Global Heart Hub Team Spotlight: David Kelly
Meet David! David Kelly joined Global Heart Hub in November 2022 as our Operations Manager.
Based in Ireland, David is closely connected to Global Heart Hub’s mission as he is a heart valve disease patient himself. “I was really interested in Global Heart Hub’s work and was excited at the opportunity to share my lived experience with congenital heart valve disease,” says David.
Recent highlights for David include bringing our cardiovascular disease patient community together for the first in-person Unite Annual Summit in Barcelona, Spain, in November 2023 and sharing his patient story at the Heart Valve Society Annual Meeting in February 2024. “I was honoured to speak at the shared decision-making session at the Heart Valve Society Annual Meeting. Incredibly, it marked 46 years to the day of my first open heart surgery, and I got to meet and interview the surgeon who played a big part in helping me to advocate for my treatment plan for my second open heart surgery in 2021,” says David.
David keeps connected with the cardiovascular community online, and strongly recommends following Irish-based cardiologist Dr Paddy Barrett on Irish social media, “Dr Barrett has a way of breaking down the often-complex world of cardiovascular disease into easy-to-digest, bite-size articles for clinicians and their patients – check out his post on high cholesterol and tennis balls!”
In addition to his work at Global Heart Hub, David is the voluntary Chair of Heart and Stroke Voice Ireland, a patient/survivor and carer led alliance of those living with, or affected by, heart conditions and stroke in Ireland. It was formed to provide a platform for the patient and carer voice, and to inform and support the Irish heart and stroke advocacy agenda.
To unwind, David loves Sunday morning walks by the sea in Galway Bay and the odd round of golf.
Thank you, David, for being part of the Global Heart Hub team! Learn more about our team here.
David pictured with his family on vacation
