American Heart Association launches STEM Goes Red in NYC

Event aims to empower young women entering the STEM fields

New York City, March 20, 2018 — The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, is proud to celebrate Women’s History Month by announcing the latest event in the 2018 NYC Go Red For Women movement: STEM Goes Red on April 20.

STEM Goes Red is a new event dedicated to empowering high school-aged girls to improve the heart and brain health of all Americans through careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Millions of STEM jobs are becoming available in the United States, but most U.S. students are unprepared to fill these careers. Moreover, only 3 out of 100 female bachelor students continue to work in STEM fields after graduating.

“To defeat heart disease, we need innovation and big thinking from young, emerging students committed to making change happen,” says Tony Fernicola, President and Chief Customer Officer, Salesforce. “By encouraging young women to pursue exciting careers in the STEM fields, we are building a brighter future, stopping heart disease before it starts, and paving the way to healthier communities.”

STEM Goes Red will take place at the New York Academy of Sciences from 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and will bring together more than 100 local high school girls to explore STEM outside the classroom. The young women will gain first-hand experience, connect with inspiring leaders, and will walk away knowing they can make an impact through a promising career in an exciting field.

Roughly 35 women die each day from cardiovascular disease and stroke in the New York City area; approximately 80 percent of these deaths are preventable. By encouraging young women to pursue careers in the STEM fields, the American Heart Association aims to help spur the next generation of scientists and researchers to save millions of women from heart disease and stroke.

Go Red For Women is nationally sponsored by CVS Health and Macy’s. New York City Goes Red sponsors are Northwell Health and the Elizabeth Elting Foundation. STEM Goes Red NYC is presented by Salesforce.

Catalyst Sponsors include Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering, Cisco, Deloitte, Dell Technologies, Infosys, McKinsey & Company, Oracle, Strongbow Consulting Group, and Tata Consultancy Services.

Pioneer Sponsors include Accenture, Aetna, Arconic, AT&T, Genpact, Lenovo, New York Academy of Sciences, PhRMA, Publicis Health, Red Hat, Vodafone, Xerox, and Xsell Resources.

For more information about Go Red For Women STEM Goes Red NYC, please visit stemgoesrednyc.heart.org or contact Chelsea Beecher at chelsea.beecher@heart.org.

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