News From The Heart - The latest from CEO Nancy Brown

Joseph C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Joseph C. Wu named AHA president-elect

The national board of directors is the North Star of the American Heart Association, and we salute the fiscal year 2022-23 officers, whose terms begin July 1. Among them is Joseph C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D., whom we proudly announce as president-elect.

During a long history of AHA volunteer service, Dr. Wu has been chairperson of the Research Committee and the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences, as well as a member of the national board. He also has championed fundraising and community programs in the Bay Area Division.

His immeasurable impact includes supporting promising, young mid-career and senior investigators and expanding international collaborations.

A board-certified cardiologist and trailblazing physician scientist, Dr. Wu is director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and professor of medicine and radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

FY 2022-23 AHA National Board Officers

Top row: Chairperson of the Board Raymond P. Vara Jr.; President Michelle A. Albert, M.D., MPH, FAHA; Chairperson-elect Marsha Jones; President-elect Joseph C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D.
Bottom row: Immediate Past Chairperson Bertram L. Scott.; Immediate Past President Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., ScM, FAHA; Treasurer Lee Shapiro.

The entire FY 2022-23 national board of directors will be announced soon. I look forward to their leadership as we drive toward our 2024 Impact Goal to advance cardiovascular health for all, including identifying and removing barriers to health care access and quality.

Tyler Clary, 2012 Olympic gold medal swimmer and heart defect survivor

Olympian headlines Charlotte Heart Ball, helps raise $1.7 million

Tyler Clary, who captured Olympic gold in 2012 in the men’s 200 backstroke, had not seen a doctor since he retired from swimming in 2016. Still fit and active 4-and-a-half years later, he expected a clean bill of health during a routine physical. Instead, he learned he had a congenital heart defect.

For every pint of blood his heart tried to pump, more than half flowed backward because of a bicuspid aortic valve. Surgery, medicine and cardiac rehab paved his road to recovery. Now, he’s raising awareness.

Clary shared his story at the Charlotte Heart Ball, inspiring more than $1.7 million in contributions for cardiovascular research.

The annual event is a beacon in Mecklenburg County, where 1 in 3 residents has hypertension, 64% are overweight, 15% are food-insecure and 14% use tobacco products. Most recently, the local team partnered with Loaves & Fishes and Friendship Trays to address nutrition security.

“If it weren’t for this organization’s years of research and medical advancements, we wouldn’t have survivors like me standing on this stage,” Clary said.

Lauren Bagneris, former AHA intern and current medical student; Asja Woodard, HBCU Scholars alumnus; and Irvin Solano, current HSI Scholar

Student scholars share views on diversity in STEM careers

For Asja Woodard, the impact of health disparities in her family compelled her to transform health in her community. Today, the Spelman College senior is on course to a medical career, with a full-ride scholarship to Vanderbilt School of Medicine. For many other students of color, opportunities like these can be elusive.

Black people represent 7% of medical school students, 6% of medical school graduates, and less than 4% of the physician workforce. Statistics among Hispanic/Latino populations are equally dismal. Leveling the field was the impetus for Pipeline to Equity, a panel discussion at SXSW EDU, a South by Southwest event.

Panelist Lauren Bagneris survived Hurricane Katrina and witnessed how lack of access to care further devastated her native New Orleans. “Becoming a doctor and receiving a Master of Public Health will give my community one more physician who looks like them,” said the former AHA intern.

It’s also personal for Irvin Solano, who is mentored through the American Heart Association’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Scholars program.

“After experiencing the death of a family member and learning that he’d been misdiagnosed, I wanted to be a part of a solution,” he said.

Texas stroke facility designations now meet national standards

Following a multi-year effort dating to 2015, the American Heart Association’s Advocacy team, stakeholders and volunteers secured stroke facility designations in Texas that align with national standards. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Department of State Health Services issued updated rules in recent weeks. This policy win will ensure all stroke patients receive optimal, timely care.

Hospitals can be certified as Comprehensive, Advanced, Primary, and Acute Stroke-Ready by meeting department-approved guidelines based on national standards of stroke care.

With support from Advocacy and Quality, Outcomes Research and Analytics, this is an outstanding example of cross-functional team collaboration. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Ari Pryor-Lease, 8, demonstrates the size of her congenital atrial septal defect (hole in the heart).

VOLUNTEER VOICES

Denver Heart Hero has a special message for kids

My name is Ari, and I am 8 years old. My twin and I were born 2 months early. I was born with an atrial septal defect, which is a hole in my heart. The hole made my heart work a lot harder to pump blood throughout my body.

When I was 2 years old, the doctor helped my heart by putting a metal mesh device in the hole to close it up. My doctor said as I grow, my heart will grow around the device. My mom calls it my superhero heart.

With my heart fixed I can run and play without getting too tired and I don't get sick as much. I still see my special heart doctor to make sure everything is OK.

I love playing football and swimming. I am also a vegetarian.

You can have a healthy heart by eating healthy and doing physical activity.

By participating in Kids Heart Challenge, you get to have fun and help your heart get stronger and healthier. You also help kids like me!

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Apply for awards at BCVS
by March 16

Submit your research for awards consideration at Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS) Scientific Sessions, set for July 25–28 in Chicago. This annual event convenes cardiovascular scientists from around the world to discover new cardiovascular therapeutics and promote cardiovascular health. BCVS also plays a pivotal role in training junior scientists. Following are the awards categories.

Cardiovascular Outreach Award — Early career investigators and students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are encouraged to submit. Accepted abstracts are preferred but not required. Up to 10 awards of $500 each will be presented based on curriculum vitae and endorsement letters.

Outstanding Early Career Award — Three finalists will be selected to give a 10-minute presentation at BCVS based on the originality, quality and impact of their abstracts. The winner will receive $1,500; the runners-up will receive $1,000 each.

New Investigator Travel Award — Up to 20 awards of $500 each will be presented based on abstract originality, quality and impact.

Apply here. Join or renew your American Heart Association membership.

ICYMI: Go Red for Women Couch Conversations
Heart Health in Our Homes and Communities

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Quick Links

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AHA Scientific Guidelines and Statements