Velarde co-authors comprehensive book on women’s cardiovascular disease

Gladys Velarde, MD, has a published textbook that’s the first of its kind in the United States.

Velarde, an associate professor of cardiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, is the co-author and editor of “Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Women” – a comprehensive guide and resource for trainees and providers alike.

Velarde said this is the first published book that’s solely devoted to covering heart disease in women on a broad level. The text covers important and unique aspects of women’s heart health such as emotional stress, pregnancy and menopause. It’s considered a “concise guide” for cardiovascular care in women.

Having studied cardiovascular disease (CVD) her entire professional life, Velarde believes that not enough attention has been given to its particular impact on women. It’s especially noteworthy when considering that every year more women in the United States die from CVD than any other disease or condition.

The idea of putting together such a book came during Velarde’s time as an associate professor at the University of Rochester in New York. Velarde started on the book toward the end of 2012 – a little more than a year after she began working at UF.

The book, published last month by Springer Science+Business Media, is divided into four parts. The sections are Epidemiology, Classification, Guidelines; Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment of Specific Conditions in Women; Pregnancy and Heart Disease; and Special Considerations. In all, the book has 20 chapters spanning more than 400 pages.

She edited the book with Hanna Mieszczanska, MD, an associate professor at the University of Rochester. Mieszczanska is also a co-author. Counting those two, the book has 47 contributing authors, including 18 UF faculty physicians.

“We have put out a great product and we’re proud of it,” Velarde said. “We hope it serves future trainees and current providers. There’s a lot to be learned regarding women and cardiovascular disease.”

She said she hopes medical libraries and bookstores decide to carry “Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Women” and that teaching programs adopt it.

For more Information about the book, including purchase options, visit springer.com/medicine/cardiology/book/978-1-4471-5516-4.