12 January 2022 (New York, NY)—Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), an initiative of Vital Strategies, announced today that it has appointed Dr. Renu Garg as its Senior Vice President of Cardiovascular Health. She will oversee the implementation of the Cardiovascular Health program with a focus on large-scale hypertension management, global elimination of trans fat and effective strategies to reduce sodium consumption.
Dr. Garg brings to RTSL more than three decades of experience implementing large-scale public health programs in low- and middle-income countries. Most recently, she served as the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative for Thailand and as a WHO Team Leader for Noncommunicable diseases. There, she oversaw WHO initiatives with government and civil society partners to improve hypertension control and treatment, develop policies for sodium reduction, eliminate artificial trans fat, curb tobacco use, combat childhood obesity and accelerate COVID-19 vaccination.
Previously, Dr. Garg held roles with the WHO Regional Office for South East Asia, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health institutions in India, supporting a range of noncommunicable disease, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and child survival programs.
“We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Garg to our team,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “Her depth of experience and leadership in cardiovascular health will be an enormous asset not only to our organization but also to our partners around the world working to improve high blood pressure treatment, eliminate trans fat, and reduce sodium intake.”
As Senior Vice President of Cardiovascular Health, Dr. Garg will focus on implementing and supporting programs that improve primary care for hypertension and build up robust nutrition policy and surveillance to reduce preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease. RTSL promotes programs to increase global hypertension control from 14% to 50% in low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on simple treatment protocols, patient-centered care and effective information systems. Its nutrition program aim to reduce global dietary sodium intake by 30% through front-of-pack labeling, salt substitutes and limits on artificial trans fat content in fats, oils and foods. In addition, RTSL works closely with WHO and others on the REPLACE initiative to make the world free of trans fat. These affordable, scalable, evidence-based solutions are designed to save 100 million lives over the next 30 years.
“I am beyond thrilled to join RTSL in its mission to save 100 million lives from cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Renu Garg. “We must not lose focus on ending preventable deaths from heart disease. I am looking forward to applying the best practices and insights gained in India, Thailand, and elsewhere to RTSL’s country programs around the world.”
Dr. Garg received her medical degree from the University of Mumbai in India and a Master of Public Health from Emory University in Atlanta, and served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer and Medical Epidemelogist at U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she designed and implemented research studies to improve child survival in western Kenya. Her research on noncommunicable diseases, sodium intake and hypertension has been published in many journals including Global Heart, The Journal of Clinical Hypertension and Lancet Global Health. Dr. Garg is fluent in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Marathi.
###
Media Contacts:
Steven Chlapecka, Resolve to Save Lives: [email protected],+1.917.623.0246
Christina Honeysett, Vital Strategies: [email protected]; +1.914.424.3356