Juan Pablo González-Rivas's Blog

Clinical Experience:
I have been a Medical Doctor since 2004 and a specialist in Internal Medicine since 2010, with both qualifications earned at the University of the Andes, Venezuela. In 2010, I received awards for achieving the highest Grade Point Average (18.5/20.0) and for the best Research Project among the scholars of the Internal Medicine 2008-2010 cohort. My clinical experience as an internist spans from 2011 to 2018, during which I served as the director of a private medical center focused on clinical care and research.

Research Experience:
My research focuses on the epidemiology of cardiometabolic risk factors and the implementation of preventive programs.
Epidemiology in Venezuela:
Between 2006 and 2019, I co-led three major epidemiological studies on cardiometabolic risk factors in Venezuela:
• VEMSOLS Study (2006-2010): Sub-national sample.
• EVESCAM Study (2014-2017): National representative sample.
• EVESCAM Follow-up (2018-2019).

In collaboration with the Venezuelan Society of Internal Medicine and utilizing the EVESCAM database, I spearheaded the Pyramid of Researchers project, training over 60 novice researchers who presented 40 posters at three National Congresses of Internal Medicine (2017-2019). This project earned me the Research Award from the Venezuelan Society of Internal Medicine in May 2018.

Lown Scholar at Harvard:
Since 2019, I have served as the Bernard Lown Scholar in the Cardiovascular Health Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As part of this role, I completed a summer course on Global Cardiovascular Health and secured funding for three grant proposals:
• HITS Diabetes Prevention (2021-2022): Implemented in Venezuela, focusing on lifestyle interventions for diabetes prevention.
• Venezuela Hypertension Project (2023-2024): Utilizing the WHO’s HEARTS Technical Package to improve hypertension control in Venezuela.
• Misinformation on Cardiovascular Health (2024-2025): A scoping review of literature and social media.

Senior Researcher in Czechia:
In 2019, I joined the International Clinical Research Center (ICRC) at St Anne’s University Hospital (FNUSA) in Brno, Czech Republic, as the Senior Researcher of the Kardiovize study. Between July 2020 and December 2023, I served as the Principal Investigator, overseeing the project’s transculturalization process to address the cardiometabolic burden, analyzing related factors, and implementing preventive programs. A pilot Diabetes Prevention Program was successfully evaluated in 2021, leading to the creation of a sustainable business model. In January 2024, I transitioned to the role of Senior Researcher with the Acute Coronary Syndromes team.

METRICS – International Cardiometabolic Consortium:
In collaboration with Dr. Ramfis Nieto Martinez and Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick, we co-founded METRICS in July 2020. This consortium focuses on cardiometabolic risk factors, engaging over 20 researchers from 8 countries in more than 30 projects.

PRODI – Lifestyle Intervention Programs and Health Education:
In September 2022, we launched PRODI, an initiative aimed at improving health literacy on cardiometabolic risk factors via social media, sharing educational content to enhance cardiometabolic health in Latin America.