Network Participates in the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
Network members participating in the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery included, from left, Anu Gomanju, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate; Allison Westervelt, project manager; and Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate director of advocacy.
NCDI Poverty Network team members carried the flag for PEN-Plus at the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, held in Washington, DC, in August. The event marked the first time the international conference took place in the continental United States.
During the conference, Anu Gomanju, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate, shared her experiences living with rheumatic heart disease in Nepal. Gomanju works as a public health officer with the Kathmandu Institute of Child Health, a PEN-Plus implementing partner. In that role, she works closely with the Nepal NCDI Poverty Commission. During her earlier tenure as a Voices of NCDI Poverty Advocacy Fellow, Gomanju used social media to establish an advocacy group and network for people living with rheumatic heart disease in Nepal, the first of its kind in the region.
Also at the conference, Network members—including Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate director of advocacy, and Allison Westervelt, project manager—maintained a presence in the Global Cardiac Health and Advocacy Village, a gathering place in which nongovernmental organizations and patient and family groups could discuss global coalition advocacy initiatives and provide education and awareness.
Anu Gomanju, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate, spoke about her experiences living with rheumatic heart disease in Nepal.
Gathering in the Global Cardiac Health and Advocacy Village were, from left, Rehema Athumani, a heart warrior with Kenya Mended Hearts; Anu Gomanju, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate and a member of the Board of Directors of Global ARCH; Amy Verstappen, president of Global ARCH; and Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate director of advocacy at the NCDI Poverty Network.