American Heart Association Illinois
Help Your Students Become Heart Heroes
Two 9-year-old students are heroes after learning the lifesaving skill of CPR through Kids Heart Challenge. Watch Logan and Magnolia's stories, and help your students become heart heroes. Register your school today!
Know Your Numbers
Free, state-of-the-art blood pressure kiosks placed by the American Heart Association empower community residents to measure and track their blood pressure and take steps to prevent heart disease, stroke and dementia. The kiosks include referrals to clinics in the area, helping patients access medical care in their community.
CPR Saves Lives
Of the 350,000 cardiac arrests that happen outside the hospital every year, less than 12 percent of victims survive. Bystander CPR can double or triple the chances of survival. Our Illinois team is in the community conducting training sessions, supplying local schools with CPR training and equipment, and spreading the message that it only takes two steps to save a life: call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest.
Target: BP
Target: BP was created by the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association in response to high rates of uncontrolled blood pressure in patients across the country. In Chicago, we work with nearly 80 health facilities to help care teams improve hypertension control rates through a quality improvement program, and we recognize organizations committed to improving blood pressure control.
Support that lifts you up
Dealing with a heart or stroke condition can be complex, but your recovery can be more manageable when you have the right kind of emotional support. Join our Support Network, a community of survivors and caregivers who’ve had similar experiences and can help you find your footing on the path to better health.
Indian-Spiced Pumpkin-Apple Soup
Garam masala, a blend of several dry-roasted ground spices often used in Indian cooking, adds warmth to this creamy soup — a perfect light lunch or side dish on a cold day.
He Felt Fine. His Artery Said Otherwise.
Events in Your Area
Metro Chicago Run With Heart
Location: Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2026 - 08:00 AM
RegisterIn Your Community
The American Heart Association is committed to driving equitable health impact in Illinois through five key priority areas: women, readiness, tobacco and vaping, patients, and healthy living. Equity is always at the center of our work, and it will continue to guide all that we do.
Through our focus on these key impact areas, and with collaboration among local organizations, sponsors, businesses, and others that serve the community, we are working to improve the health and well-being of Illinois citizens while saving and improving countless lives.
Throughout the state of Illinois, we’ve seen our community impact work grow, including efforts around creating avenues for greater access to care, expanding healthy food access and education, building a network of first responders through CPR kits in schools, supporting blood pressure screenings and education, and educating on the dangers of tobacco and vaping.
People are counting on us as never before. We at the American Heart Association, along with our supporters, will drive change, and we will be relentless.
For more than 40 years, Advocacy has had a mission-critical role in the American Heart Association's work. Our legislative and regulatory priorities help to mitigate risk factors and protect survivors in communities across the country. We support the enactment of evidence-based public policies that lead to longer, healthier lives.
Public policy advocacy is an essential strategy used by the Association to affect necessary and sustainable policy, system and environmental changes that help Illinois citizens build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Our efforts in Illinois and its communities are focused on the following policy areas: Tobacco and Vaping, Access to Care, Medicaid Expansion, and Hypertension Prevention and Control, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and Healthy School Meals for All.
Board Chair
Dr. Emily Chase, PhD, MS
UChicago Medicine
Board President
Dr. Jairo Mejia, MD, FAHA, CPE
ACCESS Community Health Network
Members
Donnica Austin Cathey
John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital
Glenn Berk
Fox 32
Kimberly Bors
Dover Corporation
John Boschelli
Kemper Corporation
Monica Brown Moss
Strategist Trinity United Church of Christ
Dr. Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, FAHA
Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University
Sarah Casalan
UPS Store
Esther Corpuz
Alivio Medical Center
Joe Dant
Endeavor Health
Sean Gallagher
Busey Bank
Kyle Glass
Advent Health
Michael Gray
Jones Day
Dr. Robert S. Higgins, MD, MSHA
Rush University Medical Center
Erin Howes, MPH
PrimeCare Community Health
Diana Kunz
KPMG, LLP
Sharon Langshur
Northwestern University
Marla Mendelson, MD
Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
Laura Merrick
Medical Home Network
Dr. Karen Orjuela Traslavina, MD, MS, FAAN, FAHA
UChicago Medicine
Susan Rosenberg
Huron Consulting Group
Joan A. Rubschlager
Rubschlager Bakery
Rina Shah
Walgreens
Dr. Andrew Wang, PhD, MPH, CPH
Lawndale Christian Health Center
Kathryn Welch
Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation
Allison Wyler
Advocate Health Care
Members
Topher Andersen
CIBC
Kristin Barrie
Maker's Pride
Danielle Bowsman
UChicago Medicine
Elizabeth Buckton
BMO Wealth Management
Emma Keep
Medicine
Morgan King
Informa TechTarget
Ricky Watson
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
President
Mary Boylan, MD
President
Retired: St. Luke's Regional Heart & Vascular Center
Chair
Kim Bors
Business Owner/Leader
Dover Corporation
Members
Heather Baker, EdD
Director of Teaching and Learning
Rockton School District #140
Tasha Blackmon
President & CEO
Cherry Health
Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, FAHA
Chair and Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Marc Gerdish, MD
Professor of Clinical Surgery, School of Medicine
Indiana University
Joseph Haas
Immediate Past Chair
SVP of Private Wealth
Associated Bank
Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN
EVP, Chief Caregiver Officer & Chief Administrative Officer
Cleveland Clinic
Karen Harbin
President & CEO
Commonwealth Credit Union
Delores Hargrove-Young
Vice Chairwoman
d.e. Foxx & Associates, Inc.
William (B.J.) Hicks II, MD
Ex Officio
Vice President, Neuroscience Service Line, OhioHealth
Vascular Neurologist
OhioHealth Neurological Physicians
Linda Imonti
Director, Strategic Advisor and Retired Managing
KMPG LLP
Joshua J. Joseph, MD
President Elect
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Devray Kirkland
Vice President
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Cardinal Health
Brett Kissela, MD, MS
Professor of Neurology,
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs
and Julia A. Uihlein Dean of the School of Medicine,
Medical College of Wisconsin
Sharon Langshur
Research Project Coordinator
Northwestern Medicine
Chief Medical Officer,
ACCESS Community Health Network
Keith Miller, MD, PhD, FACC
Cardiologist
Bryan Health
John Mongelluzzo, J.D.
Managing Partner
Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP
Howard O’Brien
Associate
Howard & O’Brien Executive Search
Karen Rieck
Vice President, Human Resources
Farm Bureau Financial Services
Lee Shapiro, JD
Ex Officio
Managing Partner
7wire Ventures
John Walsh, DSc, MBA, FACHE
Louisville, Kentucky
Heath Wilt, D.O., FACC
Cardiologist
North Kansas City Health
Contact Us
Chicago, Illinois
By Appointment Only:
300 South Riverside Plaza, Ste 1200
Chicago, IL 60606
Heart and Stroke News
