Professor David A Wood

David Wood is the Garfield Weston Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the International Centre for Circulatory Health, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

With a special interest in prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), Professor Wood has developed Guidelines on CVD prevention for the World Health Organisation, European Society of Cardiology and the British Cardiovascular Society. He has contributed to policy development through the European Heart Health Initiative, leading to the St Valentines Day declaration on CVD Prevention, and subsequently the European Heart Health Charter, which aims to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease through political advocacy.

As principal investigator for the EUROASPIRE surveys he has described the changing practice of preventive cardiology across Europe. This led to the concept of the EUROACTION trials – evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of nurse-led, multidisciplinary cardiovascular prevention programmes in hospital and general practice across Europe - which have raised standards of preventive care. The principles of EUROACTION were subsequently embodied in the MYACTION preventive cardiology model now being delivered in the NHS.

He is the Course Director for the MSc in Preventive Cardiology – Cardiovascular Health and Disease Prevention – launched in 2008. The course provides multidisciplinary postgraduate training in the principles and practice of cardiovascular disease prevention. Short courses in preventive cardiology are also delivered elsewhere in the UK, Saudi Arabia and China.

He founded the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, now called The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology and was Joint Editor in Chief (2002-2008). He was a founding father and President (2006-2012) of the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, a sub-speciality Association of the European Society of Cardiology. In this capacity he served as an ESC Board member (2008-2010). He was then elected as Secretary/Treasurer of the Society (2010-2012) and serves on the Management Group and Board. He chairs the ESC Training and Research Grants Committee awarding annual grants to young cardiologists to further their clinical and academic careers.