We are thrilled to share that the American Heart Association has been recognized on the Forbes 2023 list of America’s Best Mid-Size Employers! This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. Forbes and Statista selected America’s Best Employers 2023 through an independent survey of approximately 45,000 American employees across 25 industry sectors.
Who We Are
The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Founded in 1924, our organization now includes more than 30 million volunteers and supporters. We fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide critical tools and information to save and improve lives. Our nationwide organization includes more than 100+ local offices and nearly 2,800 employees.
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 40 million volunteers and supporters as well as our more than 2,800 employees. Learn more about our impact over time.
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.
Our size and scope let us have real impact. The AHA has invested more than $4.8 billion in research, making us the largest not-for-profit funding source for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease research next to the federal government. Learn more about our life-changing funded research breakthroughs.
What We Do
To improve the lives of all everyone, we provide public health education and solutions in a variety of ways.
LIFESTYLE: We help people understand the importance of healthy lifestyle choices.
GUIDELINES: We provide science-based treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals to help them provide quality care to their patients.
QUALITY: We guide and support quality improvement initiatives in hospitals and practices, facilitating these optimal levels of care.
CPR: We’re the nation’s leader in CPR education and training.
We educate lawmakers, policymakers and the public as we advocate for changes to protect and improve the health of our communities.
RESEARCH: Our volunteer experts select the scientific research and researchers most worthy of funding — with great results.
We have invested billions in cardiovascular research, more than any organization outside the federal government. We have funded 14 Nobel Prize winners and many lifesaving research advances such as the first artificial heart valve, cholesterol-lowering drugs, heart transplantation, and CPR techniques and guidelines.
Why We’re Needed
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the world. Stroke ranks second globally and is a leading cause of severe disability. Too many families are losing loved ones of all ages. Each year, these diseases kill more than 800,000 Americans. Some form of cardiovascular disease affects more than one in every three adult Americans. Many suffer terribly from disabilities caused by these diseases.
The American Heart Association wants everyone to understand the threat — and to know that cardiovascular diseases and stroke are largely preventable. Risks can be lowered by adhering to what we call Life’s Simple 7: not smoking, being physically active, maintaining a healthy body weight, eating a healthy diet, controlling blood pressure, controlling cholesterol and controlling blood sugar.
Our 2024 Impact Goal: Every person deserves the opportunity for a full, healthy life. As champions for health equity, by 2024, the American Heart Association will advance cardiovascular health for all, including identifying and removing barriers to health care access and quality.
Achieving health equity is core to the American Heart Association’s Guiding Values, Mission and 2024 Impact Goal. Addressing the drivers of health disparities, including the social determinants of health and structural racism, is the only way to truly achieve equitable health and well-being for all.
Internship at the AHA
We are committed to providing a meaningful learning experience and nurturing young talent who can contribute to our mission – ‘To be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives’.
We welcome interns though out the year to various departments and from a variety of majors.
We are committed to providing a rewarding experience to each student by offering a professional work environment where professional skills can be developed and where there is opportunity to observe, assist, and learn about the work done at the AHA. Thereby allowing the student to test potential career choices based on real-life work experiences in addition to providing an opportunity to gain on-the-job knowledge which will help make them more viable candidates for future job opportunities. Check out our Intern page here: https://heart.jobs/interns/