Applications now being accepted for 2012 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic

Washington, DC  – WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease has announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2012 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic. This one of a kind, nationally renowned program trains women heart disease survivors to become volunteer community educators, national spokespersons and support network leaders for women living with heart disease. Applications can be obtained at www.womenheart.org. Deadline for applications is August 31, 2012.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and more women than men have died from heart disease every year since 1984. Each year since 2002 women heart disease survivors from around the country have participated in this nationally competitive application process to become a WomenHeart Champion and earn the prestigious opportunity to be educated at WomenHeart’s annual Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic. Sixty women are selected, and nearly 600 women have completed the program since its inception 10 years ago.

By becoming a national volunteer WomenHeart Champion, each selected woman becomes one of more than 600 inspirational women from across the country to be honored with the WomenHeart Champion title. These women, the “boots on the ground” in the fight against heart disease, are available to speak to community, state, and national audiences about the prevalence of heart disease in women and how it is so often under diagnosed and mistreated. In addition, WomenHeart advocates for prevention, early and accurate diagnosis, and proper treatment of heart disease, and WomenHeart Champions run the only national community based, patient led network of support groups for women living with heart disease.

WomenHeart was founded in 1999 and the Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic was founded as an integral part of WomenHeart in 2002.