Dr. Lori Morton
The Hudson Valley American Heart Association (AHA) has announced that Dr. Lori Morton will serve as Executive Champion of the Westchester Heart Walk event, set for Sunday, October 1st at Kensico Dam in Valhalla. The Heart Walk is the AHA’s largest annual event, raising more than $400,000 for AHA programs and research last year.
To register online, please visit www.westchesterheartwalk.org.
Dr. Lori Morton is the Director of Cardiovascular Research and Fibrosis Research at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Morton will appeal to local businesses and community leaders to support the American Heart Association’s mission through sponsorship of the Heart Walk event, and invite them to form teams to join the Heart Walk to build healthier lives free from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
At Regeneron, Morton leads a team of scientists in the discovery and validation of new drug targets for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases affecting heart, kidney, lung and vascular function, as well as a number of diseases characterized by tissue scarring (fibrosis). Dr. Morton’s group collaborates with a number of other research groups at Regeneron to develop and test new medicines, determining the best candidates for new investigational clinical programs.
Heart disease costs employers more than $3 billion annually, according to the AHA. It is the leading killer in the U.S. and New York State of both men and women.
“I have been a professional member of the American Heart Association for 11 years and I fully support their mission,” she said, “I’m looking forward to working with community leaders to engage their support of the AHA’s lifesaving work. Every day, the AHA works to strengthen our community’s well-being, and due to their robust commitment to funding research, they will impact the broader future of healthcare as well.”
Morton has a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following her Ph.D., Dr. Morton trained at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
In 2002, Dr. Morton joined Regeneron and established the Cardiovascular Research department, studying the function of genes and proteins on blood pressure, cardiac, renal and vascular function, to identify new approaches for treating cardiovascular diseases.
Morton is also on the Board of Directors of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and is the Chair of the Chappaqua PTA STEM Committee.
The Heart Walk is a celebration of year-round efforts by local organizations to create a “culture of health” in the workplace. The American Heart Association encourages worksites to support healthier behaviors at work through the AHA’s Workplace Health Solutions program. Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S., and physical inactivity doubles the risk. Information is online at www.heart.org/workplacewellness.
Companies interested in supporting the Heart Walk with sponsorship or teams should call Jennifer Miller at 914-806-0962, or email [email protected].
The Heart Walk is sponsored nationally by Subway, and locally by White Plains Hospital, New York Presbyterian, Fujifilm, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Phelps Hospital Northwell Health, and Stop and Shop. Media sponsors include Westchester Magazine, Buzz Creators, News 12 Westchester, The Peak 107.1, and Examiner Media.