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| Danish Heart Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Danish Heart Foundation |
| Native name | Hjerteforeningen |
| Formation | 1962 |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen |
| Key people | Bent Ahm (Chair), Hanne-Marie Bach (CEO) |
| Area served | Denmark |
| Focus | Cardiology, cardiovascular research, patient support |
| Website | hjerteforeningen.dk |
Danish Heart Foundation
The Danish Heart Foundation is a Danish nonprofit organization dedicated to combating cardiovascular disease through research funding, patient support, public education, and advocacy. Founded in 1962 and based in Copenhagen, the Foundation operates across Denmark with programs that engage hospitals, universities, community groups, and policy institutions. It serves as a central actor in Denmark’s network of health charities, collaborating with clinical centers, academic research units, and international organizations.
The Foundation was established in 1962 amid rising attention to heart disease in postwar Denmark and parallel to developments at institutions such as the Rigshospitalet, Aarhus University Hospital, and the Statens Serum Institut. Early decades saw partnerships with cardiac surgeons and cardiologists from centres like Søren Olesen’s teams and research groups at University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University. During the 1970s and 1980s the Foundation expanded grant programs to support investigators at the Danish Heart Centre and allied units at the Odense University Hospital and the Hvidovre Hospital. In the 1990s and 2000s it increased public campaigns that paralleled initiatives by the World Heart Federation, the European Society of Cardiology, and national patient organizations such as Landsforeningen for Hjertepatienter. More recent history includes strategic collaborations with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, and municipal health departments in Aarhus, Odense, and Aalborg.
The Foundation’s mission encompasses funding cardiovascular research, improving patient rehabilitation, and preventing heart disease through lifestyle programs and public awareness campaigns. Activities include grants to researchers at universities like University of Southern Denmark, clinical trials hosted at Herlev Hospital, educational materials distributed via partnerships with Sundhedsstyrelsen contacts, and support services for patients and relatives coordinated with local hospitals such as Bispebjerg Hospital. It operates helplines, patient forums tied to clinics at Gentofte Hospital, and national campaigns timed with events like World Heart Day and national screening efforts.
Research funding targets basic science, translational studies, and clinical trials in areas including ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, and congenital heart defects. The Foundation issues annual grants reviewed by panels with experts from institutions including Copenhagen University Hospital, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, and international reviewers from the European Research Council. Major grant recipients have included laboratories studying molecular cardiology at the Biotech Research and Innovation Centre and clinical groups running multicentre trials across Rigshospitalet, Odense University Hospital, and Aalborg University Hospital. The Foundation also supports epidemiological studies using registers such as those maintained by the Danish National Patient Registry and cohort research linked to the Danish Twin Registry.
Prevention programs emphasize smoking cessation, dietary guidance, physical activity, and blood pressure control, delivered through campaigns in collaboration with municipal health services in Copenhagen Municipality and regional health authorities like the Central Denmark Region. Initiatives have included community cardiopulmonary resuscitation training with local fire departments, screening projects in partnership with primary care networks associated with General Practitioners in Denmark, and public awareness drives co-timed with events such as European Heart Failure Awareness Day. The Foundation also produces educational resources for schools and workplaces, cooperating with actors such as DGI and patient advocacy groups like Hjerteforeningens Ungdom.
The Foundation raises funds through public donations, legacy gifts, corporate partnerships, and national fundraisers including televised appeals and membership drives. Corporate donors have included Danish companies in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as partnerships with foundations like the Novo Nordisk Foundation and philanthropic arms of firms headquartered in Copenhagen. Major fundraising events have featured national campaigns on platforms linked to Danish broadcasters such as DR and TV 2, charity runs organized with municipal sports councils, and workplace giving schemes negotiated with trade unions like 3F.
The Foundation is governed by a board composed of representatives from healthcare institutions, patient groups, business, and academia, with oversight mechanisms consistent with Danish nonprofit law and guidance from the Danish Civil Society Organisation sector. Operational leadership includes an executive director and program directors with backgrounds in clinical cardiology, epidemiology, and nonprofit management, working closely with clinical partners at Rigshospitalet and academic partners at University of Copenhagen. Advisory committees include specialists from the Danish Society of Cardiology, ethicists from university faculties, and patient representatives from national support groups.
Internationally, the Foundation engages with the World Heart Federation, the European Society of Cardiology, and research consortia funded by bodies such as the Horizon 2020 programme and the European Commission. Bilateral collaborations involve research exchanges with centres like Karolinska Institutet, Imperial College London, University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School, and networks spanning Scandinavia including Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Organization contacts and Swedish cardiology departments. The Foundation also contributes to global efforts on cardiovascular health policy through participation in conferences held by the World Health Organization and regional forums coordinated by the European Public Health Alliance.
Category:Medical and health organisations based in Denmark