnosis: a qualitative exploration of women’s experiences with cardiovascular disease”. The session highlighted women’s experiences with CVD from robust qualitative patient experience data; unique challenges in women’s care pathway, from diagnosis through to cardiac rehabilitation; and recommendations from the study towards improving patient care for women. You can watch back the session here.

At ISPOR 2026 Global Heart Hub presented a poster, “Understanding Women’s Cardiovascular Symptom and Diagnosis Experiences: Insights from an International Patient-Led Study (IPEC2)”, highlighting the need for improved symptom recognition and patient education to support earlier identification and more equitable, patient-centered care across cardiovascular settings.

Global Heart Hub’s Insights and Patient Experiences with Cardiovascular Disease (IPEC) study is a patient-led initiative made possible with the support of Amgen Inc., Daiichi Sankyo Europe, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Learn more about IPEC2 here: https://globalhearthub.org/ipec2/