American Heart Association

American Heart Association
Formation
  • 1915; 109 years ago (1915) in New York City, New York (as the Association for the Prevention and Relief of Heart Disease)
  • June 10, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-06-10) in Chicago, Illinois (as the American Heart Association)
FounderPaul Dudley White, Dr. Lewis A. Conner, Dr. Robert H. Halsey, Dr. James B. Herrick, Dr. Hugh McCulloch, and Dr. Joseph Sailer
TypeNonprofit
Purpose"Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke"
Headquarters7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Texas
Location
Key people
Joseph Ching-Ming Wu (President), Nancy Brown (CEO)
Websiteheart.org

The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. They are known for publishing guidelines on cardiovascular disease and prevention, standards on basic life support, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), pediatric advanced life support (PALS), and in 2014 issued the first guidelines for preventing strokes in women.[1] The American Heart Association is also known for operating a number of highly visible public service campaigns starting in the 1970s, and also operates several fundraising events.

Originally formed in Chicago in 1924,[2][3] the American Heart Association is currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It was originally headquartered in New York City.[2][3] The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency.[4] The mission of the organization, updated in 2018, is "To be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives."[5] The organization's work can be divided into five key areas: research; heart and brain health; health equity; advocacy; and professional education and development.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cbsstorkes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "American Heart Association | AHA Stock Price, Company Overview & News". Forbes. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "American Heart Association Records". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Shepard, W. P. (November 1, 1950). "The American Heart Association as a National Voluntary Public Health Agency". Circulation. 2 (5): 736–741. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.2.5.736. PMID 14783826.
  5. ^ "About Us". American Heart Association. Retrieved January 8, 2019.