Every Heartbeat Matters
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Building the future of cardiac care in Kenya
Access to high-quality echocardiography training remains limited across Kenya, particularly outside major cities. As a result, early and accurate diagnosis of structural heart disease, can be challenging, often leading to preventable complications and delays in care for patients in underserved communities.
As part of the Every Heartbeat Matters initiative, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Kenya Cardiac Society (KCS) partnered to deliver in-country training programs. Led by Dr. Bernard Samia, former President of KCS, one such program took place in Machakos, Kenya, offering a week of both classroom-based and hands-on echocardiography training.
The in-person sessions were hosted at Machakos Level 5 Hospital and led by Dr. Lee Goldberg, FACC, and Dr. Marietta Ambrose, FACC, both from the University of Pennsylvania. A total of 32 physicians and cardiac care providers from Kenya and neighboring countries participated, receiving focused instruction in image acquisition and interpretation, valve assessment, hemodynamics, and the diagnosis of key cardiac conditions. Throughout the workshop, participants worked through real patient cases under faculty supervision.
The program placed a strong emphasis on mentorship, peer-to-peer learning, and case-based discussion, creating an interactive environment where clinicians could practice new techniques, ask questions, and apply their knowledge in real time. Faculty encouraged open dialogue and supported participants in building confidence in using echocardiography in their daily practice.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting both the immediate clinical value of the training and the impact of hands-on mentorship.
This training represents an important step in a broader effort to strengthen Kenya’s cardiovascular workforce by equipping local providers with practical skills and sustainable knowledge. Future program phases aim to support ongoing mentorships between ACC faculty and Kenyan clinicians, develop local champions who can train future cohorts, and scale the program to include more physicians and echo-technicians across Kenya and other regions of Africa.
By investing in local expertise, ACC and its partners are helping to build a self-sustaining ecosystem of cardiac care excellence throughout the region.