Maryland
2025 Greater Maryland Heart Walk

Did you know that cardiovascular disease occurs every 39 seconds and is the No. 1 killer of all Americans? When you join Heart Walk, you join more than a million people in 300+ cities across America in taking a stand against heart disease and helping save lives!
Watkins-Saunders Award

Dr. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah is the recipient of the 2025 Watkins-Saunders Award. The award recognizes individuals in Maryland who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to equitable health through clinical or medical work and community improvements.
Stories of Stronger Hearts

Share your heart and health journey with the American Heart Association’s #StrongerHearts campaign, supported by LifeBridge Health. Whether you are a survivor or have an experience that changed your mindset about healthy living, we would love to hear your story and use it to inspire others!
Survivor Story
Like many women, Shari Sudano felt underdiagnosed and unseen -- twice -- when she felt unwell and sought medical attention, even after explaining her family's long history of heart disease. Shari has joined the Go Red for Women movement to encourage women to take control and be their own best advocate for their health.
Know Your Numbers
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is the home to the latest #StrongerHearts Smart Health Station in Maryland, supported by LifeBridge Health! Check it out between gates A9-A11 the next time you're traveling out of BWI.
Community Gardens
A revitalized garden at Coppin State University and two new community gardens in Harford County are part of the Heart Association’s Live Fierce. Stand for All. initiative, supported by University of Maryland Medical System.
The initiative aims to address nutrition insecurity by increasing access to healthy foods.
Raspberry Basil Iced Tea
Refresh with this ice-cold, fresh-tasting, delicious summer tea.
Give Today to TRIPLE to Help Save Lives

Events in Your Area
Greater Maryland Heart Walk Coach Kickoff
Location: Zoom Webinar
Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 10:00 AM
RegisterWatkins-Saunders Digital Celebration
Location: Zoom Webinar
Date: Thursday, June 19, 2025 - 12:00 PM
RegisterGreater Maryland Heart Walk
Location: Camden Yards Sports Complex, Parking Lot C
Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025 - 08:30 AM
RegisterIn Your Community
The American Heart Association is committed to driving equitable health impact in Maryland through key priority areas including: nutrition security, blood pressure, and community readiness. Equitable health is always at the center of our work because we believe that everybody deserves the same opportunity for a long, healthy life.
Through our focus on these key impact areas, along with collaboration from local organizations, sponsors, businesses, and community leaders, we are working to improve the health and well-being of all residents while saving and improving countless lives around the world.
Our impact continues to grow, including efforts to create avenues for greater access to quality care, healthy food access, CPR education, blood pressure management and education, and efforts to stop the use of tobacco.
People are counting on us as never before. The American Heart Association, and our supporters, will continue to be a relentless force to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere.

We all have the power to make a difference.
By advocating for public policies that build healthier communities, we can all make a difference in people's lives. See how, alongside our volunteers and partners, we've been opening doors to equitable health for more than 40 years.
Our efforts in Maryland emphasize an equity-first, community-based approach to foster heart healthy environments focused on addressing social determinants of health. Examples of our impactful advocacy campaigns include restricting the sale of flavored tobacco products, ensuring T-CPR funding for 911 call takers, making kids’ meals at restaurants healthier, expanding Medicaid post-partum coverage, ensuring water is more accessible in schools, and much more.
Each day, we work together to advocate for heart-healthy and stroke-smart communities through legislative and regulatory policies in our cities, states and across the country, and we hope you’ll join us.
To get involved in our local policy work, email [email protected]

Join the American Heart Association as a volunteer! Our volunteers power our local events, educate our community, raise critical funds that save lives and are our biggest advocates.
Are you looking for ways to engage your employees in compelling and impactful volunteer experiences? Our corporate volunteer activities are designed to drive equitable health impact in our communities and support the mission and priorities of the Association to improve mental well-being, nutrition security, rates of Hands-Only CPR use and blood pressure awareness.
Learn more about local volunteer opportunities by emailing [email protected]
For sponsorship opportunities, email [email protected]

Dr. Seth Martin
President of the Board
Professor of Medicine (Cardiology)
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Dr. Thomas Chin
President-Elect
Professor & Chief of Pediatric Cardiology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Larry Johnson
Chair
Regional Director of Security, National Capital Region
Johns Hopkins Hospital Systems
Bryan Gately
Leadership Development Chair
Executive Director
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Dr. William Ashley
Director, Cerebrovascular, Endovascular, & Skull Neurosurgery
Chief, Division of Neurointerventional Radiology
The Sandra & Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute
LifeBridge Health
Dr. George Bittar
Chairman, Department of Medicine
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
Dr. Roger Blumenthal
Professor of Medicine
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Rob Brown
Financial Representative
Northwest Mutual
Dr. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology (Joint Appointment)
Dr. Stacy Fisher
Associate Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center, Associate Professor (PAR) of Medicine
Johns Hopkin Medicine
Baker Koppelman
Senior Vice President, Ticket Sales and Operations
Baltimore Ravens
Dr. Athol Morgan
Director, Cardiology
Grace Medical Center
George Nemphos
Managing Member
Nemphos Braue
Christopher Ross
Managing Director
Wilmington Trust, an M&T Company
Kurt Small
President, Medicaid
Elevance Health
Sonia Suber
Vice President of Business Relationship Management for Information Systems and Technology
Sodexo, Inc.
Deepak Suri
President
Irus Solutions
Contact Us
Mailing Address:
4217 Park Place Court
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Phone: 410-685-7074

Heart and Stroke News
