About the Author Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., F.A.C.C, F.A.H.A, is a cardiologist at NYU School of Medicine, whose clinical research focuses on Heart disease in Women . She was an Emmy nominee in 2003 for her production of the PBS documentary “A Woman’s Heart”. TERRI ANN PARNELL, R.N., M.A. is an award-winning cardiovascular nurse who is widely published in professional literature. CAROL A. TURKINGTON is a medical writer, author, and veteran journalist specializing in women's health.

Jennifer H. Mieres

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Author Q&A

1. What was the inspiration for your book?
My patients and the many women whom I have met at community programs and heart healthy screening over the past 7 years are my inspiration for writing this book.

As a volunteer of the American Heart Association for the past 7 years, I have been a guest speaker at over 50 community health education programs. On multiple occasions I have spoken to women about tips for heart healthy living. On several occasions, the women in the audience have encouraged me to place my heart healthy tips into a book.

Terri Ann Parnell and I have been friends and professional colleagues for the past 8 years and have been responsible for many community education programs on women and heart disease. We have often discussed our frustrations at the lack of available user-friendly, realistic information for women with heart disease and decided to write this book to help Black women and Latinas conquer heart disease. 

2. What do you hope readers will learn/discover from reading your book?
Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas: A 5-Week Program for Living a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle is a program containing just three-steps written specifically for black women and Latinas who suffer a higher rate of heart disease than every other group of women. This program will explain and guide women through each step and suggests easy, inexpensive ways to become physically active, modify what and how they eat, and show how to reduce stress, while taking into consideration the traditions of lifestyle and family.

Week 1: Preparation to do the first of the three steps.

Week 2: (step one) Get Moving. Women will see how easy it is to exercise for 10 minutes a day for five days each week and how this small change will make them look and feel great.

Week 3: (step two) Explains how women can eat well and will explain how simple steps for eating the right foods, measuring portions (without a scale), and substituting unhealthy foods with tasty foods can all contribute to making them healthy and helping with weight loss.

Week 4:  (step three) Shows women ways to lessen the Stress In Their Life. Women will learn why knowing how to manage stress is every bit as important as eating right and exercising.

Week 5: Putting It All Together and staying on track for a lifetime.

3. What distinguishes your book from others on the subject?
Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinaswill be the first book to:

a) Target all Black women and women of Latino heritage , who comprise a large demographic market and who have different needs from Caucasian women.

b) Fully discuss the unique risks of minority women and heart disease.

c) Give Black women and Latinas a simple, inexpensive program featuring carefully designed small steps in three areas, couched in positive, uplifting terms.

d) Help women of Black and Latino heritage partner with doctors and become proactive in preventing or managing heart disease.

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