Every day, I take care of women whose pregnancies reveal something deeper about their heart health.

As a cardiologist specializing in women’s heart health and cardio-obstetrics, I see firsthand that pregnancy is not just a moment in time; it’s a window into a woman’s future cardiovascular risk. Conditions like hypertension, preeclampsia, and cardiomyopathy don’t end with delivery, yet too often, the care does.

That gap is what led me to create the Heart Healthy Moms program at Henry Ford Health.

I built this program because I kept seeing the same pattern; women doing everything right during pregnancy, only to be left without structured cardiovascular follow-up once their baby was born. Heart Healthy Moms was designed to change that. Through cardiology care, small group education, home blood pressure monitoring, nurse-led support, and community engagement, we are creating a new path forward for mothers at risk.

But this work is not done alone.

Through our partnership with Maternal-Fetal Medicine, we are building a model of care that follows women across the entire journey; before pregnancy, during high-risk pregnancies, and into the critical postpartum period. Together, we are working to ensure that no mother falls through the cracks.

I’m walking as part of Team Cardio MFM, because heart disease remains a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, and too many of these complications are preventable with the right care, at the right time.

This is more than a walk for me. It’s a reflection of the work we are building every day, and the patients who continue to inspire it.

Ryhm Radjef, Strong hearts for strong mamas.