American Heart Association logoAmerican Heart Association

Supporting AAPI Health

We support the health and wellness of our Asian American and Pacific Islander Community.

small Asian family portrait at home forming hearts with their hands and arms

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting have a substantially lower chance of receiving bystander CPR.

During AAPI Heritage Month, the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, is asking people to “Be the Beat” for their family and learn Hands-Only CPR. 

26%

of AAPI individuals surveyed are confident that they could correctly perform Hands-Only CPR

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46%

of AAPI individuals surveyed are likely to perform CPR

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69%

of AAPI individuals surveyed are hesitant to perform Hands-Only CPR because they are worried they will hurt the person

Be the beat.

Science tells us that when a cardiac arrest happens, bystander CPR can double or even triple the chances of survival.

Take 60 seconds and watch the Hands-Only CPR video. Then share it with family and friends. Together we can help save more lives.

You can also watch this video in:
Hindi  |  Mandarin  |  Telugu

Heart attack survivor Kumar Seetharam (left) with his daughter, Faith. (Photo courtesy of Kumar Seetharam)

Survivor Story: Kumar Seetharam

Lifelong tennis player, Kumar Seetharam, experienced a heart attack on the court. “That was the scariest moment,” said Kumar, who is 65. “It was the first sign that something really bad could happen to me.”

Now, three years later, he plays 30 minutes of tennis a day and walks for 30 minutes. He supplements with yoga, weightlifting and cardio dance classes with his daughter, Faith.
 

Read Kumar’s story

Flavors of Hawaii

Healthy recipes of popular local dishes from our Hawaii affiliate

Hawaii Healthier Loco Moco

Healthier Loco Moco (PDF)
Hawaii Chicken Fried Rice web

Chicken Fried Rice (PDF)
Hawaii Shoyu Tuna Musubi

Shoyu Tuna Musubi (PDF)
Hawaii Cabbage and Pork Stir Fry

Cabbage and Pork Stir Fry (PDF)

2023 Go Red for Women Real Women

Watch and listen as these Real Women from the AAPI community share their powerful heart disease and stroke survivor stories inspiring others to take charge of their own health and mental well-being.

Jia Wu

Read more about Jia

Jenylyn Carpio

Read more about Jenylyn

Tricia Marciel

Read more about Tricia

AAPI Leaders Impacting Equity

Scroll to read about these influential members of the AAPI community.

  • a portrait of Vivek Murthy, MD, with the United States flag and others in the background

    Vivek Murthy, MD | Murthy is an American physician and vice admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who has served as the 19th and 21st surgeon general of the United States under Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. He is the first surgeon general of Indian descent, and the best-selling author of, “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World.”

  • a portrait of Kamala Harris with the United States flag in the background

    Kamala Harris | As U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris has continued her work on improving health equity and the Social Determinants of Health. The daughter of an immigrant from India, she was taught to be one of the biggest voices for the AAPI community and people of color. “Ultimately, this is about who we are as a nation, (Asians) have the right to be recognized as American — not as the ‘other,’ not as ‘them,’ but as ‘us.’”

  • a portrait of David Ho, MD, with a neutral abstract background

    David Ho, MD | Dr. Ho came to the U.S. from Taiwan at the age of 12. As a prominent AIDS researcher, physician and virologist, he has made contributions to the understanding and treatment of HIV infection turning it from absolute terminal disease to a chronic disease. He is the founding scientific director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and the Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

  • a portrait of Jerry Yang on an abstract background

    Jerry Yang | A Taiwanese-American computer programmer, internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Yang is the co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! Inc. He was among the co-founders of The Asian American Foundation, a $250 million initiative to address racism against Asian Americans and provide services to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Yang sits on the board of the foundation, described by its organizers as the largest-ever philanthropic effort to support the AAPI community.

  • a portrait of Elaine Chao with the United States flag in the background

    Elaine Lan Chao | Chao is a businesswoman and former government official who came to the U.S. when she was eight years old from Taipei, Taiwan. She served as the U.S. secretary of transportation and as the U.S. secretary of labor. As Director of the Peace Corps and as president of the United Way of America, Chao worked to improve lives in communities around the world bringing people together to build strong, equitable communities where all can thrive.

  • a portrait of Kalpana Chawla in her orange astronaut suit with an American flag in the background

    Kalpana Chawla | An American astronaut and aerospace engineer born in India, Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space in 1997 on the Space Shuttle Columbia. She was one of the seven crew members who died in 2003 when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Because of her efforts, Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

  • a portrait of Jason Momoa on a white background

    Jason Momoa | An actor from Honolulu, Hawaii, with Native Hawaiian ancestry, Momoa climbed the Hollywood ranks from a supporting player on short-lived dramas to portraying one of the biggest action heroes of all time on the big screen. He began his career as a model, winning local competitions in Hawaii before gracing the runways of high fashion designers. He launched his acting career on television as a lifeguard on “Baywatch.”

  • a portrait of Yo-Yo Ma with his cello on a dark background

    Yo-Yo Ma | A French-born Chinese American, the world-renowned cellist has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. Ma has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006 and was awarded The Glenn Gould Prize in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and the Polar Music Prize in 2012. In 2020 he was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People.