Our goal is to reduce heart-related illnesses in Bermuda by advocating, supporting, and promoting cardiovascular health through awareness initiatives.
Bermuda Heart Foundation:
The Foundation itself oversees community outreach, free health screenings, lunch and learn seminars, corporate wellness programs, annual Heart Health Awareness Month events every February, progressive youth educational programs, and the establishment of cardiac prevention as an insurable benefit.
Jump 2B Fit:
Jump 2B Fit is dedicated to the promotion of the sport of jump rope as a life-long physical fitness activity. Our purpose is to inspire, motivate, and educate people of all ages, while fostering local, and international jump rope competitions, workshops, and performances. We host workshops for school-aged children to learn different jump rope skills as well as adult recreational jump classes. By spreading this sport, we could increase the popularity even more, expanding jumping rope and Jump 2B Fit across the world!
CORE Heart Health Center:
Hands-on preventive and rehabilitative care through a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals right here at Bermuda Heart Foundation’s headquarters. Members will have access to cardiologists, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, and personal trainers. The program also offers educational classes like, healthy cooking, meal planning, stress management and more. These benefits will provide patients with the tools they need to prevent heart disease!
The Bermuda Heart Foundation’s program is not just for heart patients; it is for anyone looking to improve their health by mitigating existing risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, stress, family history, or obesity. If you are recovering from a health issue, or just trying to prevent one, Bermuda Heart Foundation has plenty of resources for you!
The Bermuda Heart Foundation is proudly partnered with excellent physicians based out of the #1 hospital in New York: New York-Presbyterian. These physicians make monthly trips to our facility to assist us in furthering our initiatives and providing exceptional care.
Christopher Irobunda, MD, is a full time faculty member and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He has a passion for patient care and educating aspiring young physicians. His primary focus is individualized patient care and patient advocacy.
Dr. Baptista is a bilingual and board-certified child/adolescent and adult psychiatrist. Dr. Baptista joined the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University in 2008 as Director of Clinical Services in Pediatric Psychiatry and has served as Vice-Chair since 2015. Areas of clinical interest and expertise includes the interface of medical and psychiatric illness, mood and anxiety disorders and ADHD.
Dr. Serur came to New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell in 1991 with an interest in clinical transplantation and has been Medical Director of the kidney transplant program since 2007. For the past 15 years he has been supervising the evaluations of kidney donors at Cornell, which performs 150 living donations annually
Dr. Radhakrishnan has been on faculty at Columbia University in the Division of Nephrology since 1994. He is both a clinician and a research focusing on the epidemiology and treatment protocols for glomerular disease, chronic kidney disease, and critical care nephrology. He is currently the Co-Director of the Glomerular Center at Columbia University Medical Center, and has taken part in conducting a number of observational and experimental studies in glomerular disease.
Paul G. Lee, MD, MPH serves as Medical Director of the Hospitalist Program, the Associate Program Director for the Medical Residency Training Program and is Medical Director for Global Services at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.
The Bermuda Heart Foundation charity was created by Dr. Marion Wattlington and Dr. Shane Marshall. These doctors recognized Bermuda’s lack of resources when it came to heart issues and decided to take action. Their vision birthed what the current CEO, Simone Barton, has cultivated today.
When Simone Barton joined the charity in 2008, its only assets were a name, a bank account and a phone number, which rang in an empty office at the hospital. While she was initially hired to build awareness, education, and possibly a cardiac rehab center, Simone knew much more could be done. Simone’s guiding motto in establishing the BHF as a key advocate for health on the island has always been “Why treat full-blown disease when you can prevent it.” With those words painting the vision she created three distinct proactive branches of heart health care that have saved lives and are making an impactful difference island-wide.