explore the gala
spotlight on Our Honorees
our videos
President, American Heart Association
Professor of Neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Attending Neurologist on the Stroke Service at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Mitchell Elkind, President of the American Heart Association, is a tenured Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology at Columbia University, and Chief of the Division of Neurology Clinical Outcomes Research and Population Sciences (Neuro CORPS) in the Neurology Department.
Dr. Elkind received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and trained in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston, MA. He completed a fellowship in Vascular Neurology and Neuroepidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center under the mentorship of Dr. Ralph Sacco. Dr. Elkind holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.
Dr Elkind’s research focuses on stroke prevention, inflammatory and infectious biomarkers in stroke risk prediction, atrial cardiopathy, immune therapy for acute stroke, and vascular causes of cognitive aging. Dr. Elkind is the Principal Investigator of several independent investigator awards from NIH/NINDS, including the ARCADIA trial of apixaban vs aspirin for atrial cardiopathy in cryptogenic stroke; the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS), an epidemiological study of stroke risk factors; the Neuroprotection with Statin Therapy for Acute Recovery Trial (NeuSTART), a clinical trial evaluating short-term high-dose statin therapy in acute stroke; and the Levels of Inflammatory Markers in Treatment of Stroke (LIMITS) study.
Dr. Elkind also has a longstanding commitment to medical education and research training. In addition to leading the Columbia Neurology residency and fellowship programs, he serves as editor of the AHA/ASA Stroke journal’s new International Stroke Early Career and Training Section (InterSECT). He runs NIH-funded research training programs for residents and fellows. Dr. Elkind has served on several AHA/ASA committees, including 3 terms on the National Board of Directors (2014-2020), 2 terms as Chair of the ASA Advisory Committee (2016-2020), and co-chair or member of several writing committees for guidelines and scientific statements. He co-chaired the writing committee for the 2012 scientific statement on the inclusion of stroke as an outcome and risk equivalent in vascular disease risk scores, and currently serves as co-chair of the stroke section of the annual statistical update.
Dr. Elkind lives in New York City with his wife (novelist and children’s book author Rachel Vail) 2 sons (Zachary and Liam), and a pet tortoise (Lightning).
Rapper and Songwriter
Cheryl and fellow New Yorker Sandra “Pepa” Denton met during college and quickly became friends, bonding over their passion for medicine and rapping. The two nursing students recorded their first song “Show Stoppa” as a favor for a friend who needed help on a school project, and the single hit number 46 on the Billboard R&B chart. After signing with an independent label in 1985, they took the male-dominated rap industry by storm and pushed the boundaries in hip-hop. Their influence was felt all over the world and people from all walks of life were playing their song “Push It” everywhere, from aerobics classes to the clubs.
Cheryl uses her legacy to shed light on health issues, such as AIDS with Salt-N-Pepa’s hit song “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and more recently, by leading a campaign about stroke with the American Heart Association.
In selecting honorees each year, we seek to celebrate the achievements of exceptional individuals who embody our values of health, respect, and care for all. This year, we are ecstatic to honor Cheryl “Salt” James for her genuine commitment to elevating the health of young people and their families. As part of this celebration, we will launch “Let’s Talk About Salt,” a collaborative project with Hip Hop Public Health, the American Heart Association, and Cheryl to generate awareness about salt consumption and educate youth and families about the dangers of hypertension and high blood pressure.
Founder and Executive Director, The Campaign Against Hunger
Melony Samuels, a humanitarian, visionary leader and staunch advocate for food equity has dedicated her life to the improvement of the lives of marginalized people and the strengthening of food and financially insecure families. Dr. Samuels has more than 20 years of experience as a pioneer in the anti-hunger community and Founder and Executive Director of The Campaign Against Hunger – one of the most robust, direct client services anti-hunger organization in the country. It is with enthusiasm and vision that she addresses the needs of many food-insecure communities and the ability to produce exceptional results in a demanding environment. Dr. Samuels has worked extensively to bring social change and racial equity in communities of low-income families through advocacy, connecting and maximizing resources. Her enthusiasm led her to develop models that can be easily implemented by other grassroots organizations and which has been replicated throughout the country and prevalently, with acknowledgment, throughout the City.
Before investing in the anti-hunger community, Dr. Samuels worked as the Chief Executive Administrator for Full Gospel Tabernacle of Faith Inc., a multi-faceted ministry that impacts communities in India, Pakistan, Jamaica, and the United States. She assisted in the launching of several churches across the globe and developed food systems in third world countries. In this capacity, she also served as a Pastor and President of the Full Gospel Tabernacle of Faith Inc. where she wrote empowerment materials and hosted conferences across several countries. In this role, she served as a liaison between local churches and their community.
Well respected in all quarters, she has served on the Steering Committees for both the Manhattan Borough President and the Politics of Food Conference and currently sits on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Vital Brooklyn Task Force and the Council on Hunger and Food Policy board. She has given a TED Talk and has received numerous commendations for her work. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Food Bank For New York and she is the founder/ former president of the Bed-Stuy Providers Network, a collaborative group of eighteen (18) emergency food programs in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community, where she helped secure start-up funding.
Dr. Samuel’s philosophy is that only through strong partnerships can lasting change arise. Dr. Samuels has demonstrated true leadership and has incubated community activism and mobilized resources to ensure that food-insecure New Yorkers are not denied a fundamental human right to wholesome food. She continues to lead the fight against hunger and has often echoed the sentiment that “No one in New York should go hungry.”