American Heart Association

National ambassador Damar Hamlin is asking you to join the #NationofLifesavers. Learn CPR at http://spr.ly/6046PI9h8.

When your brain creates a habit, it needs three things: a cue, a routine, and a reward. This is called a habit loop. Here’s how you can use the process to create #HealthyHabits that stick.

We’ve made an important enhancement to our #FoodisMedicine initiative. Health Care by Food has designed a set of common measures to facilitate the comparison of data among our 20 funded pilot clinical trials, allowing for the combined evaluation of results from different studies. Common measures reinforce our commitment to advancing the quality and efficacy of health care through rigorous research and evidence-based practices.

Take your workout outside safely with these warm weather tips. But always keep an eye on the forecast. If it’s too hot, take your workout inside.

When was the last time you had your cholesterol checked? Talk to your doctor about ordering a blood test to check for high LDL cholesterol. By actively managing your cholesterol numbers, you can significantly reduce the chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. Proudly sponsored by Amgen.

This describes performance measures for #heartfailure that are appropriate for public reporting or pay-for-performance programs (i.e., a form of value-based purchasing). http://spr.ly/6049YgbTz

We’re proud to share that our CEO, Nancy Brown, has been recognized by Forbes 50 Over 50 and The NonProfit Times Power and Influence Top 50 as one of the most influential leaders in health care. Congratulations Nancy Brown on these well-deserved honors! #ForbesOver50

Before Dr. Helen Taussig came along, babies born with heart defects were thought untreatable and sent home to die. But Dr. Taussig figured out that "blue babies" weren't getting enough oxygen because there wasn't enough blood going to their lungs. She thought it might be possible to fix that by connecting an artery leading to the heart to one leading to the lungs. She persuaded Johns Hopkins' chief surgeon, Dr. Alfred Blalock, that it could be done. Dr. Blalock's surgical assistant, Vivien Thomas, helped figure out how. The first successful Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt operation was performed on a 2-year-old girl in November 1944. That groundbreaking procedure saved thousands of children’s lives and paved the way for the development of adult open-heart surgery. Born in 1898, Dr. Taussig struggled with dyslexia, and a bout of whooping cough damaged her hearing. But she persevered and become a doctor at a time women were largely excluded from the field of medicine. In 1995, she became the first woman to be named president of the American Heart Association. She used that position to bring greater attention to pediatric cardiology worldwide. "Most of us in the field are in awe of her,” said Dr. Laura Olivieri, who serves on AHA's Young Hearts Congenital Heart Defects Committee. “I love thinking about what she had to do to get people on board with her vision. She really moved the needle both for children with congenital heart disease and for women in academic medicine." Dr. Taussig's legacy is every medical student's dream, said Dr. Olivieri, who pointed out that congenital heart defects affect 1 in 100 babies. "That's a lot of babies," she said. " She gravitated toward this population of children and babies who had no options, and she gave them an option that was totally lifesaving. How can you do any better work than that?" #AHABoldHearts

Inspired to get moving? Have some with sports fitness. These can help you meet the weekly goal of at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a combination of the two.

#TheAHALife x Centennial: Over the last 25 years, Dawn Allenbaugh, our National VP, Development Strategy & Effectiveness for School Engagement, has experienced first-hand our guiding pillar of meeting people where they are. Hear from Dawn about how her reasons for working at the American Heart Association have changed with the seasons of her life. What’s motivated you to stay for 20+ years with the organization? - I was 28 when I started working here and my reasons for working here have changed over the years depending on the season of my life. My early years were centered around the flexibility I had with my son as a single Mom, and then morphed into the opportunity to grow my career with the support and mentorship available to me. Now, I am grateful to work here because of my co-workers who are family to me and all the amazing volunteers I have had the privilege to work with over the years. Every day I get to work hard to save lives. It’s meaningful. As we celebrate this milestone, what excites you about the future of the organization and #TheAHALife? - I am very excited to see the next generation of leaders, our evolution as we adapt to the new norms of the world and reinvent ourselves to meet people where they are and the needs of the future.