A coffee break with Julia Grapsa and Ana Almeida

With Julia Grapsa, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Heart and Vascular Center, Boston - USA, Ana Maria G Almeida, Faculty of Medicine University of Lisbon, Lisbon - Portugal, and Sarah Birkhoelzer, Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford - UK.   In this special episode, Sarah Birkhoelzer is joined by Julia Grapsa, Director of Education in Echocardiography at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Ana Almeida, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Lisbon. Together, they lead the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) Gender and Equity Special Interest Group (SIG). The discussion opens with Julia reflecting on the group's origins and mission: to promote equity, inclusion, and representation in cardiovascular imaging across Europe and beyond. Ana highlights the group's key achievements, including pivotal publications such as the EACVI consensus document on multimodality imaging in women with cardiovascular disease—a must-read for clinicians and researchers alike. The episode also delves into the group's educational and community-building initiatives, from their active newsletter and Facebook community to interactive brainstorming sessions. Julia shares updates on their structured mentoring programme, supported by a competitive education grant, and Ana discusses ongoing research projects such as DOMINO and the VHD-W registry. Listeners will learn how to get involved with the SIG and why its mission is essential for both women and men in the field. This inspiring conversation highlights the power of collaboration in shaping a more inclusive future in cardiovascular medicine.