Wayne State University School of Medicine faculty, students and staff will find a familiar face leading the school’s team for this year’s American Heart Association Heart Walk.

Brian O’Neil, M.D., FACEP, FAHA, the Munuswamy Dayanandan Endowed Chair and professor of Emergency Medicine, has stepped into the role of captaining this year’s School of Medicine Heart Walk team.

“As an emergency room physician, I and my colleagues experience every day the ravages of heart disease and hypertension on the residents of Detroit and southeast Michigan,” Dr. O’Neil said. “This fundraiser,  in conjunction with other AHA support, will directly aid in the health and welfare of our patients. I call on my colleagues in the faculty, the School of Medicine staff and our medical students to join me in this critical endeavor, which can make a real difference in our community.”

While this year’s Heart Walk, scheduled for May 15, will take place virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the support and impact will be no less real.

Dr. O’Neil said funds raised will support the It Takes a City initiative in Detroit, which targets the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, and seeks to improve cardiac arrest survival. 
The Heart Walk will take place May 15 – you pick the time and the place.

Before the walk, there will be a “Move More” initiative in which participants can track the minutes they walk on the AHA’s app through the day of the walk. Top walkers with the most minutes submitted will be eligible for prizes.

The university will conduct some cooking shows with Wayne State’s Anne-Marie Poltorak, assistant to the vice president for Research, certified chef and former television cooking show chef.
Wayne State’s goal is to have 1,000 registered walkers representing the university to raise $50,000. Join the School of Medicine’s team or donate to a team member here. 

For additional information, contact Julie O’Connor, director of Research Communications, at julie.oconnor@wayne.edu, or American Heart Association representative Chris Rettich at Chris.Rettich@heart.org.