2025 Philadelphia Heart Ball honors Kevin Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, as this year’s Edward S. Cooper Award Recipient
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 7, 2025— Renowned University of Pennsylvania behavioral health researcher Kevin Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, will be recognized as the 2025 Edward S. Cooper Award Honoree by the American Heart Association, the world’s largest nonprofit organization devoted to a world of healthier lives for all. Volpp is the founding director of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), and the Mark V. Pauly President’s Distinguished Professor at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School. He will be honored at the 2025 Philadelphia Heart Ball on March 22.
Dr. Volpp also currently serves as the scientific lead for Health Care by Food. The American Heart Association’s Health Care by Food™ initiative, which is building the evidence needed to show clinical and cost effectiveness of providing patients with acute or chronic disease or with risk factors for disease with cost-effective “food is medicine” programs as a covered benefit through public and private health insurance.
“We are incredibly proud to honor Dr. Kevin Volpp with the 2025 Edward S. Cooper Award. Dr. Volpp’s groundbreaking work in health incentives and behavioral economics has significantly advanced our understanding of how to improve health outcomes,” said Jennifer Litchman-Green, executive director of the American Heart Association in Philadelphia. “His leadership of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, and most recently his role with the AHA’s Health Care by Food initiative has been transformative, and his dedication to the mission of the American Heart Association is truly inspiring. Congratulations, Dr. Volpp, on this well-deserved recognition. Your contributions to the Greater Philadelphia community and beyond exemplify the spirit of the Edward S. Cooper M.D. Award.”
The Edward S. Cooper Award recognizes individuals from the Greater Philadelphia Area who exemplify Dr. Cooper’s pioneering work and the mission of the American Heart Association. Dr. Cooper is a world-renowned physician and a pioneer in hypertension and stroke, and the first African American to serve as national president of the American Heart Association.
The Philadelphia Heart Ball is a celebration of the Heart of Philadelphia campaign, a year-round movement to drive equitable health in Greater Philadelphia. The initiative raises funds to support the American Heart Association’s mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives while supporting priority issues in Greater Philadelphia. Improving hypertension control, increasing nutrition security and removing barriers to CPR and AED education have been identified by the American Heart Association Greater Philadelphia board for 2024 to propel the work supporting the Association’s 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal by reducing barriers to health care access and quality, with a focus on areas such as North and West Philadelphia.
Sponsored by Infor, Penn Medicine, Independence Blue Cross AmeriHealth Caritas, Jefferson Health, Philadelphia Insurance Company, Temple Health, Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia and THA Consulting, the 2025 Philadelphia Heart Ball will be held Saturday, March 22, 2024, at the National Constitution Center. The 68th annual event is an evening of storytelling, dinner, dancing and exciting live and silent auctions celebrating the work done locally as well as globally in the first 100 years of the American Heart Association. With bold hearts, the Association’s volunteers, supporters and staff forge ahead into the organization’s second century. For more information on how to support or attend the Philadelphia Heart Ball, contact Annette Weidenfeld at Annette.Weidenfeld@heart.org.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, on Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
For Media Inquiries
Trish Bradley, trish.bradley@heart.org,
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
