Women and Cardiovascular Conditions – Closing the Gender Gap in Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among women globally, yet women’s heart health has historically been under-recognised, under-researched, and under-diagnosed. Differences in biology, hormones, life stages, and symptom presentation mean that cardiovascular conditions often manifest differently in women than in men — with significant consequences for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

This seminar will explore cardiovascular disease through a women’s health lens, addressing sex-specific risk factors, the influence of hormones and life stages such as pregnancy and menopause, and why women are still less likely to receive timely and accurate cardiac diagnoses. We will also examine conditions such as stroke and cardiometabolic disease, where disparities in awareness and clinical pathways remain significant.

By bringing together perspectives from research, clinical practice, and industry, the seminar aims to highlight emerging insights, identify remaining knowledge gaps, and discuss how greater focus on sex-specific cardiovascular health can improve outcomes for women across the life course.

The seminar aims to foster dialogue, collaboration, and innovation across disciplines to advance women’s health in the Medicon Valley region and beyond.

Date: Thursday, 10th September 2026
Time: 14:00 – 18:00
Venue: Copenhagen University, Maersk Tower: Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 København N – Nielsine Nielsen Auditorium

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Program

Speakers​​​​​​

	Manisha Nair is Professor of Global Health at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford. She is an adjunct faculty at the Indian Council of Medical Research, RCN Division, New Delhi; Visiting Professor at NHLI, Imperial College London; and Honorary Professor at Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences, Assam. She is a clinician by training and specialised in clinical epidemiology and global population health research. Manisha was a UK Medical Research Council (MRC) career development fellow and recipient of an MRC Transition Support award. Her research focuses on innovative and translational research with key areas including cardiometabolic diseases affecting pregnancy, fetal development and long-term women’s health. Manisha is founder and lead of the Maternal and Perinatal Health Research Collaboration, India (MaatHRI)—a research and training platform including a network of 16 hospitals across six Indian states. She also co-leads the Smart-FoCUS Solutions project (Artificial Intelligence–powered Focused Cardiac Ultrasound Solutions), which is developing a software platform leveraging cutting-edge multimodal AI algorithms to improve equitable access to echocardiography for early detection of cardiac problems in resource-limited settings.
	Christine Kremer is associated professor for Neurology and a strokeneurologist at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Lund University. She completed her studies in medicine in Italy and Germany followed by a postdoc with focus on cerebrovascular ultrasound in Zurich, Switzerland. At Skåne University Hospital she leads the neurovascular outpatient service including ultrasound and serves as senior consultant with special focus on acute stroke treatment and organization of the regional stroke network in southern Sweden. Focus of her research is acute stroke treatment and sex differences in stroke with special interest in stroke in women. She is actively involved in the women for stroke in Europe initiative (WISE) within the European Stroke Organization (ESO) from the start and served as chair. Moreover chairing the guidelines working group “Stroke in women” for the ESO and leads an international research group on sex differences in stroke. She has published numerous articles on sex differences in stroke including meta-analyses and served as PI in many stroke trials including the “Stroke in Pregnancy and Postpartum” (SIPP) study.
	Martin Stagmo, MD, PhD is Medical Director for Bayer Pharma in the Nordics, where he leads Medical Affairs activities across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and the Baltics. A cardiologist by training with many years experience in clinical cardiology and cardiovascular research from Lund, Sweden, he holds extensive clinical, academic, and industry experience with a strong focus on cardiovascular disease, prevention, and health impact.
Moderator
	Bente Stallknecht is Dean at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, where she leads the faculty’s academic development, strategy, and external collaborations. She is also Professor at UCPH and Honorary Professor at Deakin University, Australia. She heads the research group Act4Life and serves on the boards of Center for Sundt Liv og Trivsel and Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen. From 2018 to 2022, she served as Prorector for Education at UCPH and Deputy to the Rector.

The deadline for registration is 8th September 2026

The MVA Women’s Health network
Joining the MVA Women’s Health Network is free of charge but is limited to Medicon Valley Alliance members. Non-member organizations and companies are welcome to attend one network event to evaluate the relevance of joining the network. For more information, please contact Katrine Brems Olsen at kbo@mva.org

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