Editorial Staff

Website content is developed by editors, writers and experts in science and medicine. The American Heart Association staff follow these editorial guidelines and the American Heart Association's ethics policies. Financial information about the American Heart Association, including industry sponsorships and donations, can be found here. The American Heart Association is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations and sponsorships. Sponsorships or relationships are disclosed on websites and in articles as needed. For more information, contact [email protected].

Dina Rogers, National Director, Writing and Editorial, leads the American Heart Association's editorial team. Before joining the American Heart Association in 2007, she was employee communications and publications manager for Horizon Health Corporation, and managing editor at M. Lee Smith Publishers. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in writing, literature & publishing from Emerson College in Boston.

Gloria Catha, Senior Content and Editorial Manager, develops patient content and custom content. Since joining the American Heart Association in 1996, she has spent most of her career managing patient education and consumer health content development for magazines, brochures and websites. She holds a business degree from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Karen Patterson, Writer and Editor, has covered medical science and health care for The Dallas Morning News, NurseWeek, and CURE and Heal magazines. Previously, she focused on cancer research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She holds a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's in liberal arts from Southern Methodist University.

Deborah Puccio, Senior Editor and Content Manager, manages healthy living content, including cookbooks and recipes. Before joining the American Heart Association in 2004, she was a director for a publishing company providing editorial services to leading educational book publishers. She also was an editor for the elementary textbook imprint of Simon & Schuster. Puccio holds a journalism degree and political science degree from Rutgers University.

Science and Medicine Advisors

Radhika Rajgopal Singh, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Science, Medicine and Health and Professional Membership, oversees science and medicine review at the American Heart Association. She joined the Association in 2017. She has over two decades of experience in strategic planning, operations and performance management with diverse academic, public and nonprofit organizations, including Southern Methodist University and the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas.

Anne Leonard, M.P.H, B.S.N., R.N., CCRC, FAHA, National Senior Director, joined the Heart Association in 2007. Previously, she spent 25 years at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, conducting clinical research in the neurosciences, with an emphasis on stroke. She earned her bachelor's degree from UT Health Science Center-San Antonio, and her master’s from the UT Houston School of Public Health. During this time, she was a 15-year volunteer for the American Heart Association.

Paul St. Laurent, D.N.P., R.N., National Senior Director, joined the Heart Association in 2016. He has over 25 years of experience as an advanced practice nurse in clinical cardiovascular care. He has a doctor of nursing practice degree from Chatham University as well as bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from the University of Southern Indiana.

Sally S. Wong, Ph.D., R.D., CDN, FAHA, National Director, joined the American Heart Association in 2013 after a decade as clinical nutrition manager at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. She also was a public health officer for the Nutrition and Dietetics Board in New York and provided nutrition consultation for the state's Office of Minority Health. She earned her nutrition master's and doctoral degrees from New York University.

Prashant Nedungadi, B.Pharm, Ph.D., National Vice President, joined the Heart Association in 2015. He has more than 15 years of academic research experience and has authored several peer-reviewed publications. He is a pharmacist and holds a doctoral degree in pharmacology/neuroscience. He previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and as research/teaching faculty at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Barbara Entl, M.D., Science and Medicine Advisor, joined the Heart Association in 2020. Previously she worked as a primary care physician providing comprehensive preventive and medical care for children and adults, infectious disease epidemiologist, and as a tribal health policy analyst connecting with clinical partners, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention subject matter experts, and external partners to identify best practices and recommendations regarding the clinical care of infectious diseases for the Indian Peoples of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

Mu Huang, Ph.D., D.P.T., Science and Medicine Advisor, joined the Heart Association in 2022. He was previously a clinician-scientist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and was on faculty in the Department of Applied Clinical Research. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications of original research. He holds a doctorate in applied physiology from Southern Methodist University, a doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kayode Kuku, MBBS, Science and Medicine Advisor, joined the Heart Association in 2025. He has over 12 years of experience spanning clinical training and basic, clinical and translational cardiovascular research and has authored more than 50 peer reviewed original research publications. He earned his medical degree from Lagos State University College of Medicine, Nigeria, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and is completing his Ph.D. at the University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands.

Advisors for Science and Health Advancement

Henry Lee, M.D., National Senior Director, Resuscitation Science, joined the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Team in 2025. Previously, he served on Heart Association resuscitation guideline writing groups since 2018. He has served as faculty at the University of California, San Francisco, and Stanford University, and currently is a professor of pediatrics (neonatology) and public health at the University of California, San Diego.

Melissa Mahgoub, Ph.D., Senior Science and Health Advisor, joined the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Team in 2019. She holds a doctoral degree in neuroscience and has over 10 years of experience in academia as a preclinical researcher and scientific writer. She has worked as a postdoctoral researcher and served as a scientific mentor to graduate students at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Amber Rodriguez, Ph.D., Senior Science and Health Advisor, joined the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Team in 2014. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin, and her postdoctoral work was at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics.

Julie Sell, M.S.N., R.N., Science and Health Advisor, joined the Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Team in 2024. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and a graduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She has a background in emergency nursing, clinical education and public health.

Jaylen I. Wright, Ph.D., Science and Health Advisor, joined the Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Team in 2024. He has experience in clinical and community health education and research. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship training in cardiovascular epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. Jaylen holds a doctorate and master of science degree in health behavior, counseling and health education from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and sociology from Texas A&M University.

Contributing Writers and Editors

Sarah Amandolare; Deborah Blumberg; Catherin Cassata; Thor Christensen; Tyra Damm; Diane Daniel; Mary Dunklin; Leslie Barker Garcia; Kellie Gormly; Emily Halnon; Stephanie Kopenec; Kathryn Long; Sally Powell Schall; Kelley J. Shannon; Katherine Shaver; Albert Stumm; Kevin Swisher