ORLANDO, Nov. 4 — The American Heart Association presented its Chairman’s Award to Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., of Miami, Fla., for his “invaluable leadership” in creating Power To End Stroke, a nationwide educational campaign to raise awareness of the risk of stroke among African Americans.
Sacco received the national award during the opening of the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Gary Ellis, board chairman of the American Heart Association, and M. Cass Wheeler, chief executive officer, presented the award, a citation and $1,000 honorarium.
The Chairman’s Award honors exceptional volunteer service to the association in non-science areas.
“Dr. Sacco has brought enthusiasm, energy and expertise to the creation and implementation of Power To End Stroke,” Ellis said. “His tireless championing of this cause has been crucial to its success.”
Launched in 2006, Power To End Stroke has reached every state in the continental United States and is designed to achieve greater impact in states with larger African-American populations.
The community-based program “has made measurable progress in spreading potentially lifesaving messages to minority citizens,” Ellis said.
Sacco is Miller Professor of Neurology, Epidemiology and Human Genetics and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. He is a member of the American Heart Association’s national Board of Directors and chairman of the American Stroke Association Advisory Committee. Before moving to Miami in 2007, he held numerous leadership roles in the association’s New York City Affiliate.
Editor’s Note: For more information on Power To End Stroke visit strokeassociation.org/power.