What it takes to be 'relentless'

自1924年成立以来, the 美国心脏协会 had a big job ahead: to shed light on the cardiovascular system and better fight heart disease.

This week in the AHA's flagship journal, Circulation, a 总统顾问 examines how the organization started and how it's going. The authors — 14 AHA presidents whose yearlong terms date as far back as 1989 — also anticipate some tantalizing developments and crucial challenges for the next 100 years.

With a mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, 更健康的生活, the AHA has been a leading player in numerous realms in the fight against stroke, heart disease and related conditions, 作者指出.

A chief concern when the AHA was founded was the growing toll of rheumatic heart disease. The organization's initial focus on heart disease and its 预防 expanded to active promotion of heart health.

Over the years the AHA widened its cardiovascular disease lens to brain health — starting with stroke and now encompassing dementia and mental well-being. It has also dug deeper to understand and address social factors in health and to promote equity in health care for all.

Even as the structure of the AHA has evolved over a century, scientific and medical discovery has always been at the forefront. In 2022, the Association passed a key milestone – funding over $5 billion in scientific research since 1948.

“美国心脏协会的成立是, ,仍, the science that describes causes, 预防, 诊断。, and treatment of cardiovascular disease,作者指出.

许多科学, medical and technical developments have made possible both a more holistic and more granular understanding of cardiovascular disease. These include insights from the Human Genome Project; advances in imaging, 人口研究, computing and statistical science; and the growing understanding of social and structural factors that contribute to disease.

同时, the AHA has been a leader in setting the agenda for public health, including numerous advisories on smoking, 饮食, 体育活动, blood pressure and other topics — culminating in a framework of seven, 然后八, essential factors in cardiovascular health and disease 预防.

The advisory's authors also envision various milestones ahead for cardiovascular science, including a diverse community of scientists, nontraditional approaches to health care, and increasing globalization of care. "As past presidents of the AHA, we look forward to an exciting second century of this impactful organization, led by the next generation of leaders,他们写道.