American Heart Association, Inc.
For nearly 100 years, we`ve been fighting heart disease and stroke, striving to save and improve lives. The six cardiologists who founded the American Heart Association in 1924 would be amazed. From humble beginnings, the AHA has grown into the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. A shared focus on cardiovascular health unites our more than 35 million volunteers and supporters as well as our more than 2,900 employees. Learn more about our lifesaving history. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer worldwide, and stroke ranks second globally. Even when those conditions don’t result in death, they cause disability and diminish quality of life. We want to see a world free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Professional association
- Industry Type:
- Medical / Health Care
- Market Focus:
- Internationally (various countries)
Our Lifesaving History
Before the American Heart Association existed, people with heart disease were thought to be doomed to complete bed rest — or destined to imminent death.
But a handful of pioneering physicians and social workers believed it didn’t have to be that way. They conducted studies to learn more about heart disease, America’s No. 1 killer. Then, on June 10, 1924, they met in Chicago to form the American Heart Association — believing that scientific research could lead the way to better treatment, prevention and ultimately a cure. The early American Heart Association enlisted help from hundreds, then thousands, of physicians and scientists.
“We were living in a time of almost unbelievable ignorance about heart disease,” said Paul Dudley White, one of six cardiologists who founded the organization.
In 1948, the association reorganized, transforming from a professional scientific society to a nationwide voluntary health organization composed of science and lay volunteers and supported by professional staff.
Since then, the AHA has grown rapidly in size and influence - nationally and internationally - into an organization of more than 35 million volunteers and supporters dedicated to improving heart health and reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
Here is a timeline of American Heart Association milestones in more than 90 years of lifesaving history:
Our Early History
1915
Looking for Answers: Nearly a decade before the formal creation of the American Heart Association, physicians and social workers convene to find more answers about the mysteries of heart disease.
1924
American Heart Association is Founded: Six cardiologists form the American Heart Association as a professional society for doctors. One of the founders, Dr. Paul Dudley White, described the early years as a time of “almost unbelievable ignorance” about heart disease.
1925
Scientific Sessions Begins: The AHA holds its first Scientific Sessions meeting where scientists and healthcare professionals learn the latest developments. The meeting, held every year since except for during World War II, grows to become the largest annual cardiovascular meeting in the United States and a leading international destination for the cardiovascular health community.
1947
Heart Week Kicks Off: First public campaign kicks off in February to celebrate National Heart Week.
1948
The AHA Reorganizes: The AHA reorganizes, transforming from a scientific society to a voluntary health organization composed of volunteers and supported by professional staff. Support for the AHA’s mission becomes much more visible, with fundraising activities taking hold in communities and businesses.
First Research Grant Awarded: The association awards its first research grant, to Nobel Prize winner Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi. The grant helped fund studies about the energy that muscles, such as the heart, need to contract. In all, the AHA has funded 14 Nobel Prize winners, including nine whose AHA-funded work led to the Nobel Prize.
More than 90 years of saving lives
Continue reading about our more than 90 years of lifesaving history and our work that continues to pave the way in the fight against heart disease and stroke.