Adjacent to the UN General Assembly 2025, a team from Global Action to End Smoking had the privilege of participating in two important global health conversations: Living Longer, Living Better, hosted by Northwell Health and Dalberg, and Closing the Gap in Cardiovascular Health, initiated by Northwell Health and the medical device company Philips.
These high-level roundtables explored how demographic shifts are reshaping health systems worldwide and how we can extend our health span. They also addressed one of the most urgent disparities in medicine: women’s cardiovascular health.
Both meetings highlighted the urgent truth that cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the world’s leading cause of death for women. Shockingly, women are seven times more likely than men to be sent home from an emergency department while experiencing a heart attack.
It is well-established that health span and CVD both are closely linked to smoking. Smoking combustible cigarettes is the leading preventable cause of cardiovascular disease and a major thief of longevity. Smoking damages the heart and blood vessels, accelerates plaque buildup, and dramatically increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. At Global Action to End Smoking, we are addressing the root cause of many cardiovascular health disparities and helping to save lives.
We are aligning our efforts across health, longevity, health equity, health literacy, and prevention to create a real, lasting impact. Ending smoking is central to achieving these goals.
The above can be attributed to Nataliia “Natasha” Toropova, Chief Development Office of Global Action to End Smoking.
