WomenHeart Announces Class of 2017 WomenHeart Champions

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is pleased to announce that 58 women living with heart disease have graduated from the 16^th annual WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium, located at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. This one-of-a-kind conference trains women to become WomenHeart Champions, a corps of more than 800 volunteers around the country fighting heart disease in women.

To qualify for the WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium, women heart disease survivors submit an application and go through a rigorous selection process. The four-day symposium is led by Mayo Clinic's world-class cardiologists, as well as experts in health policy, advocacy, and communications. Trainees are taught how to educate their local communities, run support groups, and receive information on lifestyle, food management, and meditative techniques to reduce stress.

"This year's incoming class of WomenHeart Champions are an outgoing, vivacious, and curious group of women with powerful stories about their own heart disease," says Evan McCabe, RN, MN, and Chair of the Board of Directors for WomenHeart: The National Coalition of Women with Heart Disease. "Together, we will fight to ensure that no woman faces heart disease alone and all feel empowered to thrive in the face of heart disease."

WomenHeart Champions give back to other women heart disease survivors in their communities through community education, advocacy, and social and emotional support. Those who have chosen to become Support Network Coordinators lead monthly Support Network meetings, the only peer-led support groups in the nation for women with heart disease.

The fall 2017 class graduates 26 Community Educators and 32 Support Network Coordinators, and is the organization's largest and most diverse class to date. This year's class of women hail from 24 states, and range in ages from 21 to 80 years old. Nearly one-quarter are African American and 10% are Latina, Asian-American, or from other ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, two of this year's WomenHeart Champions are family members of past trainees, confirming the success and beloved reputation of the Symposium.

The fall 2017 WomenHeart Champions are:

Community Educators

Lila Emmer
George, UT
Intermountain Healthcare, Dixie Regional Medical Center

Melissa Botello
San Diego, CA
Scripps Heath Cardiovascular Care

Melissa Cappuccilli
Carlsbad, CA

Patricia Egan
San Diego, CA
Scripps Health Cardiovascular Care

Corie Cutshall
Mission, KS
University of Kansas Hospital

Debbie McCord
Lawrence, KS
Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute

Holly Giloth
Leawood, KS
Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute

Kim Phillips
Leawood, KS

Marque Ann Barton
Overland Park, KS
University of Kansas Hospital

Pamela Akihiro
Florissant, MO

Beth Massaro
Santa Fe, NM

Caryl Mauk
Austin, TX

Denise Castille
Frisco, TX

Lori Wood
Bentonville, AR

Carol Bean
Chicago, IL
University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System

Kathleen Jadin
Green Bay, WI
Bellin Hospital

Maureen Fay Minning
Milwaukee, WI

Sharon McNeal
Plainfield, IL
Mount Sinai Hospital

Andrea Moore
Fort Wayne, IN
Parkview Heart Institute

Alicia Roberts
Hinesville, GA

Edna Jackson
Savannah, GA
St. Joseph's/Candler Hospital

Sharon Patish
Miami, FL
Miami Cardiac & Vascular

Sheila Allen
Tampa, FL

Margaret Erath
Chester, NJ
Atlantic Health System, Morristown Medical Center

Laura Lambert
Glenwood, IA

Support Network Coordinators

Lisa Ferguson
San Diego, CA

Lou-Ann Topping
Santa Barbara, CA

Lucia Galante Johnson
Redondo Beach, CA
Torrance Memorial Medical Center

Martha (Marty) Oviatt
Ivins, UT
Intermountain Healthcare, Dixie Regional Medical Center

Susan Lisi
Long Beach, CA
Long Beach Memorial Hospital

Cindi Walker
Houston, TX
Texas Heart Institute

Kimberly Connell
Highlands, TX
Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center

Jeen Beverly
Atlanta, GA
Grady Memorial Hospital

Darneice Gamble
Forest Park, IL
Loretto Hospital

Jamille Watkins-Barnes
Rush Oak Park Hospital
Chicago, IL

Lozonia Danley
Chicago, IL
Loretto Hospital

Maureen Pekosh
Glenview, IL

Carol Ebel
Louisville, KY
Norton Heart Care

Janet Lang
Louisville, KY
Norton Heart Care

Marilyn Wimbley
Fort Wayne, IN
Parkview Heart Institute

Molly Milan
Norton Heart Care
Louisville, KY

Marjory Hanft
Deerfield Beach, FL
Boca Raton Regional Hospital

Tammy Benson
Coconut Creek, FL
Boca Raton Regional Hospital

Amy Josar
Bethlehem, PA

Carol Bradley
Charleston, WV
Charleston Area Medical Center

Agnes Czuchlewski
Woodside, NY
Northwell Health

Aileen Cosgrove
Syosset, NY
NYU Winthrop Hospital

Deborah Reid
Woolwich Township, NJ
Virtua Health System

Kim Harmon
Mineola, NY
NYU Winthrop Hospital

Linnea Brown
Port Republic, NJ
Virtual Health System

Maribeth Holliday
Medford Lakes, NJ
Virtua Health System

Patricia Szendrey
Malverne, NY
NYU Winthrop Hospital

Terry Guarino
Malverne, NY
Northwell Health

Yesenia Araujo
New York, NY
Mount Sinai St. Luke's

Margaret Montgomery
Fargo, ND

Marla Burkhart
Rochester, MN
Mayo Clinic, Rochester

Linda Torena
Raleigh, NC
Duke University Medical Center

The 2017 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium was made possible by the generous sponsorship of Novartis, Mylan, Amgen, Boston Scientific, Abbott Vascular, Gilead, and Janssen with donated facility from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
As the leading voice for the nearly 48 million American women living with or at risk of heart disease, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation's only patient-centered organization solely dedicated to advancing women's heart health through patient support, community education, and advocacy. WomenHeart is both a coalition and a community of thousands of members nationwide, including women heart patients and their families, health care professionals, and health advocates, all committed to helping women live longer, healthier lives. To join or donate, visit www.womenheart.org.    

SOURCE WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease