American Heart Association Concludes Three-Year Campaign Addressing Sudden Cardiac Death in Student Athletes

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes, according to the American Heart Association, and too often it goes undetected. To help address this challenge, the Association has expanded its heart health education and Hands-Only CPR training efforts through a multi-year national campaign focused on students and families at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) nationwide. The initiative also amplified education each year around HCM Awareness Day, observed on the final Wednesday of February. The three-year campaign concluded today on the 2026 HCM Awareness Day.

According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac death disproportionately affects Black athletes and is more frequently linked to competitive sports that involve sudden movements, like football or basketball. There is an estimated 1 in 500 people living with HCM, although a substantial percentage of those cases remain undiagnosed. Because HCM can trigger sudden cardiac arrest without warning, especially during physical activity, knowing how to respond in the first moments of an emergency can mean the difference between life and death. Throughout the campaign, HCM education was intentionally paired with Hands-Only CPR training to reinforce readiness for sudden cardiac emergencies.

Hundreds of students, athletes, and community members received hands-on CPR demonstrations, advancing the Association's Nation of Lifesavers™ movement and helping equip young people with skills that can double or triple survival rates when cardiac arrest occurs. At the core of the campaign was a public service announcement (PSA) strategy, which featured English and Spanish-language radio PSAs and on-campus CPR demonstrations. The messages reinforced the importance of family heart history, early detection, and CPR education, particularly for student-athletes and their families.

To extend reach and credibility, the Association also collaborated with Black and multicultural media platforms. A national content integration curated by Sybil Wilkes' "Check In & Check Up" with the State of Black Health: Public Health and Media Symposium at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. reached more than one million monthly unique visitors across the Black America Web platform. Additional national content releases tied to HCM Awareness Day and CPR Awareness Week (held June 1-7) resulted in thousands of placements and hundreds of millions of impressions.

"When students, coaches and families understand both the risks of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and how to respond immediately to sudden cardiac arrest, we create an environment where prevention and preparedness go hand in hand," said Matthew Martinez, M.D., FAHA, FACC, an American Heart Association volunteer medical expert and a co-author of the 2024 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guideline for the Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. "By pairing evidence-based HCM education with Hands-Only CPR training, this campaign transforms awareness into lifesaving action."

The campaign also came to life on campuses and at major athletic and leadership convenings across the country. Through interactive HCM education, Hands-Only CPR demonstrations and culturally relevant messaging, the Association engaged student-athletes and families at HBCU homecomings and rivalry games at Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Howard University and Xavier University of Louisiana and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament. Additional education took place at conferences such as the United Negro College Fund Leadership Conference and the Hispanic Educational Technology Services Student Experience Summit & Showcase in Puerto Rico.

The Heart Association strengthened relationships with athletic conferences, university leaders and student organizations while expanding its Heart Club, the Association's student-led campus organization, to empower students as ongoing heart health ambassadors on their campuses. The HCM campaign demonstrated how sustained, culturally relevant engagement aligned with awareness moments and trusted partners can drive national impact. By centering communities disproportionately affected by sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular disease, the American Heart Association continues to advance health equity while helping save lives through education and action.