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This fall thousands will lace up their walking shoes and participate in the 2007 Start! Triangle Heart Walk.

Team Duke Medicine will join people from across the Triangle to walk in honor of those affected by heart disease and stroke. Chancellor for Health Affairs Victor J. Dzau, MD, is serving as chairman of the walk.

The Start! Heart Walk is the American Heart Association in action. The annual celebration promotes physical activity and heart-healthy living, while raising critical dollars for the organization's lifesaving mission.

Funds raised by the Start! Heart Walk comes back to the community and to local research organizations in the form of research grants.

Since 1970, the AHA has funded cardiovascular research at Duke University and other local institutions totaling more than $41 million. This year, Duke University received more than $6.5 million in grants to support heart disease and stroke research.

Additionally, Duke was one of three institutions to receive the American Stroke Association-Bugher Foundation Centers for Stroke Prevention Research grant. The $2.5-million initiative produces a network of interacting institutions and scientists for collaborative, multidisciplinary research to improve stroke prevention. Project goals include generating innovative ideas, creating dramatic gains in the field, and filling knowledge gaps and expertise in stroke research.

Funds raised by the Start! Triangle Heart Walk help Duke Medicine take scientific discovery from laboratory to bedside. This commitment to translating science into medical advancements that directly impact people is evident at the Start! Heart Walk.

AHA-funded research has yielded such lifesaving discoveries as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), bypass surgery, pacemakers, artificial heart valves, microsurgery, and life-extending drugs.

In addition to research funding, the association's public education programs reach thousands of North Carolinians with important messages that help them reduce their risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Duke Medicine is the "Red Cap" area sponsor and will hand out red baseball caps to survivors to honor their fight against cardiovascular disease.

By participating in the Start! Triangle Heart Walk you can help Duke Medicine save even more lives through research and education.

Start! Making a Change. Start! Walking. Start! Eating Healthy. Start! Living.