The Society for Heart Attack Prevention & Eradication (SHAPE) is a tax-deductible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes public and professional education for early detection of individuals with atherosclerotic plaques that are at risk of heart attacks and stroke but have no symptoms. These individuals who are unaware of their risk are often misclassified by traditional methods (measuring risk factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure). Sadly every year approximately 600,000 of these asymptomatic individuals in the US and millions worldwide lose their life to a sudden heart attack or stroke. SHAPE is committed to saving these lives by raising awareness of the need foscreening to detect asympotomatic atherosclerosis
Our work is guided by the active guidance and support of world-renowned cardiovascular specialists and researchers. We also maintain an energetic, full time staff as well as a growing team of dedicated volunteers.
Our primary goal is to move cardiac clinical practice from “sick care” to prevention or “healthcare,” and to eventually cure the world’s number one cause of death. To accomplish our immediate objectives we are focused on promoting the SHAPE Guidelines, clinical screening protocol that builds on risk factor detection to identify cardiovascular disease and) provide timely treatment. We believe that working with your doctor to get screened and become aware of your personal risk for heart attack and stroke, and making sure your family and friends also get screened, you can stop cardiovascular disease before it’s too late.
Our History
In 2001 Dr. Morteza Naghavi, a cardiology researcher and Director of Vulnerable Plaque at the Texas Heart Institute founded the Association for Eradication of Heart Attack (AEHA) in Houston, Texas. AEHA was an extension of his cardiovascular research that lead to the development of the first scientific task force and clinical guidelines based on prevention. Both the Taskforce and Guidelines are at the core of SHAPE’s nationwide programs.
In 2007 the name of the organization was changed to the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE), which continues its groundbreaking research related to the mechanisms, prevention, early detection and treatment of ardiovascular disease and other initiatives that promote professional education, public awareness and cardiovascular screening projects, especially for underserved populations.
As revolutionary new discoveries in cardiology have occurred, including establishing proof that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease and the direct underlying cause of most heart attacks and replica designer watches stroke, SHAPE has been a vocal proponent of addressing cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic individuals.
Today and in the future, SHAPE’s Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of many of the most noted preventive cardiologists and researchers worldwide, continue to guide the organization to embrace and share the knowledge about new clinical practices and technologies that prevent needless heart attacks and stroke.