“SESAME STREET HAVE PLENTY OF DATA THAT TELL US THAT OUR BEHAVIOUR AS ADULTS BEGINS AT THE AGE OF 3 TO 6. IF THAT’S THE CASE, WHAT’S EASIER THAN TEACHING HEALTH AND TELLING THESE CHILDREN: HEALTH MUST BE A PRIORITY IN YOUR LIFE”
Dr. Valentín Fuster
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai gratefully acknowledges Sesame Workshop making available the Sesame Street characters and content from its Healthy Habits for Life programmes for use in educating children and their families in connection with the Children and Family Healthy Habits Project in Bogotá, Colombia, the Children SÍ Programme in Madrid, Spain and the Familia Project in Harlem, NY, USA.
Our furry friends on Barrio Sésamo: Monstrous Supersanos are going to learn a lot about how to lead a healthier lifestyle now that there’s a new doctor in town. 
The Spanish version of Sesame Street is getting a brand new character, “Dr. Valentín Ruster.” Dr. Ruster is inspired by the Director of New York City’s Mount Sinai Heart Center, Dr. Valentín Fuster.
Dr. Fuster, who hails from Barcelona, Spain, is the former president of the American Heart Association and the World Heart Foundation. As the Chair of the Committee on Preventing the Global Epidemic of Cardiovascular Disease for the Institute of Medicine (IOM), he is a prominent advocate for cardiovascular health around the globe.
Read more
Barrio Sésamo’s Dr. Ruster may not be as achieved as his real life inspiration, but he’s equally dedicated to helping keep hearts healthy. In the Muppet doctor’s own words, “I have dedicated myself to that miraculous, beautiful organ… the heart! My heart jumps at the chance to spend time with my furry friends in Barrio Sésamo. We love to exercise and eat scrumptious fruits and veggies together. But most of all, I just love to talk to my friends helping them get to the heart of any matter.”
Dr. Fuster, who first collaborated with Sesame Workshop in 2006 to promote cardiovascular health in Colombia, serves as an international advisor on Sesame Workshop’s Global Health Initiative. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death around the world, and the goal of the initiative is to measure health improvements in children and build global partnerships to address their critical health issues. Many studies show that childhood obesity leads to cardiovascular disease, thru an increase in cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of five globally was estimated to be over 42 million.