World Heart Federation Honors American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown with Lifetime Achievement Award

The World Heart Federation will honor Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award during the European Society of Cardiology Congress and World Congress of Cardiology in Madrid. This recognition celebrates Brown's extraordinary leadership and lifelong commitment to transforming cardiovascular health on a global scale, underscoring the vital role of sustained charitable leadership in addressing the world's leading cause of death.

The award acknowledges Brown's visionary approach to addressing cardiovascular disease through quality improvement initiatives, scientific collaboration, and community-based interventions across more than 100 countries. Under her leadership since 2008, the American Heart Association has advanced lifesaving science and advocacy through programs that have become global standards for evidence-based care. Among her most significant accomplishments are the development of global quality improvement programs including Get With The Guidelines and American Heart Association certification programs operating in the United States, Mexico, Latin America, India, and parts of Asia.

These programs help measure and ensure consistent, evidence-based care in time-sensitive medical situations such as heart attack, stroke, and cardiac arrest, demonstrating how charitable organizations can establish systematic approaches to healthcare improvement. Brown has also accelerated research and innovation through initiatives like the Go Red for Women Venture Fund®, which has invested $75 million in companies addressing gaps in women's heart and brain health. The Heart Association's overall research investment of $6.1 billion since 1949 represents one of the largest sustained charitable contributions to medical research globally.

Additionally, Brown has mobilized lifesaving campaigns including the Association's CPR education effort known as the Nation of Lifesavers™, which aims to double survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest by 2030. The organization trains approximately 22 million people annually in CPR and develops first aid and resuscitation guidelines used globally, showing how charitable organizations can directly impact community health outcomes through education and training programs. Jagat Narula, president of the World Heart Federation, praised Brown's courage in facing dynamic healthcare challenges through evidence, compassion, and impact focus.

The World Heart Federation, consisting of more than 200 heart foundations, scientific societies, and patient organizations across more than 100 countries, recognizes Brown's work as transformative in the global fight against cardiovascular disease. This recognition highlights how long-term charitable leadership can create lasting systemic change in healthcare delivery, research innovation, and community health education worldwide.