##  [Why Improving Heart Health Starts In Our Communities](/us-en/stories/Novartis-Heart-initiative-meharry-medical-college "Why Improving Heart Health Starts In Our Communities") 

 [Hope](/us-en/taxonomy/term/51)

 

 

#  Why Improving Heart Health Starts In Our Communities 

Learn more about HeART, a five-year partnership between Novartis and Meharry Medical College focused on improving cardiovascular health in three US cities. Liz McGee, Global Head of Inclusive Health Accelerators, Novartis, reflects on how health starts with listening to the people closest to the challenge.



 

 By [ Kristen Prazenica ](/us-en/kristen-prazenica) | Sep 29, 2026 

For Liz McGee, Global Head of Inclusive Health Accelerators, Community Impact & Partnerships at Novartis, improving health starts with listening to the people closest to the challenges — and the solutions.

In a video interview, Liz reflects on the launch of the Health Assessments and Rapid Transformation (HeART) Initiative, a five-year partnership between Novartis and Meharry Medical College focused on improving cardiovascular health in Detroit, Nashville and San Bernardino.

The initiative is grounded in a simple understanding: health is shaped long before someone enters a doctor’s office. Where people live, work, learn and age can influence their health, access to care and ability to achieve better outcomes.

That is why HEART brings together healthcare providers, community organizations, local leaders and residents to help create community-driven solutions that address both the medical and non-medical factors that influence heart health.

 ![Novartis colleagues take the stage alongside Meharry Medical College, community partners and local leaders at the HeART Initiative launch event in Detroit, Michigan. ](/us-en/sites/novartis_us/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2026-09/Novartis%20colleagues%20take%20the%20stage%20alongside%20Meharry%20Medical%20College.jpg.webp?itok=nfnXDdT2 "Novartis colleagues take the stage alongside Meharry Medical College, community partners and local leaders at the HeART Initiative launch event in Detroit, Michigan. ")

 

Novartis colleagues take the stage alongside Meharry Medical College, community partners and local leaders at the HeART Initiative launch event in Detroit, Michigan. For Novartis, the partnership reflects our commitment to going beyond medicine and working with trusted partners to meet communities where they are. For Liz, it represents an exciting chapter in learning from our community partners and supporting approaches designed to last beyond the program itself.

As Liz shares in the video: “HEART starts from a simple belief: if health is shaped in our communities, then improving health must start in our communities too.”

Watch the video to hear her perspective and the role partnership can play in creating a lasting health impact.

  
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