FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A-ril 12, 1451 Contact: Lisa Clo>?h 141ABCBADE2B lclo>?hFwomenheartAor? Eva MacieKewski 141ABCBADEB2 emacieKewskiFwomenheartAor? 51th ANNNAL WENPER AWARDS HONORS THOSE MARINP ESTRAORDINART CONTRIBNTIONS TO WOMEN(S HEART HEALTH Nnited States S>r?eon Peneral Re?ina MA BenKamin, MD amon? honorees Washin?ton, DC, A-ril 12, 1451 - Two individ>als and two or?aniWations were honored toni?ht for their eYtraordinary contri[>tions to women(s heart health at the 11th Ann>al Wen?er Awards, at the Ronald Rea?an B>ildin? in Washin?ton, DCA The event is hosted ann>ally [y WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease in reco?nition of individ>als and or?aniWations who have set -recedent in advancing women(s heart healthA As the leadin? ca>se of death in women in the Nnited States, heart disease is res-onsi[le for one in three deaths amon? American womenA Tonight(s honorees are -avin? the way to [etter heart health for women and all AmericansA The Wen?er Awards are named for Nanette Rass Wen?er, MD, pioneer in women(s cardiovasc>lar diseaseA The Wen?er Awards is the only national reco?nition for those who are making extraordinary contributions to women(s heart health. This year(s honorees are: NS S>r?eon Peneral Re?ina MA BenKamin, MD, MBA, for EYcellence in P>[lic Service, for her efforts to red>ce heart disease thro>?h fitness and lifestyle chan?es, and for her work hi?hli?htin? the link [etween to[acco and heart diseaseA ]oined [y First Lady Michelle O[ama and NASA De-artment of Health and H>man Services Secretary Rathleen Se[eli>s, S>r?eon Peneral BenKamin anno>nced her ^ision for a Healthy and Fit Nation in ]an>ary 1454A Its aim is to red>ce the rates of overwei?ht and o[esity in the NASA - two maKor risk factors for heart disease [y im-rovin? n>trition, enco>ra?in? re?>lar -hysical activity, and incitin? comm>nities thro>?ho>t the NASA to s>--ort healthy choicesA Moreover, in March 1451, S>r?eon Peneral 818 18th Street, NW • Suite 1000 • Washington, DC 20006 • 202.728.7199 • fax: 202.728.7238 • www.womenheart.org BenKamin released her re-ort Preventin? To[acco Nse amon? To>th and To>n? Ad>lts which concl>des that smokin? carries s>[stantial health risks, incl>din? heart and cardiovasc>lar diseaseA Thro>?h these and other efforts thro>?ho>t her distin?>ished career in health care, S>r?eon Peneral BenKamin has si?nificantly increased ->[lic awareness of the sym-toms and risk factors of heart diseaseA Boston Scientific for EYcellence in Cor-orate Leadershi- for its s>ccessf>l work addressin? dis-arities in cardiovasc>lar care for >nderserved -atient -o->lations, incl>din? the eYtraordinary Close the Pa- -ro?ramA Boston Scientific fo>nded Close the Pa- in 144C to -rovide advanced cardiovasc>lar care to all AmericansA The -ro?ram achieves its ?oal [y increasin? ->[lic awareness of cardiovasc>lar risk factors thro>?h comm>nity o>treach_ hel-in? health care -roviders >nderstand c>lt>ral [eliefs that can act as [arriers to care amon? >nderserved comm>nities_ and raisin? awareness amon? health care -roviders of heart fail>re `>ality meas>resA In addition, Boston Scientific s>--orts a variety of national, local and international charita[le efforts committed to eY-andin? access to `>ality cardiovasc>lar health careA AleYandra ]A Lansky, MD, for EYcellence in Medical Leadershi-, for her lon?time commitment to ->rs>in? ?endera[ased o>tcomes research and teachin? interventional cardiolo?y and -reventionA DrA Lansky is the director of the Tale Cardiovasc>lar Research Pro>- and Tale ^alve Pro?ram at the Tale School of MedicineA As -art of her work, she serves as medical director of HeartHealthyWomenAor?, a De-artment of Health and H>man Servicesas-onsored We[ site for the treatment of women with cardiovasc>lar diseasesA She is the lead a>thor of the American Heart Association statement on Interventional Cardiolo?y in Women and has a>thored or coa a>thored over 144 academic -eerareviewed man>scri-ts and [ook cha-ters in the fields of cardiology, angiography, and women(s cardiovascular health. HeartScarves Craft Comm>nity for EYcellence in Comm>nity O>treach for havin? ?rown from a scarf knittin? ?ro>- fo>nded [y WomenHeart Cham-ions into a nationawide network of vol>nteers who knit and deliver tho>sands of red scarves to women heart disease s>rvivors across the co>ntryA The red scarf sym[oliWes the lifelines of carin? and s>--ort that eYist amon? >sA The 818 18th Street, NW • Suite 1000 • Washington, DC 20006 • 202.728.7199 • fax: 202.728.7238 • www.womenheart.org red scarves are delivered to women heart -atients to ?ive them comfort, s>--ort and enco>ra?ementA HeartScarves also -rovides a -latform for awareness and ed>cation a[o>t heart disease in womenA To arran?e interviews or for f>rther information a[o>t this event, -lease contact Eva MacieKewski at 141ABCBADEB2 or emacieKewskiFwomenheartAor?A bbb WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation's only -atient centered or?aniWation servin? the B1 million American women livin? with or at risk for heart disease - the leadin? ca>se of death in womenA WomenHeart is solely devoted to advancin? women's heart health thro>?h advocacy, comm>nity ed>cation, and the nation's only -atient s>--ort networks for women livin? with heart diseaseA Since 1441, WomenHeart has trained de5 WomenHeart Cham-ions who are tellin? their stories, sharin? vital heart health information, and savin? the lives of women across the co>ntryA WomenHeart Cham-ions are also leadin? DD WomenHeart S>--ort Networks for female heart -atients nationwideA WomenHeart is [oth a coalition and a comm>nity of tho>sands of mem[ers nationwide, incl>din? women heart -atients and their families, -hysicians, and health advocates, all committed to hel-in? women live lon?er, healthier livesA To receive a free online heart health action kit or to donate, visit wwwAwomenheartAor?fkitA S-onsors for the Wen?er Awards are: Medtronic Fo>ndation, Cor-orate Host_ PfiWer, ^IP Rece-tion S-onsor_ Pilead, Prand Rece-tion S-onsor_ B>rlin?ton Coat Factory, Heart Contri[>tor_ Boston Scientific and Astra genecaHeart Healers_ CardioDY, Heart Contri[>tor_ Mayo Clinic, Micell Technolo?ies and Takeda, Heart Sisters_ AdvaMed, CARA Bard, IncA, BayerfMSL Pro>-, Cerner, Novartis, ]ohnson h ]ohnson, Lisa Scholnick and S>san RA Bennett, MD, Heart FriendsA 818 18th Street, NW • Suite 1000 • Washington, DC 20006 • 202.728.7199 • fax: 202.728.7238 • www.womenheart.org