| Washington, DC (August 14, 2006) - Sixty-four women heart patients have been selected to attend WomenHeart's annual Science and Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on October 7-11. (See below for list of selected participants.)
The women were chosen following a rigorous nationwide application process. Each submitted an in-depth application, essays and a letter of recommendation that were independently evaluated by five judges. The women selected represent a cross section of America, hailing from 30 states and 36% are women of color.
WomenHeart received almost twice as many applications as available spaces. "This made the selection process very difficult as the applications were really terrific," said Sara Sandel, the Symposium's program director. "We wish we could have accepted everyone."
The four-day Symposium provides lectures by Mayo Clinic medical faculty and small-group sessions, including media and presentation skills training. It is supported by Mayo Clinic and educational grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Women's Health; NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; AstraZeneca; Pfizer; Medtronic Foundation; Guidant Foundation; CIGNA; 8th Continent Soymilk; Novartis; and GlaxoSmithKline.
WomenHeart pays the participants' tuition, hotel room and meals. Nearly one-third of the women receive travel scholarships. Following the Symposium, graduates are required to conduct a minimum of 24 hours of community education the next six months following the Symposium.
Click here to see the list of the 2006 Symposium participants.
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