NCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Form Historic Coalition to Combat Leading Cause of Death Among Women

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death for women in the United States, claiming more than 440,000 lives each year according to the American Heart Association. In response to this persistent health crisis, 19 National Collegiate Athletic Association women's college basketball coaches have united to form the Hearts on the Court Collective, marking the first time such a coalition has mobilized around women's cardiovascular health.

Led by Louisiana State University hall of fame head coach Kim Mulkey, the collective aims to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease while empowering fans, peers, and student athletes to take control of their heart health. The initiative operates under the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement, which has worked for more than 20 years to address the unique challenges women face in cardiovascular care.

Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, highlighted critical gaps in women's cardiovascular care. Women are often misdiagnosed and undertreated when it comes to cardiovascular disease. From low representation of women in clinical research to women being less likely to receive lifesaving bystander CPR, major gaps exist.

Throughout the women's college basketball season, the collective will launch public service announcements highlighting Life's Essential 8™ for Women, which includes knowing key health numbers like blood pressure and cholesterol, embracing healthy eating, increasing physical activity, abstaining from tobacco use, and getting quality sleep. The campaign will also emphasize how unique life stages such as pregnancy and menopause affect cardiovascular disease risk.

Coach Mulkey emphasized the personal motivation behind the initiative. We all have women in our lives we can't bear to live without - our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our friends. Women need allies in the fight against a disease that takes so much from them. I know firsthand how important heart health is.

The statistics underscore the urgency of this effort. Cardiovascular disease claims more lives than all forms of cancer combined, with approximately 80% of heart attacks and strokes being preventable. Despite nearly 45% of women over age 20 living with some form of cardiovascular disease, only around half recognize it as their greatest health threat.

The inaugural members represent some of the most prominent programs in women's college basketball, including Katie Abrahamson-Henderson of University of Georgia, Courtney Banghart of UNC, Jennie Baranczyk of University of Oklahoma, and coaches from universities including Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, UCLA, Baylor, Alabama, Florida, USC, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Iowa, Ohio State, Arizona State, Indiana, and California-Berkeley.

The American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement provides resources to support women's heart health at GoRedforWomen.org. The movement addresses awareness and clinical care gaps while meeting the needs of women in every stage of life through science-backed health solutions.