Alvin Royse, J.D., CPA, a retired senior partner with the national accounting firm of Deloitte, is chairman. Mark Creager, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Vascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, is president. Creager was recently appointed director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, a role he will begin on July 6.

As chairman, Royse will be responsible for the association’s business affairs, public relations and fundraising, and will preside over all board of directors and executive committee meetings. An association volunteer for more than 15 years, Royse was the association’s secretary-treasurer for 2012-13 and chairman of its Western States Affiliate from 2008 to 2010. He is also a past chairman of the organization’s San Francisco division.  

As president, Creager will serve as chief volunteer scientific and medical officer, responsible for medical, scientific and public health matters. A volunteer for more than 30 years, Creager was chairman of the association’s Research Committee from 2011 to 2013. He has authored more than 440 scientific papers, and was the lead editor of the 2012 textbook, “Vascular Medicine, 2nd Edition: A Companion to Braunwald’s Heart Disease.

Raymond Vara Jr., president and chief executive officer of Hawaii Pacific Health in Honolulu, Hawaii, is treasurer. In this role, Vara is responsible for the association’s funds and securities. He was the 2009-11 chairman of the association’s former Pacific Mountain Affiliate. He is chairman-elect of the association’s Corporate Operations Coordinating Committee and has been a committee member since 2011.

James Postl, the retired president and chief executive officer of Pennzoil-Quaker State Company, is chairman-elect. Postl is the 2014-16 chairman of the association’s Southwest Affiliate and 2013-15 co-chairperson of the organization’s International Committee. He is also a member of the association’s Audit Committee, Corporate Operations Coordinating Committee and Nominating Committee.  

Steven Houser, Ph.D., director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, is president-elect. Houser is the 2013-15 chairman of the association’s Research Committee, a member of the organization’s Science Advisory & Coordinating Committee, Manuscript Oversight Committee and Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences.

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For Media Inquiries: (214) 706-1173

Carrie Thacker: (214) 706-1665; carrie.thacker@heart.org

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For Public Inquiries: (800)-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org and strokeassociation.org