Executive Committee
The new HeFSSA executive committee was elected at the HeFSSA AGM on 10th of August 2010 to serve a 2-year term.
Prof Karen Sliwa (President)
Prof. Karen Sliwa, MD, PhD, FESC, FACC, is the Director of the Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa (www.hatter.uct.ac.za), University of Cape Town, and Director of the Soweto Cardiovascular Research Unit (www.socru.org), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Professor Karen Sliwa has been extensively involved in creating worldwide awareness of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, one of her main areas of clinical and pathophysiological research.
Recent progress in understanding underlying pathophysiology enabled by novel experimental approaches, together with a unique international effort to join forces between Western countries and developing countries, has led to great progress in awareness and management of the disease. In order to coordinate efforts even better, a study group, ‘Peripartum Cardiomyopathy’, of the Heart Failure Association of the European Cardiac Society, chaired by Prof. Karen Sliwa and Prof. B. Pieske, was formed in 2009. A Position Statement, highlighting the need for larger awareness worldwide was published in 2010. A large Registry on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy was approved by the European Cardiac Society and will commence 2012, in the ESC countries and affiliated regions.
Karen Sliwa has, together with her long-term collaborator, Prof. Simon Stewart, Head Preventive Cardiology, Baker IDI, Melbourne, Australia, established a population study in Africa called the ‘Heart of Soweto Study’ to investigate the prevalence, presentation and management of cardiac disease in an urban African population. This study, on more than 8000 patients, highlighted the high prevalence of hypertension, obesity and cardiac disease in women of childbearing age. She has recently expanded her population studies to other African countries, including Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya and Sudan. She has designed a number of innovative research programs and leveraged funding for several major research projects, not only in South Africa and the rest of Africa, but also internationally.
Karen Sliwa serves on a number of editorial boards and is also an editorial consultant to ‘The Lancet’. Furthermore, she is the Chairperson of the South African Heart Failure Society (Hefssa; www.hefssa.org), which was established under her leadership 2005.
Dr Eric Klug (Vice-President and Secretary)
Dr Klug raised in Durban, graduated from the University of Witwatersrand in 1983 is married to Barbara and has a son and twin daughters. He is currently a cardiologist in private practice at Sunninghill and Sunward Park Hospitals. He is also head of the Heart Failure Clinic at the Johannesburg Hospital and was Chief Editor of the National Clinical Heart Failure Guidelines and since 2005 a founding member and secretary of the Heart Failure Society of South Africa. He is past President of the Johannesburg Branch of the South African Heart Association, and vice president of SA Heart.
Published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals since 1994, presented papers both locally and internationally and been a member of many Pharmaceutical National Advisory Boards.
He participates in International Drug trials, having been a member of the International Steering Committee and South African National Co-ordinator of 3 large trials.
His main interests include heart failure, coronary artery disease ,preventive cardiology and medical communication. He enjoys reading biographies, politics and continues to be an enthusiastic tennis player and fan.
George Nel (Executive Officer)
George Nel has since 2003 been an independent consultant to the pharmaceutical and device industry. His main focus is on product commercialisation with a strong emphasis on pharmacoeconomics as a crucial pillar in building a successful franchise.
He is also the Executive Officer of SASCI (South African Society of Cardiovascular Intervention), a Section 21 company representing interventional cardiologists in SA, and would contribute in a similar position within HeFSSA.
His formal training was in science (M.Sc, from RAU), followed by 12 years in pharmaceutical industry with extensive senior management experience (including five years as Director Sales and Mareting) in the formal multi-national pharmaceutical corporate environment. During his tenure in industry, George was active in chronic, acute, over-the-counter (OTC) as well as hospital based sales and marketing environment with cardio-related products always being a major part of his focus. This has over time prompted his continued contribution to cardiology and the cardiology community.
Dr Martin Mpe (Treasurer)
Dr Martin Mpe’s interests lie in the management of the spectrum of cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as the resultant complications. Education in the field of cardiovascular medicine is an on-going issue for Dr Mpe. He not only understands the need and importance of continued medical education, but is passionate about and committed to giving lectures to primary-care practitioners on a range of topics, including cardiovascular disease risk management and complications, as well as heart failure treatment.
He has lectured across the country, as well as in neighbouring countries and other African states. His qualifications include an MBChB and MMed (Internal Medicine), both attained at Medunsa. He also holds a Fellowship with the College of Physicians of South Africa. He completed his Cardiology training at the University of Pretoria and the Pretoria Academic Hospital. He gained some of his experience from working as a GP in rural Tzaneen prior to specialisation.
He is a member of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), South African Heart Association (SA Heart Association) and Aeromedical Committee for South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). He also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the SA Hypertension Society, and has served on several advisory boards for various Pharmaceutical Companies. Dr Mpe works as a Private Cardiologist at Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria, and is currently chairman of the Hospital clinical Committee.
He is also a session Cardiologist at the 1 Military Hospital in Thaba-Tshwane where he assists with interventional cardiology and cardiac pacing, including cardiac resynchronization therapy procedures.
Other Members
Dr Cristina Radulescu (Pretoria)
Dr Darryl Smith (Johannesburg)
Dr Tony Lachman (Cape Town)
Dr Jens Hitzeroth
Industry
Luigi Zampieri (Industry Representative: Devices)
Pat Magagula (Industry Representative: Pharmaceuticals)
