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Reach is pleased to announce that Ms Anu Gomanju has officially joined its Board of Directors, bringing both her lived experience and academic expertise to the leadership level of the organisation.

Anu is a rheumatic heart disease (RHD) patient advocate from Nepal who has spent her life navigating a disease that still claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year, most of them among children and young people in under-resourced communities. She has carried that experience into a wide range of global health roles, including as Vice Chair of the Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts (Global ARCH), a Voices for PEN-Plus, and Steering Committee member with the NCDI Poverty Network, and a contributor to initiatives with the World Health Organization, World HeartFederation and the Global Heart Hub, where she has represented the voices of people living with RHD across Nepal and Asia.

Her appointment to the Reach board is a direct expression of Reach’s commitment to elevating lived experience voices in the fight to stop RHD. For too long, decisions about RHD prevention, care, and policy have been made without the people most affected by the disease in the room. Anu's presence on the board ensures that the perspective of patients and families is not an afterthought but a driving force in how Reach sets priorities and measures success.

This appointment also reflects a core commitment in Reach's strategic plan: to build an organisation whose leadership genuinely reflects the communities it serves, and to ensure that people with lived experience of RHD have real decision-making power, not just a seat at the table.

“Rheumatic heart disease is not just something I live with; it is the reason I speak up. I am honoured and excited to join Reach as a Board of Directors, bringing my lived experience, professional expertise, and perspectives to the heart of change, amplifying patient voices, and helping create a future where RHD no longer limits lives”, said Anu Gomanju

"On behalf of the ReachBoard, I am delighted to welcome Anu. Her lived experience with rheumatic heart disease strengthens our accountability to the people we serve, and we look forward to working alongside her", saidProf Liesl Zühlke, President of Reach.

Anu joins the current Reach Board ofDirectors and will contribute to shaping the organisation's strategy, programs, and advocacy work going forward.