RISE @ ESC CONGRESS 2026
Agenda
Growing and thriving as a leader in cardiology
RISE @ ESC Congress 2026 focused on growing and thriving in all facets of professional life. Sessions included didactic presentations from senior leaders in clinical practice, scientific research, and industry, as well as faculty from prominent leadership education programs. The all-new agenda offered fresh perspectives and practical strategies applicable across diverse practice settings and career stages. All attendees, whether first-timers or returners, discovered new insights and left with tools to chart their path forward for continued success.
RISE @ ESC Congress 2026 brought together an exceptional faculty of global leaders, including Program Directors Pamela Douglas, MD; Maria Rubini, MD; Zainab Samad, MD; and Malissa J. Wood, MD. View the full agenda below.
RISE @ ESC Congress 2026 objectives:
- Equip physicians with actionable tools to lead across research, clinical care, and professional development.
- Explore evolving innovations in AI, technology, and patient-centered research to improve cardiovascular outcomes.
- Facilitate collaboration among physicians, researchers, and industry to create equitable opportunities in leadership and research.
- Provide structured opportunities for mentorship, sponsorship, and network-building for women physicians.
Resource materials provided:
- AI Resources Guide featuring the RISE faculty’s recommended list of platforms and tools for using AI to improve productivity in medical practice, research, and career development, as well as a link to upcoming ESC sessions on the topic.
- Career Planning Workbook including Strategic Goal-Setting Toolkit detailing goal foundations, key strategies to get started, and tips for finding an accountability partner and Networking Essentials with evidence-based techniques for building meaningful professional connections
The agenda
8:00am – 8:30am: Arrival and registration
8:30am – 8:45am: Welcome and opening remarks
Speakers: Roxana Mehran, MD and RISE Program Directors: Pamela Douglas, MD; Maria Rubini, MD; Zainab Samad, MD; and Malissa J. Wood, MD
8:45am – 9:00am: Welcome to RISE
Speakers: Jean-François Riffaud, Chief Executive Officer, European Society of Cardiology
9:00am – 9:45am: International society presidents – panel discussion
This panel brings together sitting presidents of leading professional societies from across the globe to report on the concrete steps their organizations have taken to support women physicians. Panelists will speak candidly about what has worked, where progress has stalled, and the work that remains to be done.
Speakers: Cecilia Linde, MD, PhD, President-Elect, European Society of Cardiology; Roxana Mehran, MD, President, American College of Cardiology; Manesh Patel, MD, President-Elect, American Heart Association; Borjana Pervan, Chief Executive Officer, World Heart Federation; Liesl Zühlke, MBChB, DCH, FCPaeds Cert Card, MPH, MSc, PhD, Vice President, PASCAR
Moderator: Barbara Casadei, MD, DPhil
9:45am – 11:00am: Leading with quality: measurement, management and change
Learn to champion quality improvement initiatives in clinical and research settings. This interactive workshop covers quality metrics, change management, and practical hands-on exercises for developing actionable improvement plans.
Speaker: Silvia Castelletti, MD
11:00am – 11:30am: Coffee break
11:30am – 12:15pm: Keynote address: Leading scientific innovation on a global scale
A 30-minute keynote address followed by a 15 minute Q&A with Roxana Mehran, MD and Barbara Casadei, MD, DPhil.
Keynote Speaker: Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, DMSc, Former Chief Scientific Advisor at Novo Nordisk
12:15pm – 1:45pm: Lunch symposia with industry sponsors
Attendees will attend one of the available symposia.
Redefining success in cardiology sponsored by Daiichi-Sankyo Europe
- Moving beyond heroism: When success doesn’t require being the exception
- Success that matters: Improving outcomes for women with cardiovascular disease
- Final thoughts & wrap up
Moderator: Shrilla Banerjee, MBBS
Panelists: Barbara Casadei, MD, DPhil; Manjusha Chatterjee; Catharina Hamm, MD; Carolin Lerchenmüller, MD
Empowering women leaders & changemakers in cardiovascular care sponsored by Medtronic
- Audience perspectives & challenge framing
- Changemaker story: Hypertension & community impact
- Roundtable discussion
- Key insights & group share-outs
- Changemaker story: Structural heart – translating data into practice
Moderator: Kendra Grubb, MD, MHA, MSc
Panelists: Vijay Kunadian, MBBS, MD; Alta Schutte, PhD
1:45pm – 2:00pm: Afternoon opening and group photo
2:00pm – 2:45pm: Publishing in the era of transformation – panel discussion
This session convenes senior editors from some of the most influential cardiovascular journals in the world. Panelists will reflect on new frontiers in cardiovascular research and outline how their journals are navigating the integration of AI across the research pipeline. The discussion will also explore how journals are working to ensure that innovation in research methods translates into greater inclusivity.
Speakers: Barbara Casadei, MD, DPhil, JAMA Cardiology; Tomasso Gori, MD, PhD, European Heart Journal; Flávia Geraldes, The Lancet; Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, JACC: CardioOncology; Jane Leopold, MD, New England Journal of Medicine; Gregory Lim, MA (Oxon.), DPhil, Nature Reviews Cardiology; Bradley Maron, MD, Circulation
Moderator: Vijay Kunadian, MBBS, MD, MRCP (Edin), FRCP (Edin), FACC, FESC, PG Dip Clinical Trials (LSHTM)
2:45pm – 3:30pm: Industry roundtable: building an inclusive research ecosystem
Pharma and medtech representatives discuss trends in inclusive research design, investigator-sponsored research pathways, and supporting women in clinical leadership. Includes audience Q&A.
Speakers: Jeanine Cordova, PhD, Amgen; Julia Dmitrieva, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, FSVU, Siemens Healthineers; Kendra Grubb, MD, MHA, MSc, Medtronic; Beata Maj, MD, MBA, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Sunnhild Salmen, PhD, Daiichi Sankyo Europe
Moderator: Malissa J. Wood, MD
3:30pm – 4:00pm: Coffee break
4:00pm – 5:15pm: Design your future: career planning and networking
An experienced executive coach opens this workshop by guiding participants through a structured framework for setting short- and long-term goals. Explore proven strategies for turning vision into action, building accountability, and leveraging AI tools to support the process. The second half shifts to networking, where participants will practice evidence-based strategies for initiating meaningful conversations, articulating their professional goals, and building lasting relationships. Come ready to apply both sets of skills at the evening reception immediately to follow.
Speaker and facilitator: Miriam Fugfugosh
5:15pm – 5:30pm: Wrap-up, next steps and closing remarks
Speakers: RISE Program Directors: Pamela Douglas, MD; Maria Rubini, MD; Zainab Samad, MD; and Malissa J. Wood, MD
5:30pm – 6:30pm: Closing reception
What our community said about RISE
Attending the RISE conferences was an incredibly enriching experience. It provided a unique opportunity to network and learn from exceptional female leaders whom I deeply admire. I highly encourage young women in cardiology to attend – this opportunity is truly transformative and worth every moment.
Giuliana Corna, MD
Interventional Cardiology Fellow, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
RISE 2023, 2024 and 2025 Attendee
I think RISE is really important because, as a woman from a lower-middle-income country, getting inspired and learning from other women and other leaders is really crucial in our journey.
Dr. Novi Yanti Sari
Head of Cardio-oncology, Dr. M. Hosein General Hospital, Indonesia
RISE 2024 and 2025 Attendee
These kinds of programs and communities are key to empowering women in science and in our clinical work. It’s critical to mentor other generations and show them our barriers and our strengths, to become the best we can.
Dr. Leticia Fernandez Friera
Head of Cardiology, HM Hospitals, Spain
RISE 2025 Attendee
The RISE meeting at ESC Congress was amazing. It focused on professional development for women in cardiology in a seminar-type format with hands-on role-playing sessions. Such an inspiring and practical experience – thank you very much to the organisers!
Professor Martine Gilard, MD, PhD, FESC
Emeritus Professor of Cardiology, Brest University, France
RISE 2024 Attendee
The second edition of the RISE Conference was phenomenal! I left the conference with a full heart, confidence and many tools to navigate the cardio world as a woman!
Alexandra Bastiany, MD FRCPC DRCPSC
Interventional Cardiologist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Canada
RISE 2023 and 2024 Attendee
I could not imagine a better start to this year’s ESC Congress in London than with RISE @ ESC Congress 2024. Thank you Women As One and the European Society of Cardiology for this absolutely amazing day. This kind of perfectly framed and sincere female empowerment makes me see a bright future a lot clearer. I can’t wait for the next RISE event to come.
Dr. Julia Lueg
Cardiology resident, Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité, Berlin, Germany
RISE 2024 and 2025 Attendee
Incredible day talking mentorship, negotiation & conflict resolution, & changing institutional culture so that women in cardiology can rise! Met some truly inspiring women from across the globe.
Elizabeth Epstein, MD
Chief Cardiology Fellow, Scripps Integrative Cardiology, USA
RISE 2024 Attendee
