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NaUKMA Research Center has joined a new Horizon Europe project aimed at strengthening secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease
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- Published on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 07:19
The NaUKMA Center for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, in cooperation with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the consortium of international partners, in 2026-2029 will implement a big project “Strengthening Secondary Prevention of Ischemic Heart Disease in Rural Ukraine and Bulgaria: the SPIDR Consortium” under the support of European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA) of the “Horizon Europe” Framework Program.
The SPIDR Project is a 5-year research project in the framework of “Horizon Europe” Program represented by the strong consortium of prominent international educational and research institutions that is aimed at improving secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in Eastern Europe. Its particular focus is on underserved and disadvantaged populations in Ukraine and Bulgaria, where the disease burden is among the highest globally. The SPIDR project will co-design, evaluate, and disseminate health system-strengthening strategies that support improved implementation of IHD care interventions recommended by the European Society of Cardiology. This package of care includes interventions that are clinically proven but poorly implemented such as antihypertensives, antiplatelet and lipid-lowering therapy, smoking cessation, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, and screening and intervention for co-morbid mental disorders.
To design implementation strategies that are effective and contextually appropriate, SPIDR will engage stakeholders from across the health system—including patients, caregivers, healthcare workers, and policymakers—in a collaborative co-design process. Evidence-based implementation approaches such as shifting care to primary facilities, task-sharing with non-specialist workers, and supporting patients through mobile messaging, peer support networks, and simplified medication regimens will be tailored to local needs. Importantly, the project will integrate mental health screening and intervention into IHD care to reduce fragmentation. The project will assess feasibility, refine strategies, and conduct a full trial to evaluate implementation and effectiveness outcomes. It will evaluate the health impact of its implementation strategies and produce roadmaps to support their sustainability. The project’s ultimate goal is to reduce health inequities and strengthen IHD care for underserved and disadvantaged populations in the region.
His thoughts and plans for this new big project has shared its Lead at NaUKMA and the Director of the NaUKMA Center for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Sergiy Bogdanov: "Today, we possess ample scientific evidence regarding effective interventions for the secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease — the challenge lies not in discovering new treatments, but in their actual implementation. A significant gap remains between what evidence-based medicine offers patients and the care they actually receive at the primary care level, while existing implementation approaches are fragmented and often not adapted to the local context. The SPIDR project aims to identify which implementation strategies can bridge this gap amidst a full-scale war—a time when the healthcare system is operating under unprecedented strain—and to rigorously evaluate their effectiveness through a comparative study. We are conducting this work in close collaboration with the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Academy of Family Medicine of Ukraine, and an international consortium led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. We believe that the experience gained in Ukraine will prove valuable not only for our own country but also for other healthcare systems operating in crisis situations or with limited resources."
Project Coordinator – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom). Members of the international consortium – Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (Germany), University Center Utrecht (Netherlands), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy), Academy of Family Medicine of Ukraine (Ukraine), Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (Ukraine), European Health Institute (Bulgaria), Health Psychology Research Center (Bulgaria), Association of Professionals in Conflict Resolution and Psychosocial Support "WordsHelp" (Ukraine), World Health Organization (Switzerland), Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (United Kingdom).