Determination, inspiration have driven awardee's international impact

For her contributions toward expanding the American Heart Association’s mission globally, Dr. Johanna Contreras will receive the organization’s Ron Haddock International Impact Award. (Photo ©Tim Dutta)

For Dr. Johanna Contreras, one conviction has guided a lifetime of work driving global collaboration for equitable health: “There’s always a way.”

Growing up in Bucaramanga, Colombia, Contreras experienced the reality of health disparities early on. But she also saw the power of connecting people around a common purpose. Once a week, she would join her father, a pediatrician, as he worked with a team of volunteers to provide free care for children in their community.

“I always admired that about him. And I could see so many people really wanted to help. So, I felt there was a passion there.”

Following in her father’s footsteps, Contreras went to medical school at the Industrial University of Santander in Colombia and later moved to the U.S. to continue her education in advanced heart failure and transplant. Receiving her first research grant — a small but meaningful award from the American Heart Association — helped crystallize her path.

“That’s when I realized … I can do this,” she said. “I can pursue this.”

Today, she is director of heart failure and cardiomyopathy for the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital Network and director of cardiovascular research at Mount Sinai West.

Throughout her more than 15 years as an American Heart Association volunteer, Contreras has helped expand the organization’s mission globally, translate critical health information across borders, and champion women’s health in Latin America and beyond.

For her extraordinary efforts, Contreras will receive the Ron Haddock International Impact Award on June 23 at the American Heart Association’s National Volunteer Awards ceremony in Irving, Texas.

The award, named for the Association’s 2012-13 chairperson of the board, recognizes exemplary contributions to fostering global collaboration.

“This honor, to me, represents the support system that we have built, and the belief that we can take it to the next level,” Contreras said. “I want every woman everywhere to be the healthiest version of themselves possible.”

As an advanced heart failure and transplant specialist, Contreras has seen firsthand the barriers women face in the health system — and the consequences when their symptoms are overlooked.

She recalls one woman who sought care after a complicated pregnancy, reporting fatigue, swelling and shortness of breath, only to be turned away repeatedly. She was told she had a cold and that her symptoms were normal. By the time she reached Contreras, her heart was twice its normal size.

“Ninety percent of my patients come to me too late. But if we can capture things early … and give the proper treatment, they will have an amazing quality of life.”

This vision inspired her to help launch Corazón de Mamá (“Mom’s Heart”), a joint advocacy and awareness campaign dedicated to advancing women’s health across the lifespan. The effort is a collaboration with the InterAmerican Heart Foundation and the Inter-American Society of Cardiology, of which the American Heart Association is a founding member.

Corazón de Mamá began with regional workshops in collaboration with local heart societies in Spain, Portugal and Brazil. These sessions aimed to equip clinicians and community leaders with resources they could employ in their own countries to improve care and drive public policy and systems-level change.

Today, the program spans more than 27 countries across the Americas. In Argentina, it helped spark calls for a national day dedicated to women’s cardiovascular health. Corazón de Mamá is now working to build a data registry to capture the experiences of women across Latin America and help bridge evidence-based science with care delivery.

When asked what has made the campaign so successful, Contreras points to trust.

“They know we care. They know we’re there to listen,” she said, noting that in many countries, “there is a lot of mistrust with the health care system.”

But the American Heart Association is respected, she said. “They see the logo, and they know we’re coming to help.”

Colleagues say Contreras’ ability to bring people together sets her apart.

“Johanna is a unifying force,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association. “Her commitment to community-driven, locally owned solutions has deepened collaboration and accelerated progress for women’s health around the globe.”

Contreras’ dedication to expanding opportunity extends beyond patients. She’s also a founding member of the Heart Association’s National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative, which connects the next generation of Hispanic-Latino health professionals with networking, mentorship and professional development resources to advance their careers.

“I feel that mentorship is very important, because I wish I had seen people like me,” she said. “We have to be the ones who tell others: ‘It’s possible. You can do this.’”

She continues to forge new ways to ensure that lifesaving care and opportunity reach more people in more places than ever before. And she encourages others to do the same. “Find your talent and use it. Be the best you can be for the world, and for yourself.”