Organizational Update

In this semiannual update, we will focus on a major American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) initiative to improve its educational programming and changes to the process for developing guidelines and scientific statements. In addition, there are updates on research funding and the upcoming International Stroke Conference (ISC). Before the updates, we will first review the AHA/ASA mission and goals and the role of the stroke council.The mission of the AHA/ASA is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The current goal is, by the year 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%. The AHA/ASA aims to achieve these goals by (1) providing knowledge-based solutions for people of all ages at all levels of risk, (2) leading efforts for research, prevention, and treatment, and (3) serving the cardiovascular and stroke health needs of all people living in the United States as a partner of choice for researchers, systems, providers, and consumers.The stroke council is one of the 16 AHA/ASA councils and provides scientific input and support to the organization in pursuit of these goals. Stroke council volunteers help advance the AHA/ASA mission through many different activities. This includes the dissemination of new knowledge through the Stroke journal, the development and promulgation of evidence-based treatment guidelines and scientific statements, and through scientific meetings (primarily the ISC). The stroke council advises the AHA/ASA in their efforts for advocacy for stroke research funding, public policy, and community education (like the television ads for early stroke recognition—Face Arm Speech Time). The development of primary and comprehensive stroke center certification by the Joint Commission was due in a large …