Professor Arieska Ann Soenarta (Indonesia)

What is your role at your work?

Lecturer at The Faculty of Medicine University of Indonesia, Cardiology Dept; Advisory Board, Foreign Affairs and Active Working of the yearly Scientific Meeting of Hypertension.

Actively working in the Working Group of Hypertension of the Indonesian Society of Cardiology. At present we are preparing the Indonesian Women Cardiology Day as the pre-congress to the Annual Scientific Meeting of Indonesian Heart Association (ASMIHA).

How did you get interested in your career path?

Through my interest in hypertension and women’s cardiology.

What are you most proud of in your career or otherwise?

As the first Indonesian woman in cardiology, in making women aware of the importance of their health, especially regarding cardiovascular diseases. This particularly in our Asian Region, taking into consideration that there are nearly no differences in gender any more in daily work while there are differences in the cardiovascular conditions to be concerned about.

Secondly, regarding hypertension, especially in Asian countries where stroke prevalence is higher than western countries, we know that hypertension is one of the most important causes of stroke so we have to fight this and upgrade ourselves as doctors, and make the population understand how to prevent and fight against hypertension as a sillent killer.

What important career challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

To be a woman it was formerly not that easy, but luckily nowadays women do not face as much resistance going forward.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be honest, have spirit, and don’t be afraid to do what you think will be best for other people.

Intellectual, emotional and spiritual quotient have to work hand in hand; and what is of importance is as well; don’t stop learning and be updated always.

• Hypertension in Women
• Hypertension in Urban vs Rural Areas
• Contributor in Women Cardiology (book chapter on hypertension)
• Co-author in Asian Beta Blockers use
• Indonesian Concensus in the Management of Hypertension
• Obesity and Hypertension

By guiding and supporting them in research regarding cardiovascular diseases in women.