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A century of impact and a glimpse into the future

Our centennial celebration at the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ was more than simply a birthday party. It was a year of reflection on so many aspects of our work that have saved and improved lives. And we’re far from finished. We are excited about the future and how we – powered by our 32 million volunteers, donors, and supporters – will be able to continue progress toward a healthier world.

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A word from our leadership

Nancy Brown, CEO

"Let’s keep the momentum going. Let’s keep the torch burning bright."

Nancy Brown
Chief Executive Officer

Marsha Jones Joseph C Wu

"What you can expect from us for the next 100 years: advancing health and hope for everyone, everywhere."

Marsha Jones
Chairperson

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

Transforming Health Care

Four years ago, we set an aspirational goal to advance cardiovascular health for all, including identifying and removing barriers to health care access and quality. Now the results are in: We achieved all aspects of our 2024 Impact Goal.

Health Care by Food

Today, whether it’s dished up in home kitchens, restaurants or school cafeterias, food remains among the world’s most pressing challenges and opportunities for improving health. The initiative is part of the response.

This science-based approach uses food composition data to discover how climate change affects foods and develops evidence for scaling regenerative agriculture. It’s also delving into diets that can help prevent chronic diseases, which account for 90% of the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual health care expenditures.

Periodic Table of Food Initiative logo

The Periodic Table of Food celebrated the launch of its scientific and educational resources, tools, data and training to map food quality of the world’s food supply at The Rockefeller Foundation Headquarters in New York City.
Health Care X Food logo | Accelerating the Integration of Food is Medicine in Health Care
The Periodic Table of Food is also collaborating with Health Care by Food, a research initiative with The Rockefeller Foundation, with inaugural partner Kroger, to integrate healthy food into health care delivery as a means of treating and preventing chronic diseases.

Venturing into the future

Another important way we are transforming care is through ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Ventures, which is establishing venture capital funds to extend our lifesaving mission in communities across the country. We invest (or loan) money to companies that are commercializing evidence-based medicine. When and if those companies are successful, the returns for that capital get reinvested into the AHA venture funds to enable us to do even more.

Go Red for Women

This signature initiative raises awareness of the No. 1 killer of women: cardiovascular disease.

Social Impact Funds (including the Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund)

These support community-based solutions that reduce economic and social barriers to health equity.

Cardeation Capital

The venture capital fund encourages innovation in heart disease and stroke care through investment.

Studio Red

This venture effort builds and launches businesses that bring fresh solutions to equity issues.

Transforming Communities

Working with communities is one of the surest ways to improve public health, and we do that in a number of ways – from teaching CPR to helping remove barriers to equitable health.

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Everyone can be a lifesaver

The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is a leader in resuscitation training. We’re relentless about it. That’s because each year in the U.S., more than 356,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, and only 9% survive, most likely because someone nearby took immediate action.

Damar Hamlin
The Nation of Lifesavers campaign aims to double the rate of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest to 20% by 2030, and increase the use of AEDs in public settings.
artwork - 2 Steps to save a life: 1. call 911; 2. push hard & fast
Last year, more than 1 million people learned Hands-Only CPR in training events across the U.S., with about 10,000 organizations, schools and employers participating live or virtually.
AHA mobile CPR unit training young people in CPR with manikins
Our mobile CPR unit traveled to Super Bowl LVII in Las Vegas, where participants tackled training to learn the correct rate and depth of CPR compressions.

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Helping to build healthier workplaces

Our CEO Roundtable engages and mobilizes corporate leaders to make the business case for health equity to millions of people. New employer tools and resources and updated materials ensure companies have the latest insights and best practices. In 2023, the AHA’s well-being-focused website attracted 94,000 visits, and our social media content reached over 3.2 million users.


Quality of care in communities

AHA Get With The Guidelines map
Get With The Guidelines helps health care professionals follow science-based approaches to treatment based on patient data registries across cardiovascular and stroke focus areas. More than 2,900 U.S. hospitals participate in the program, with over 800 published studies showing that Get With The Guidelines improves quality of care and outcomes.
Bernard J Tyson and wife Denise Bradley Tyson
The renamed Bernard J. Tyson Office of Health Equity continues to work to break down social and economic barriers to better health in under-resourced communities.

Leading Breakthroughs in Science & Technology

One hundred years of milestones have collectively paved the way for more advanced diagnostics, treatment options and preventive measures against heart disease, turning science into real-world solutions.

New technology and improving care

tech stylized illustration of a heart shape
A scientific statement explored both the promise and limits of artificial intelligence, or AI, in screening and developing new treatments for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. explored both the promise and limits of artificial intelligence, or AI, in screening and developing new treatments for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. So far, AI-based digital tools haven’t proved effective enough to justify their widespread use.
Woman at home on couch speaking to medical professional via video call on her phone
The newly launched ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Center for Telehealth supports prevention through remote education. Prevention through education is taking place at the newly launched ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Center for Telehealth. The center engaged 4,615 learners in telehealth course offerings in its first year. It also certified more than 350 providers.

Changing Policy and Systems

The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ relentlessly pursues changes that improve health.

seated woman speaking into microphone at advocacy event

Building a Nation of Lifesavers

We are championing legislation to establish cardiac emergency response plans and improve cardiac arrest survival rates in elementary schools and secondary schools nationwide.  Thousands of advocates have been mobilized to enhance the chain of survival in schools.


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Policy appropriations

We supported state and local appropriations campaigns that resulted in over $1.5 billion in public investment and 44 overall policy campaign wins at the state, local and tribal levels.

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Medicaid

We spearheaded efforts to expand Medicaid in 10 remaining states and extend postpartum Medicaid coverage in 48 states and Washington, D.C. Our support in North Carolina, the newest state to expand, led to more than half a million newly eligible North Carolinians enrolled since Dec. 1, 2023.

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Access to healthier food

We promoted healthy school meals in New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Michigan and Delaware, and reached students with 16 million meals in Georgia. We helped expand SNAP benefits for 800,000 recipients in Alabama and North Carolina.

Financial Highlights

These figures show the financial activities of the National Center, regions and all other components of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and its division, the American Stroke Association, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.
Public Support and Other Revenue (in thousands)
Public Support and Other Revenue (in thousands)
Contributions $347,163 26.6%
Net Special Events $272,870 20.9%
Bequests & Split Interests $108,956 8.3%
Other Public Support $13,549 1.0%
CPR Training Revenue $331,217 25.4%
Other Revenue $232,175 17.8%
Total Income $1,305,930
Expenses (in thousands)
Expenses (in thousands)
Research $235,335 19.6% 
Public Health Education $377,016 31.4%
Professional Education and Training $333,488 27.7%
Community Services $62,857 5.2%
Management and General $87,221 7.2%
Fundraising $106,416 8.9%
Total Expenses $1,202,333  
 
Total Net Assets $1,346,302  
Environmental, Social and Governance Report

Environmental, Social and Governance Report

The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½’s ESG report details efforts to ensure our organization is a relevant, responsible, ethical and transparent force for the health of our communities and our planet.

Read the full ESG Report (PDF)(link opens in new window)


2023-24 National Board of Directors

These officers and directors are for this Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

Officers

  • Marsha Jones
    Chairperson
    Port Saint Lucie, FL
  • Joseph C. Wu, MD, PHD, FAHA
    President
    Stanford, CA
  • Lee Shapiro
    Chairperson-Elect
    Chicago, IL
  • Keith Churchwell, MD, FAHA
    President-Elect
    Guilford, CT
  • Raymond P. Vara, Jr.
    Immediate Past Chairperson
    Honolulu, HI
  • Michelle Alpert, MD, MPH, FAHA
    Immediate Past President
    New York, NY
  • Linda Gooden
    Treasurer
    Riva, MD

Directors

  • Cheryl Anderson, PHD, MPH, MS, FAHA
    La Jolla, CA
  • Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA
    Bayou La Batre, AL
  • Shawn A. Dennis
    Middleton, WI
  • Tom Greco
    Dallas, TX
  • Mindy Grossman
    New York, NY
  • Ron W. Haddock
    Dallas, TX
  • Robert A. Harrington, MD, FAHA
    Ithaca, NY
  • Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, FAHA
    Chicago, IL
  • Katie Miller-Smith
    Rogers, AR
  • Manesh Patel, MD, FAHA
    Durham, NC
  • Cheryl Pegus, MD, MPH
    Las Vegas, NV
  • James J. Postl
    Houston, TX
  • Marcella Roberts, ESQ.
    Birmingham, AL
  • Jorge Saucedo, MD, MBA, FAHA
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Bertram L. Scott
    Charlotte, NC
  • Svati Shah, MD, MS, MHS, FAHA
    Durham, NC
  • Bob Swan
    Menlo Park, CA
  • John J. Warner, MD, FAHA
    Columbus, OH