OAKLAND, Calif., September 12, 2022 — The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, has named Dr. Anirudh Devgan, President and CEO of Cadence Design Systems, Inc., as chair of the Heart of the Bay campaign. Dr. Devgan champions the importance of good health for all Cadence employees. He brings this same passion to his leadership role at the American Heart Association, where he will focus on driving equitable health for every member of the community. As heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world, Dr. Devgan is committed to addressing the core issues of heart health by helping at-risk, under-resourced individuals receive the proper education on managing their blood pressure.
“It’s an honor to be working with the American Heart Association and to be named the chair of the Heart of the Bay campaign,” said Dr. Anirudh Devgan, President & CEO of Cadence. “The Heart of the Bay campaign raises much-needed funds to support the imperative that under-resourced communities have access to high-quality healthcare, especially to address management of blood pressure and heart disease. At Cadence, we encourage our employees to invest in their own health and wellbeing; my hope is that through my involvement with the American Heart Association, I can help to amplify that message in our community.”
Dr. Devgan will lead a year-long campaign, of which Cadence will be a top sponsor, culminating in the annual Bay Area Heart Ball, to be held in spring 2023 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area Heart Ball unites the community in celebrating progress toward equitable health and honoring survivors of heart disease and stroke.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Anirudh Devgan’s experience, conviction and passion to help raise critical funds to advance the science and the policies that will lead to longer, healthier lives for all,” said Laura Steinfeldt, SVP/Executive Director, American Heart Association Bay Area.
The dollars raised by the Heart of Bay campaign fund the mission of the American Heart Association to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives while supporting priority issues in the Bay Area.
Removing the barriers to health equity, including structural racism, adverse social determinants of health and threats to rural health, has been identified by the American Heart Association Bay Area board for 2022-2023 to propel work to support the Association’s 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal, reducing barriers to health care access and quality. The 2023 Bay Area Heart Ball is sponsored by Cadence Design Systems, First Republic, McCarthy Building Companies, Salesforce, and UCSF Health.
Dr. Devgan is working with a committee of volunteer leaders on the campaign, which aims to raise $4 million. The volunteers include Mike Selfridge (2022 Bay Area Heart Ball Chair), First Republic; Thom Bales, PwC; Christopher Bianucci, EY; Dr. Robert Harrington, Stanford University; Rich Henry; Miranda Lin, First Republic; Jennifer Mello, Altamont Capital Partners; KT Moore, Cadence Design Systems; Marc Macaulay, KPMG; Dr. Dilip Parekh, Altais; Ruth D. Perry MSN, BSN, RN, CPHQ, Dignity Health; and Marc Scher, KPMG.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Donna Kato, Donna.Kato@heart.org