Doctor canvasses boundaries of preventive cardiology, maternal health

A Nigerian physician-scientist and researcher, Dr. Toluwalase has underscored the urgent need for a change in approach in Cardiovascular disease and maternal health.

According to him, Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death globally, yet early warning signs often go unnoticed, particularly in underrepresented populations where access to specialized healthcare is limited.

He noted that in Africa, late diagnoses and gaps in preventive care contribute to high mortality rates, especially among women who have faced pregnancy-related complications like preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and diabetes.

These issues he said are not merely short-term concerns; they signal a long-term risk for cardiovascular problems.

“Pregnancy is often the first stress test a woman experiences in life. If a woman develops high blood pressure during pregnancy, it’s not just a complication, it’s an indication that her cardiovascular system is at risk. However, in many instances, once the baby is born and the immediate issue is addressed, there is no follow-up to evaluate long-term heart health. This represents a significant gap in care that must be addressed,” he stated.

His research in preventive cardiology and cardio-obstetrics aims to close this gap by identifying cardiovascular risk factors before they result in irreversible conditions.
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During his PhD at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, he identified new molecular biomarkers like COLXVIIA1 (a protein and its RNA), microRNA 9-5p, carried on extracellular vesicles (one of the body’s messaging system similar to Twitter) affect maternal and fetal cardiovascular health. His findings lay the groundwork for new screening tools that could identify heart disease long before symptoms appear. Now a resident physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and an incoming Cardiology fellow at Harvard/Mass General Hospital, Boston, he continues to investigate how cardiovascular diseases can be identified early with biomarkers and new imaging technologies to help predict heart disease early, particularly in women with a history of pregnancy-related complications.

His work has important implications for Africa, where cardiovascular disease is frequently diagnosed too late and maternal health risks are not sufficiently connected to future heart conditions.

“In many African countries, we lack widespread access to cardiologists, but we have robust maternal health systems,” Dr. Toluwalase pointed out. “By integrating cardiovascular risk screening into routine postnatal care, we could identify at-risk women early and implement interventions that could save lives.” He believes this approach could significantly alleviate the burden of heart disease on already strained healthcare systems, ensuring that more women receive the preventive care they require.

Beyond his research and clinical practice, Toluwalase is also deeply dedicated to mentorship and education. With his foundation The Ganglion Initiative he has helped guide over 350 students into leading academic institutions locally and globally, understanding that sustainable change in healthcare necessitates a pipeline of well-trained medical professionals and researchers. His book, Letters to My Past Self, gathers reflections from Nigeria’s top graduates, providing guidance to young scholars as they navigate their academic paths. However, he emphasizes that mentorship is about more than just individual success.

“It’s about building a network of scholars and doctors who are dedicated to addressing real-world problems. For long-term progress, we need more African physicians, physician-scientists and researchers spearheading groundbreaking work in cardiology,” he said.
As cardiovascular disease and maternal mortality rates continue to escalate worldwide, preventive cardiology and cardio-obstetrics is becoming an urgent public health priority. Toluwalase’s work is part of a larger initiative to shift the focus from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.

“Heart disease doesn’t just appear suddenly in old age, it starts decades earlier. If we can identify these risks early, we have a genuine opportunity to prevent heart failure, strokes, and other complications before they even arise,” he explained.

While there is still much to be done, his contributions to cardiovascular medicine are already shaping new conversations in public health and clinical practice. By pushing for earlier detection, advocating for an integrated approach to maternal and cardiovascular care, and training future leaders in medicine, Toluwalase is not only pioneering research but also ensuring that its benefits reach the people who need them the most. He attributes his inspiration to help address medical conditions from his father Dr Olatunbosun Awoyemi a well respected and acclaimed pulmonologist in Nigeria.