Louisville

Red Couch Tour

The American Heart Association and UofL Health are teaming up to help heart disease and stroke survivors from throughout Kentuckiana share their stories as part of the Red Couch Tour. This is an opportunity for survivors to unite to fight the No. 1 cause of death: heart disease. The American Heart Association and UofL Health hope these shared experiences will help save lives by helping others recognize the signs and symptoms of heart disease and stroke.

Bob Valvano, heart attack survivor, and UofL and ESPN Radio basketball analyst, was the first survivor featured on the Tour.               

“Knowledge is power, as they say--especially about your own health. Why wouldn’t you want to know all about this stuff,” said Valvano. “Don’t assume ‘I’ll do that tomorrow’. There’s no starting point for this--it’s something you have to be diligent about. I was not, and almost paid the ultimate price.”

AHA - funded Youth Vaping Research at UofL

The American Heart Association is investing nearly $17 million to fund a two-year research initiative, ENACT (End Nicotine Addiction in Children and Teens), led by a national network of scientists focusing on the health impacts of e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery systems on youth and young adults. As part of this network, researchers at the University of Louisville Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute will conduct studies to better understand youth vaping. Institute researcher Joy Hart, Ph.D., professor in the UofL Department of Communication, will lead a team engaging local youth to learn about what drives youth to use e-cigarettes, the health effects of this use and how to motivate young people to stop using these products.