Executive Council 

Chair: Prof. Jennifer (Jenni) Jones (Ireland)

Jenni Jones is the Director of Postgraduate Programmes in Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health at the University of Galway Ireland and is the Director of Training and Education at the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (NIPC), where she contributes to an extensive portfolio spanning research, training and service innovation in cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation. She is a past president of both the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation (ACPICR). Jenni is recognized as an emerging leader by the World Heart Federation and a long-time supporter of ICCPR. Jenni is committed to advancing equitable, evidence-based cardiovascular care worldwide.

Abraham Samuel Babu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiotherapy at the Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, India. He also holds Honorary positions in Australia (Austin Health) and UK (University of Glasgow). His work is focused on home-based cardiac rehabilitation in heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, with a clinical and translational focus. He served on the development group of the WHO’s Package of Rehabilitation Interventions for Ischemic heart disease and currently serves on the Committee on Exercise Physiology & Training of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC, the exercise taskforce of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute, UK and the World Rehabilitation Alliance of the WHO in the Workforce workstream. He has published >100 papers and contributed to 8 textbook chapters.

Tiago Nogueira holds a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Sciences from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and is a Cardiovascular Physiotherapist. He has international research experience as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Manitoba (Canada) through the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP). His interests include cardiovascular physiotherapy, functional assessment, and clinical data management, with a focus on evidence-based practice. He is particularly interested in improving equity in access to cardiovascular rehabilitation services in low- and middle-income countries. Tiago is a member of the Brazilian Association of Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy and Intensive Care Physiotherapy (ASSOBRAFIR).

Heather Probert holds a Master’s degree in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Health from the University of Chester and is a Consultant Physiotherapist, leading the Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation Departments at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.  She is a past president of both the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation (ACPICR).  She is currently the Cardiac Rehabilitation lead for North London and her specialist interests interest includes supporting patients with Adult Congenital Heart Disease and advanced Heart Failure.

Dr. Ross obtained her medical degree at Université Laval, Québec, Canada, followed by Internal Medicine and Cardiology residencies at the same institution. She then completed a fellowship in sports cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at the University of Chester, in the UK. She is the founder and medical director of the PREV cardiac rehabilitation center in Lévis. She has been on the board of the Canadian Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (CACPR)  for more than 9 years. She is also an Associate Professor of medicine at Université Laval. She is fluent in English and French.

Gabriela Ghisi is an Affiliate Scientist at the University Health Network (Canada). She also holds adjunct appointments at the the University of Toronto and York University (Canada), and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). Her research focuses on patient education in chronic disease management and global access to cardiac rehab. In collaboration with  programs worldwide, she has led the successful development, implementation, and evaluation of an evidence-based patient education curriculum in 12 countries. She has published 200+ papers, authored clinical practice guidelines, and developed more than 10 cardiac rehabilitation-related scales. Dr Ghisi is also a member of the research committee of the American Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (AACVPR; United States), and the Brazilian Association of Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy and Intensive Care Physiotherapy (ASSOBRAFIR; Brazil).

Immediate Past Secretary: Dr Dion Candelaria (Australia)

Dr Dion Candelaria is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Sydney Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health. He is a Registered Nurse and his research focuses on supporting patients to reduce their risk of further cardiovascular events through promoting secondary prevention behaviours and cardiac rehabilitation. Dion is the current President of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA) NSW/ACT.

Exec Advisor: Prof. John Buckley (United Kingdom)

John Buckley is a Professor of Exercise Rehabilitation in the School of Allied Health Professions at Keele University, Staffordshire, UK. Following his Presidency of the British Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR, 2011), he co-founded the ICCPR with his North American Canadian colleagues Professor Sherry Grace (Toronto), Professor of Darren Warburton (Vancouver) and Professor Bonnie Sanderson (Alabama). He served as ICCPR’s Founding Chair until 2016, which grew out of his work as lead coordinator of ICCPR’s 2013 inaugural publication, The International Charter of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (link HERE). John continues to serve ICCPR as Executive Advisor on Governance, as a member of the Foundation’s Certificate curriculum and tutoring team, and in an ongoing ambassadorial role with the WHF and WHO.

Communications Officer: Dr. Isabela Roque Marçal (Canada)

Isabela is a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Her research interests focus on understanding the role of exercise training in preventing and managing cardiovascular disease, with emphasis on patients with cardiac devices and women’s heart health.