The chairman of the AHA recently began his second year in the position. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
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Amanda Rupp | Jul 2, 2016

AHA chairman begins second year in position

Al Royse, chairman of the American Heart Association (AHA), is about to start his second year in his leadership position on July 1, and he has plans to make heart health more of a focus for the U.S.

A woman recently asked Royse, “Why is there no outrage over death from preventable causes?” His goal for the upcoming year is to resolve this problem in the U.S.

“When a person dies from heart disease and stroke, why don’t we have a national outrage?” Royse said. “We have outrage over other deaths that are considered premature and out of the norm. Yet 80 percent of deaths from cardiovascular disease are preventable, and stroke is preventable, treatable and beatable.”

Royse is responsible for counseling executives, overseeing the governance policies of the AHA, collaborating with the board and the CEO on important operations, handling public relations, fundraising and assisting with the business affairs of the agency.

“I can’t think of a greater mission for an organization,” he said. “We save and improve lives. But I’m a business person, and one of the key reasons I became involved -- and why I stay involved -- is that the AHA takes seriously its responsibility in achieving its goals. It holds itself accountable and as a result, it makes an extraordinary difference.”

Making a culture of heart health will transform the U.S. health system. That is Royse's outspoken goal for his term as AHA chairman.

“A culture of health is what you do automatically, without conscious thinking,” he said. “In the business world, I used to call it ‘commitment, not compliance.’ You exercise and eat right subconsciously as part of your daily behavior because you know it’s right, versus your mother having to tell you to eat your vegetables.”

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