NEWS

As sponsor of the Cardiovascular Health Innovation Award at the 2026 Femtech World Awards, Women As One is thrilled to announce the WISE HF project, led by principal investigator Professor Mary Ryder of University College Dublin, as the winner of the 2026 award.

The award recognizes innovations that have the potential to transform cardiovascular health outcomes for women through novel approaches to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, education, and patient support.

The WISE HF project was selected from a pool of impressive applicants across the women’s health landscape for its groundbreaking work exploring how social determinants of health affect women’s experiences of heart failure and their ability to engage in self-care, helping to advance more equitable and personalized approaches to cardiovascular care.

About the winner

Led by principal investigator Professor Mary Ryder at University College Dublin, WISE HF seeks to redefine women’s cardiovascular health by addressing the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. The project recognizes that women living with heart failure are often diagnosed later than men, experience greater symptom burden, spend more time in hospital and frequently encounter barriers to receiving optimal care. By examining how factors such as income, education, literacy, caregiving responsibilities, and broader socioeconomic circumstances shape women’s experiences, WISE HF is helping build a more inclusive and equitable model of cardiovascular care.

Recognized for its commitment to understanding the lived experiences of women and translating those insights into practical solutions that could improve care delivery, the project represents an important step toward more personalized and equitable cardiovascular care. By moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and addressing the broader social factors that influence health, it offers a new model for supporting women living with heart failure.

“WISE HF stood out for its focus on the real-world factors that affect women’s ability to manage heart failure and its commitment to creating more equitable models of care,” said Malissa J. Wood, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Women As One. “The project reflects the kind of innovative thinking needed to address persistent gaps in women’s cardiovascular health. We are delighted to recognize their achievement and celebrate the exceptional work of all the finalists, whose innovations demonstrate both the urgency of these challenges and the progress being made to address them.”

A strong field of cardiovascular innovators

In addition to selecting WISE HF as the award winner, Women As One recognized Cardiac College for Women with a Highly Commended distinction for its contribution to women’s cardiovascular education. Developed by Dr. Gabriela Lima de Melo Ghisi, the program has demonstrated significant global reach, having been implemented in nearly 30 cardiac rehabilitation programs across multiple countries and healthcare settings. Through evidence-informed educational resources designed specifically for women, the initiative is helping improve cardiovascular health literacy, patient engagement, and access to more equitable care.

The shortlist also featured two additional innovators whose work is helping advance women’s cardiovascular health in different but equally important ways.

• Hyvelle Ferguson-Davis, founder of Heart Sistas, has built a globally recognized advocacy and education initiative dedicated to improving cardiovascular health outcomes for underserved women through community engagement, policy advocacy, and awareness efforts inspired by her own lived experience as a cardiovascular disease survivor.
• CognitiveCare India showcased an innovative AI-powered platform that uses breast imaging, genetics, and clinical data to identify cardiovascular risk in women, leveraging routine mammography as an opportunity for earlier detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease. 

Together, the finalists reflect the breadth of innovation emerging in women’s cardiovascular health, from patient education and community engagement to digital health solutions and research-driven care models. 

Supporting the future of women’s cardiovascular health

Women As One congratulates all four organizations for their contributions to advancing women’s cardiovascular care. Their work reflects the growing momentum across the cardiovascular and femtech communities to address longstanding inequities and develop solutions that better meet the needs of women worldwide.

Through partnerships such as the Femtech World Awards, Women As One remains committed to identifying, supporting, and amplifying innovators whose work is helping create a future where every woman has access to equitable, evidence-based cardiovascular care.

Gordon Stribling, commercial editor of awards host Aspect Health Media, said: “Congratulations to everyone who won an award and the brilliant organisations and individuals who made the shortlist among a record 174 entries. It’s been an honour to shine a light on so many innovations helping to advance women’s health and create a more inclusive, effective and equitable healthcare future. And thank you to our amazing sponsors for taking the time to judge the entries and for making the event possible. See you all in 2027!”

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