Chinese Professor Ge Junbo, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Department of Cardiology at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, has been elected president-elect of the World Heart Federation (WHF), the hospital said, marking a milestone for Chinese cardiovascular medicine on the international stage.
(Source: Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University)
Ge, a world-renowned expert in cardiovascular medicine, was elected by the federation's global membership at the World Congress of Cardiology 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is due to serve as president-elect from 2027 to 2028 before assuming the presidency in 2029, according to the WHF's succession arrangements. He will become the first cardiovascular specialist from the Chinese mainland to lead the organization in its more than four-decade history.
Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Geneva, the WHF is the only global cardiovascular organization with formal relations with the World Health Organization (WHO). Its network spans more than 100 countries and regions, uniting over 200 cardiology societies, heart foundations and other affiliated organizations. The federation works to prevent and control cardiovascular disease and reduce the global burden of heart disease and stroke.
Ge has spent decades working in clinical cardiology, interventional diagnosis and treatment, and the development of cardiovascular prevention and care systems. He helped pioneer the standardized, regionally coordinated emergency care model represented by chest pain centers in China. The model has provided a potential blueprint for countries and regions with limited medical resources. He has also played a leading role in developing homegrown cardiovascular technologies, including domestically produced coronary stents and interventional devices.
Following his election, Ge outlined his vision for the federation under the theme "Heart Health for EVERYONE -- From Promise to Practice." "I am not running for a title -- I am running to serve," he said.
His priorities include advancing equity in cardiovascular health; strengthening emergency cardiovascular systems; and helping resource-limited countries and regions establish sustainable local talent pipelines through international training and specialist education.
He also called for deeper cooperation tailored to the needs of Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America, alongside greater cross-border sharing of clinical guidelines, research, technologies and educational resources.
Ge said his work would focus on moving prevention earlier in the course of disease and strengthening primary-care capacity, particularly community- and county-level treatment networks in low- and middle-income countries and regions. The broader goal is to turn the shared aspiration of heart health for all into concrete action worldwide.
Under the federation's statutes, the president-elect will begin transitional work with the WHF and its members, helping advance cardiovascular health equity and bring it higher on national policy agendas.
Zhongshan Hospital said it will seize this opportunity to further deepen international medical exchange and cooperation, contributing Chinese wisdom to the equitable and inclusive development of global cardiovascular health. (Edited by Li Xueqing with Xinhua Silk Road, lixueqing@xinhua.org)
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