Four cardiovascular health innovators shortlisted for award

Femtech World is delighted to reveal the shortlist for the Cardiovascular Health Innovation award.

Now in its third year, the Femtech World Awards celebrate some of the best examples of leadership, innovation and impact in key areas that affect women’s health and wellbeing.

The Cardiovascular Health Innovation award, sponsored by Women As One, recognises groundbreaking advances that are transforming women’s heart health and improving patient outcomes.

This year’s Femtech World Awards received a record 170 entries, with a large pool of high-quality cardiovascular submissions to choose from.

The shortlist will now be judged by a Women As One representative who will announce the winner at a virtual event on June 19.

Congratulations to the shortlist and many thank to everyone who entered.

Cardiovascular Health Innovation Shortlist

This initiative is a standardised yet adaptable educational model designed specifically for women attending cardiac rehabilitation.

Unlike traditional programmes that apply gender-neutral curricula, Cardiac College for Women was co-designed with women patients, grounded in adult learning theory, health literacy frameworks and implementation science.

It directly addresses women’s unique informational needs related to symptoms, risk perception, psychosocial stressors, caregiving roles, and long-term self-management.

Cardiac College for Women has been implemented in nearly 30 cardiac rehabilitation programmes across multiple countries and income settings, demonstrating scalability, adaptability and sustainability.

It has strengthened women’s cardiovascular health literacy, enhanced patient engagement and supported healthcare professionals in delivering more equitable, person-centred care.

Through the largest multi-centre Indian study of Breast Arterial Calcification (BAC) – spanning three cohorts and over 1,600 women – CognitiveCare demonstrated that BAC is a powerful predictor of coronary artery disease, with each grade increase multiplying heart disease odds by 5.6 times.

Building on this evidence, the team developed BRICC-G, a patent-protected AI system that integrates imaging, genetics, biochemistry and clinical data to predict cardiovascular and cancer risk with no additional cost or radiation to the patient.

With BAC present in over 11 per cent of screening mammograms and South Asian women facing disproportionate cardiovascular risk, this innovation has the potential to prevent thousands of premature deaths annually at population scale.

Hyvelle Ferguson-Davis, advocate and Heart Sistas founder

A TEDx speaker, author and survivor of a stroke, quadruple bypass and 10 stents, Hyvelle founded Heart Sistas to transform the disparate care she experienced into systemic change.

Now a global force and member of the World Heart Federation and Global Heart Hub, Heart Sistas continues to serve communities through grassroots education and outreach.

Hyvelle’s impact spans advocacy, legislation, and media.

Her team authored the Cardiovascular Early Detection and Prevention Act of 2026, she has spoken at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, fronted Bayer’s international ‘Say No to Two’ stroke campaign, and appeared on Good Morning America – ensuring the voices of underserved women are heard at every level.

Led by Prof Mary Ryder, WISE HF seeks to redefine women’s cardiovascular health by addressing the profound impact of Social Determinants of Health (SDH) on self-care.

Recognising that women are often diagnosed with Heart Failure (HF) at an older age, experience greater symptom burdens, and are treated less aggressively than men, WISE HF seeks to bridge the gap between clinical diagnosis and the real-world lived experience moving beyond a “one size fits all” approach to create a more inclusive, effective, and equitable healthcare future for women

WISE HF provides a critical “listening opportunity” for women to explore how non-medical factors—such as literacy, income, and caring roles—shape their ability to manage their heart
health.

By targeting the intersection of multimorbidity, gender discrimination, and socio-economic barriers, WISE HF pioneers a holistic, patient-centred, community-based approach.