WomenHeart hosted the 22nd Annual Wenger Awards on May 23rd. This year’s honorees were Dr. Rachel M. Bond for Excellence in Medical Advocacy, Dr. Harmony Reynolds for Excellence in Medical Leadership (pictured here with Dr. Wenger), Congresswoman Lauren Underwood for Excellence in Public Policy, and medical journalist Shelley Wood for Excellence in Media.  In addition to the awards dinner, the weekend in Washington, DC included a reception for WomenHeart Champions, a Board of Directors meeting, and meetings of the Corporate Advisory Council and the Scientific Advisory Committee. The weekend’s sponsors included Novartis, Amgen and the Bristol-Myers Squibb – Pfizer Alliance.

WomenHeart announced that we will start presenting a new award next year to recognize WomenHeart Champions who go above and beyond. In recognition for her contribution to the Champions’ program, the new award will be named the Sharonne N. Hayes Award for Champion Excellence. We honored Dr. Sharonne Hayes at the Wenger Awards dinner, as well as at the Champions reception. As the Medical Director of the Science & Leadership Symposium (the annual training for new Champions) since its inception twenty year ago, Dr. Hayes is the only person who has met each WomenHeart Champion. Watch the video tribute to Dr. Hayes from WomenHeart Champions across the country.

We are now accepting applications for the 2022 Science & Leadership Symposium, where women with heart disease train to become WomenHeart Champions. Information on the symposium, eligibility criteria, and the link to the application is available here. This year’s symposium will be held at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN from October 7-10. We will also hold a virtual training early next year, so all who are interested in participating should apply now. Please help spread the word to any woman you know who is interested in giving back.

WomenHeart continues to advocate for federal policies that advance women’s heart health. (See our Federal Policy Agenda) There were two exciting developments this month. The South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act (H.R. 3771) passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee; it now heads to the full House of Representatives for consideration. The bill would invest in research and promote heart health awareness among South Asian communities, which have a four times greater risk of developing heart disease than the general population. Board member Gayathri Badrinath and bill sponsor, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, co-authored an op-ed on the importance of this legislation. Second, on May 17th, Senator Tammy Duckworth, Representative Jan Schakowsky, and other members of Congress introduced a resolution to accelerate awareness and investments in women’s health research, including doubling the investment in heart disease research. WomenHeart joined more than 25 organizations in supporting the legislation.

Join our partner organization, the Association of Black Cardiologists, for a virtual program on “The Pulse of LGBTQ+ Health and the Spectrum of Care” on June 9. A panel of experts will highlight the unique obstacles faced by Black and other marginalized individuals within the LGBTQ+ community and discuss how healthcare providers, partners, and friends can become better allies, reduce stigma, and foster partnerships to help improve cardiovascular health outcomes throughout the community. Learn more and register here.