By Eden Daniel As per WHO, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, snatching an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. The World Health Federation states that more than 500 million people live with cardiovascular disease. Given these stark statistics, the importance of cardiologists and their voice in shaping healthcare cannot be ignored.
From online global conversations among cardiologists, CREATION.co identified five Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs) who were influencing their healthcare professional (HCP) peers. Several metrics were used to evaluate DOL status, including level of contribution to cardiology conversations, number of HCP followers, and reach and engagement with other HCPs. Each identified DOL demonstrates expertise and leadership in the field of cardiology through their social media posts.
Top 5 DOLs in cardiology
Ritu Thamman
Dr Ritu Thamman is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Echocardiography. Prominent in shaping cardiology practices, she contributes to national and international guideline committees like the American College of Cardiology Disparities of Care Guidelines committee.
Thamman is the social media editor for journals like the Journal of American Society of Echocardiography. She also chairs the Echocardiography Journal club on X. Given her strong online presence, she is an advocate and educator for cardiologists on social media.
In 21 posts on X, she celebrated the achievements of female peers, promoted equal representation of female cardiologists and shared research on cardiovascular disease outcomes in women. In 267 posts, she engaged with peer DOL Martha Gulati, also a female advocate in cardiology. In one of these posts, she posed a question to Gulati concerning cardiology guidelines in women.
@DrMarthaGulati why do we apply guidelines differently on woman & men?
AMI/STEMI: woman less likely to get PCI, longer DTBT, less guideline recommended therapy
Secondary Prevention: women
Less High Intensity Statin
HF:less GDMT in women
TAVR,ICD/CRT,🫀Transplant, AFib Tx less… pic.twitter.com/qrkoGr27u1— Ritu Thamman MD (@iamritu) July 29, 2023
@JGrapsa masterful presentation on women in cardiology: underrepresented, underestimated, undervalued need transparency, celebrate women leaders we have @alessia_gimelli @pattypellikka @DrMarthaGulati @KemalogluOz @AnastasiaSMihai @VDelgadoGarcia & continue to build community pic.twitter.com/31M51vjwf9
— Ritu Thamman MD (@iamritu) June 11, 2023
In some posts, Thamman also focuses on the role of AI in accurate echocardiographic assessment.
CREATION.co classifies Ritu Thamman as a Female Representation Advocate due to her focus on representation for women in cardiovascular research and awareness-raising.
Martha Gulati
Dr Martha Gulati is the Director of Prevention and Associate Director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center, and President-Elect of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology. An interventional cardiologist who specialises in heart disease prevention and women’s health, she authored the best-seller “Saving Women’s Hearts” and co-authored several guidelines including the National Guidelines for Heart Disease Prevention in Women.
On Linkedin and X, Gulati posts a lot during global congresses using hashtags such as #ACC23 and #ESCCongress when sharing conference highlights and research presented, and celebrating female peers that she meets at these events. In February 2023, the Heart Health Month, she was vocal about cardiovascular risks in women and healthcare disparities faced by female patients. She used the hashtag #HeartMonth and #GoRedForWomen when posting facts and advice for women each day of this month, to raise awareness of cardiovascular risks.
Day #21 #HeartMonth
💃Women with heart problems remain under recognized, under diagnosed, under treated and under studied.
💃Women are 52% of the population
💃We are not treating adequately 1/2 the population#savingwomenshearts #GoRedForWomen @DBelardoMD @HeartDocSharon pic.twitter.com/pE9xvTSUe4— Dr. Martha Gulati ♥️🫀❤️🩹🇨🇦 (@DrMarthaGulati) February 21, 2023
CREATION.co classifies Martha Gulati as a Female Representation Advocate due to her focus on research, treatment and awareness in women’s health in cardiology.
Andrew J Sauer
Based in Kansas, Dr Andrew J Sauer is the Associate Director of Cardiovascular Research at Saint Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute. One of his passions is the use of digital health and remote monitoring technologies to address rural healthcare disparities. He serves as an experienced investigator in clinical trials that aim to address unmet needs in heart failure.
These interests are reflected in his social media content. For instance, in 53 posts on X he focused on heart failure where he shared research on the use of various medications and LVADS for disease management, remote monitoring to reduce hospitalisation, and racial disparities in access to remote diagnosis. On Linkedin, a similar trend was observed, with Sauer reposting about research funding granted for an innovative heart monitoring device, and posting about the greater vulnerability of Native Americans to substance use-related cardiovascular deaths.
Addressing the pandemic of #HeartFailure: old and new therapeutic opportunitieshttps://t.co/D1dnb1jq8S @ESC_Journals @ehj_ed #HFA_ESC pic.twitter.com/np1IIfaAan
— Henry Han (@HanCardiomd) June 14, 2023
As a proud parent of three kids, he also talks about the challenges and joys of parenting when giving professional talks outside of work.
CREATION.co classifies Andrew J Sauer as an Innovator due to his focus on new therapies to manage advanced heart failure.
Paddy Barrett
Based in Ireland, Dr Paddy Barrett works as a preventative cardiologist at BlackRock clinic. He is focused on improving heart health and lifespan, digital medicine and technological innovations. He writes weekly newsletters and has a blog on preventing heart disease, improving quality of life and lifespan.
During his work at The Scripps Translational Science Institute, he pioneered many cardiovascular procedures with world-renowned cardiologist and scientist Dr Eric Topol. He developed several new technologies, such as a handheld, smartphone-based ultrasound alternative to stethoscopes. He also collaborated with NASA to validate medical devices in zero gravity, to pave the way for medical monitoring of astronauts in space in the future. He is the host and founder of the internationally-acclaimed ‘The Doctor Paradox’ podcast, and speaks around the world on the influence of technology in healthcare.
Barrett posts lifestyle advice and actions that can be taken to prevent heart disease. His content mainly caters to the public audience rather than other HCPs. On X, he often shares this advice in the form of threads, whereas on Linkedin, he posts them in the form of short snippets, and on Instagram, in a motivational style and bullet-point format.
View this post on Instagram
When I think about heart attacks
I always quote Hemingway when he talks about going bankrupt:
“How did you go bankrupt?"
Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.”Cardiovascular risk is the same.
Risk builds – Slowly.
Then presents – Suddenly.
— Dr Paddy Barrett (@Paddy_Barrett) January 22, 2024
CREATION.co classifies Paddy Barrett as a Public Health Educator as he educates the public on lifestyle changes to manage and prevent cardiovascular disease.
Dr Joshua Walinjom
Dr Joshua Walinjom is a member of the European Society of Cardiology, the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, and the Heart Failure Association. Currently pursuing a cardiology fellowship at Kings College Hospital, UK, his research focuses on interventional cardiology.
On Linkedin and X, he posts about diagnosis, imaging findings, risks, treatment and management guidelines for various cardiovascular diseases, including rare and comorbid conditions, such as Torsades de Pointes, Wellens Syndrome, Brugada syndrome, and angina. In several posts, he recommends guidelines for the use of beta blockers in different conditions and discusses their potential side effects.
In 62 posts on X, Walinjom shared normal and pathological ECGs with peers, testing their knowledge with diagnosis questions and enlightening them on ECG biomarkers to identify various cardiovascular diseases.
Wellens syndrome describes an abnormal electrocardiographic (ECG) pattern, deeply inverted T waves in leads V2 and V3, that are secondary to
proximal LAD stenosis. pic.twitter.com/RPHyKOgMOP
— Dr Joshua Walinjom (@walinjom) August 1, 2023
With the highest X follower count of 88,937 among the top 5 cardiologist DOLs, his top post on anticoagulant use garnered 4014 likes. Walinjom posted actively throughout the year and shared academic resources such as journal publications when informing other HCPs of recommended scientific guidelines.
CREATION.co classifies Joshua Walinjom as a Peer Educator as he shares educational posts and scientific data to educate peers on cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment.
Revolutionising cardiovascular healthcare and promoting representation
Each of these DOLs, and thousands of cardiologists like them, aspire to see improvements for patients with cardiovascular diseases, from better representation of female cardiologists and equal healthcare access for female patients, to improved treatment outcomes using technology. These DOLs have the potential to significantly inspire and drive change.
Analysing the online conversation between cardiologists, especially DOLs, gives a truer understanding of where their passions lie. As the leading provider of Digital Opinion Leader identification, profiling and activation, CREATION.co helps clients understand who the real top voices are online.
To learn more, get in touch at [email protected].
