Keith Churchwell, MD, president of Yale New Haven Hospital, will be honored with the American Heart Association (AHA) Award of Meritorious Achievement – one of its highest honors – at the National Volunteer virtual event on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
The award is presented annually to individuals or organizations for contributions of national significance.
Churchwell served on the AHA presidential advisory and was instrumental the development of the 2020 advisory, "Call to Action: Structural Racism as a Fundamental Driver of Health Disparities.”
"COVID is teaching us a lot about ourselves and has illuminated the issue of health disparities across the country," Churchwell said in a related press release. "The issues of socioeconomics, travel and nutrition are contributing to a higher risk for our Black and brown communities, not only in terms of COVID but diabetes, cardiovascular disease and overall morbidity and mortality. In the last 10 or 20 years, we have made significant strides across all populations in the reduction of mortality in cardiovascular disease, given the work that the AHA and others have done. The overall improvement is not equal – African Americans still lag."
"COVID is starting a national conversation in multiple places, not just health care," he added. "I was happy and honored to play a role in the development of the advisory.”