American Heart Association’s Miami Heart & Stroke Ball

44th annual event honors esteemed members of medical community

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association held its 44th annual Miami Heart & Stroke Ball on Saturday, March 10, drawing together hundreds of Miami’s medical, social and philanthropic leaders at the Four Season’s Miami Hotel.

This year’s co-chairmen included Michele Chulick of UHealth, Ian Pesses of Akerman Senterfitt and George and Marla Bergmann of Bergmann Properties. The Mistress of Ceremonies was Maggie Newland from CBS4.

Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception prior to entering into the red-themed ballroom, where they dined on healthy culinary delights and listened to live music from Street Life Band. Guests were touched by a heartfelt testimonial from a woman whose husband died of heart disease and learned shortly after his death that their first child Natalia also has a heart defect. “Natalia Bee” took the stage and thanked everyone for their support. Attendees generously gave “open your heart” financial contributions that will go toward lifesaving research, education and community programs.

During the special Cor Vitae Awards presentation, the organization honored two esteemed members of the Miami medical community with prestigious awards for their professional accomplishments in advancing the treatment and prevention of heart disease and stroke, which are the No. 1 and No. 4 killers, respectively, of American men and women. Dr. William O’Neill of the University of Miami was the recipient of the Cor Vitae Heart Award and Dr. Kathleen Schrank, also of the University of Miami, was the first female recipient of the Cor Vitae Stroke Award.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association presented the 2012 Dr. Sanford L. & Beatrice Ziff Big Heart Humanitarian Award to the Miami Marlins for their encouragement of physical activity and education among our youth.

Other notable attendees included University of Miami President Donna Shalala, Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez.

The Signature Sponsor of the 2012 campaign is Dade Medical College. Other sponsors of the 2012 gala include: The Saul & Theresa Esman Foundation; UHealth – University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Florida Healthcare Plus, Inc.; and Siemens/MedLab. Media Sponsors are 790 AM The Ticket and MIAMI Magazine.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association will continue their aggressive efforts to combat these deadly diseases and celebrate future successes at the 2013 Miami Heart & Stroke Ball which will be led by Ernesto and Sylvia Perez of Dade Medical College.

For further information about the event throughout the year, please call (954) 492-6911.