WASHINGTON – Heart Halve Voice-US announced today that Karissa Charles will assume the role of Executive Director. Karissa’s nearly 10 years of experience in public health leadership, patient education, and program development make her well-suited to lead the organization.
Over the past year, Karissa served as Heart Valve Voice-US’s Director of Programming, where she spearheaded a partnership with the American Heart Association’s aortic stenosis campaign and the American Society of Echocardiography to develop an educational resource for patients to better understanding their echocardiogram results. In her tenure as Director of Programming, she also led the development of the #Ask4Echo PSA campaign, which is designed to encourage patients to take charge of their heart health.
“I am honored to lead Heart Valve Voice-US during such a pivotal time in patient advocacy,” says Karissa. “I look forward to building upon the incredible work already done and expanding our efforts to improve the lives of those affected by valve disease, including building a new patient ambassador program that will connect heart valve disease patients to key decision and policymakers.”
The previous executive director, Lindsay Videnieks, expressed support for Karissa’s elevation to the role. “Karissa is ideally suited to lead Heart Valve Voice-US; her connection with the community and passionate interest in equity make her the perfect fit for a growing organization looking to connect with patients on shared decision making and quality of care issues,” said Videnieks.
Under new executive leadership, Heart Valve Voice-US will continue to create brighter futures for individuals with heart valve disease by encouraging patients to become informed advocates for their own heart health, providing access to comprehensive information, support networks and expert guidance.
