The AHA’s middle name is 'Heart,' but it has long been active in the battle against stroke. In the 1950s, our president organized the Princeton Conferences, a series of gatherings of leading stroke researchers.
In 1964, we co-sponsored the first National Stroke Congress in Chicago 'to spearhead an expanded attack on the problem.' In 1976, the first International Stroke Conference gathered in Dallas – a major conference that continues to this day.
In 1998, our Stroke Division became the American Stroke Association, and in 2010, Dr. Ralph Sacco became the first neurologist to lead the AHA. Anti-clotting drugs and then clot-removal procedures changed the way stroke was treated, and we raised awareness that stroke is treatable and that treatment is more effective when delivered soon after a stroke. We used an important acronym, F.A.S.T., to help people identify stroke symptoms and get help.
