Background to the course

The scientific evidence for cardiovascular disease prevention is compelling but translating that evidence into effective patient care in daily clinical practice is challenging. Professor David Wood (Head of Course) and our interdisciplinary faculty have established and led a European wide research collaboration in preventive cardiology which has four components:

1. Describing and interpreting the delivery of preventive cardiology in relation to the Joint European Societies guidelines on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through the EUROASPIRE I, II and III surveys from the mid nineties until present in 22 countries [European Heart Journal 2001; 22: 554–572; Lancet 2001; 357: 995–1001; Lancet 2009; 373: 929–40; European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation 2009; 00:1-17];
2. Creating and evaluating a new model of service delivery in preventive cardiology through the EUROACTION programme (a nurse managed, multidisciplinary, family based preventive cardiology programme) in hospitals and general practices in 8 countries between 2003 and 2007 [Lancet 2008; 371: 1999–2012];
3. Describing and interpreting the delivery of preventive cardiology in relation to the Joint British Societies guidelines on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through the ASPIRE and ASPIRE-2-PREVENT surveys from the mid nineties until present across the United Kingdom;
4. Creating and implementing, through partnership with the National Health Service, an integrated family based vascular prevention programme ‘MyAction’ (www.myaction.org.uk). The latter being of particular relevance to England specifically with the current ‘National Health Checks’ programme, where all individuals aged between 40-74 years are being systematically screened for CVD risk (Putting Prevention First, Department of Health, 2008).

Through this combined research and clinical expertise of this group, students are provided with both a scientifically and practically based experience that is interdisciplinary in nature and addresses all areas of cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation, delivered by widely published and experienced European leaders in this subject area.

Our courses are purposefully based on a hospital site, St Mary’s hospital in London Paddington, thus providing excellent opportunities for ‘bed-side teaching’ in a range of preventive cardiology clinical settings across the whole of Imperial NHS Healthcare Trust (St Mary’s, Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals). In addition our base, the International Centre for Circulatory Health, also provides many unique clinical research opportunities in relation to students’ research projects and opportunities to extend to post-doctoral studies.