Gabriela Melo Ghisi

I am grateful to contribute to this effort through projects developed with colleagues around the world:
Canada: lnkd.in/gqDXkHnE
Brazil: lnkd.in/gvfKUwmg
Philippines: lnkd.in/giixGU9f
India: lnkd.in/ggqaAgen
#WorldDiabetesDay

Today is #WorldDiabetesDay. People living with diabetes are 2–3× more likely to develop CVD. Over 90% of cases are often preventable. The power of knowledge is essential for prevention and for reducing global health inequities. Together, we can support healthier futures for all.

Excited to share our new paper on engaging women with lived experience to refine #cardiacrehab education. Using the IAP2/PiPER frameworks, we identified 5 key priorities to make resources more accessible, inclusive, and engaging: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A special day in our journey to draft recommendations on adapting the Med Diet to diverse contexts in #cardiacrehab. Today, Prof Duarte & I hosted a focus group with patients and had ThinkLink capture our discussion through live visual storytelling. Funded by CIHR. @kiteuhn.bsky.social

It was wonderful to attend @piper-uhn.bsky.social's Onboarding Workshop as one of the newly funded partnership grant awardees! Our project amplifies the voices of women living with heart disease. This new grant will help us expand the platform to better represent diverse women across 🇨🇦.

PEC Global will publish research in patient education, health communication, and counseling, highlighting culturally sensitive, regionally grounded work that connects local challenges to global perspectives.
Submissions open early 2026 - stay tuned!

I’m honored to serve as the first Editor-in-Chief of PEC Global - a new Elsevier journal and Patient Education & Counseling spin-off.
A new scientific journal bridging local evidence and global perspectives in patient education and health communication.
sciencedirect.com/journal/pec-...

Happy to welcome Prof. Camila Duarte (UFMG, Brazil) to our Cardiac Rehab program in Toronto!
We’re collaborating on a CIHR-funded project adapting the Mediterranean Diet for culturally diverse patients.
We kicked off her visit with a presentation - and of course, pizza, brigadeiro, and pudim!

Last week we kicked off the CIHR IGH Trainee Series hosted by
our IGH UToronto Chapter.
Renato Barbosa dos Santos presented on “Lost in the binary sex/gender data” highlighting overlooked identities & the need for inclusive, standardized reporting.
More info: eventbrite.ca/e/cihr-insti...

How the LAC Programme Shaped My Cardiac Rehab Advocacy Through WHF’s LAC Programme, Gabriela Melo Ghisi is turning global research on cardiac rehabilitation into advocacy for equity and stronger health systems.

Honoured to be featured on the World Heart Federation website for my experience in the first LAC Programme in Kenya. Grateful to WHF for empowering leaders in advocacy and communication for CV health. The program continues to shape my work in #cardiacrehab: world-heart-federation.org/advocacy-com...

Characterizing health literacy in cardiac rehabilitation patients: a decade of multinational data (2014–2024) Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global health issue, with a high prevalence and significant economic impact. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) can help mitigate this burden through its comprehe...

October is Health Literacy Month - an essential topic in #cardiacrehab.
Patients can only manage their heart health if they understand it. Clear communication and tailored education are essential.
Health literacy isn’t optional - it’s foundational.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Thank you to CIHR for once again recognizing my work as a member of the College of Reviewers. It is an honour to support high-quality health research in Canada and contribute to advancing patient care through rigorous peer review.

What an incredible experience at #PiPERResearchDay2025 yesterday.
Honoured to receive one of the Partnership Grant Awards.
Loved the art session - yellow shows the clarity patient partnerships bring.
An inspiring day of learning, connection, and meaningful collaboration! @piper-uhn.bsky.social

A beautiful fall day at #PiPERResearchDay2025 🍂 Excited to share OurHeartsOurStories (poster #18) and inspired by keynote Mahadeo Sukhai on disability in health research & inclusive practices. Looking forward to more sessions this afternoon! @piper-uhn.bsky.social

YouTube video by ICCPR World Heart Day 2025 Campaign

How did you celebrate #WorldHeartDay on Sept 29? ❤️🌍
At ICCPR, we marked the day in a creative/inspiring way. Watch our video 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpaw...
Our message is clear: CR saves lives, improves health & builds stronger communities. Together, we can make heart health a global priority.

12 months later: 30,000+ emails sent, 10,700+ unique opens. This milestone shows the value of sharing relevant #cardiacrehab news with our global community. Grateful for this journey!
📖 Oct 2025 issue: shorturl.at/Tf86t
🔗 Subscribe: shorturl.at/suY5K

One Year of the ICCPR Insider! 🎉
As Secretary, I saw how vital it was to share knowledge & strengthen connections. So, when I became Chair in Sept 2024, I challenged then-Secretary @DionCandelaria_ - and together we created The Insider (cont'd)

Exciting milestone! Our paper on enhancing cardiovascular patients’ knowledge of air pollution in #cardiacrehab has been downloaded 500+ times! Targeted education improved understanding of AQI & PM2.5 - showing the power of patient education in CV health.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/reh...

Honoured to be included in the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List for 2025! This list recognizes the most influential researchers worldwide, across 22 fields and 174 sub-fields - focusing on impact and productivity.
Grateful for colleagues & students who made this possible!
@uhnresearch.ca

Yesterday I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on sex- and gender-based analysis (SGBA) in Health & Rehab Sciences. Organized by our CIHR IGH Network UToronto Chapter, the event brought ~50 participants, showing strong interest in embedding SGBA in research & practice. @kiteuhn.bsky.social

The chapter - written in Portuguese - adapts our women-focused CR guidelines (onlinecjc.ca/article/S082... to the Brazilian context & offers tools for practice and implementation. A must-read for all physical therapists working with cardiovascular disease is Brazil.

Happy to finally hold in my hands the book that features my 5th book chapter: "Implementation of Women-Focused Cardiac Rehabilitation". This chapter is part of PROFISIO, a series of books created for physical therapists in Brazil by ASSOBRAFIR.

#ESCWCC2025 was amazing! Loved connecting with ICCPR and @worldheart.org colleagues, meeting many in person, and presenting 2 studies:
1️⃣ Global CR knowledge (4,309 pts, 11 countries)
2️⃣ Women co-designed CR education via @piper-uhn.bsky.social - improved relevance & uptake.

Join us Wednesday, September 24, 12–1 PM (EDT) for a panel discussion on SGBA in Health & Rehabilitation Sciences! Graduate students and postdocs will share how they integrate SGBA into their research, followed by a Q&A. Register by September 17: eventbrite.ca/e/sex-and-ge...

Excited to present at the 40th AACVPR Annual Meeting with amazing international colleagues on “Using International Flavors to Spice Up #CardiacRehab.” Can’t wait to share ideas from around the world to enhance programs and patient outcomes. shorturl.at/O6tpH

New paper out! We mapped how frailty is assessed & addressed in outpatient #cardiacrehab. Findings show inconsistent tools, limited sex/gender analysis & key barriers to participation. Inclusive, tailored cardiac rehab is urgently needed.
Read here: mdpi.com/2077-0383/14...

Honoured to be featured in a Q&A with @kiteuhn.bsky.social, where I share my journey as a researcher, immigrant, and advocate for meaningful collaboration with patients. We talk success, mentorship, and the power of knowledge translation.
Read the full piece: www.kite-uhn.com/news/gabriel...

New publication in BMC Women’s Health!
We reviewed 64 studies to identify barriers to physical activity in women from ethnic minority groups. Findings point to complex, multi-level challenges requiring tailored solutions. Read here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Excited to join colleagues this Friday, July 11, to discuss #cardiacrehab for women and how to overcome the many barriers they face. Part of the Congresso da Sociedade Mineira de Cardiologia: congressosmc.com.br

IGH U of T Chapter Trainee Network The IGH Sex and Gender Science Trainee Network is a network of trainees (undergraduate, master’s, PhD and post-docs) across Canada with hubs at Canadian educational institutions. It connects new and f...

📢 U of T students & trainees: Join us to learn, lead & connect with others passionate about inclusive, rigorous research.
👩‍🏫 Faculty: Please share with your students!
📩 Sign up: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
🔗 More info: cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/51235.html