Heart Institute of the Caribbean founder receives award from UPenn
Ernest Madu, MD, chairman and CEO of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC), received the inaugural global health champion award on Sept. 15 from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Global Health.
Madu founded HIC in Kingston, Jamaica in 2004. Since then, HIC has served as a health clinic for cardiovascular disease, occupational health, diabetes care and general internaml medicine and has provided more than $1 million in free or reduced care to its patients, according to a news release.
Madu is also the managing partner of IHS Group, an asset holding and investment management company, which has invested in healthcare and other sectors. In addition, he has published more than 100 scientific papers, according to the release.
“This award is a true honor and signifies the increased efforts from the global health community to prioritize non-communicable diseases,” Madu said in the release. “Today, cardiovascular disease is second only to HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. I look forward to a continued partnership with the Penn Center for Global Health to combat this growing epidemic and help improve the health and lives of people in need around the world.”