Paws and Purpose: Cigna Healthcare employee and therapy dog fund lifesaving research and support community health

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa., Nov. 17, 2025— Dr. Tracey Hall, product strategy advisor, market strategy at Cigna Healthcare, and her dog, Willow, have been named the American Heart Association’s Eastern Pennsylvania 2025 Leaders of Impact™ winner. The duo is being recognized for raising awareness in their community and supporting the association’s mission to create a world of longer, healthier lives for all. 

“Tracey, Willow and all of our Leaders of Impact nominees have done incredible work over the last seven weeks in the fight for a healthier Pennsylvania said Courtney Deignan, development director, American Heart Association. “They have raised funds to support pioneering research that changes lives, spread awareness about the importance of Hands-Only CPR and advocated for health for everyone, everywhere. Their efforts, alongside those of the 344 other nominees across the U.S., support the American Heart Association’s work to save the lives of the people we love within our community and around the word.” 

In the fight against heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.,1 the American Heart Association trains and certifies millions in CPR, equipping everyday people with the skills to save lives. Through relationships with food banks and community organizations, the Heart Association connects people with healthy food to improve the health of families at home. Research funded through the Heart Association has helped countless people survive heart disease and stroke, while supporting the next generation of scientific talent.  

None of this would be possible without the amazing work of volunteers like the Leaders of Impact, who collectively raised over $41,000 over the course of seven weeks in Eastern Pennsylvania.  

“Taking part in Leaders of Impact was personal for me because my father is living with heart failure, and I've seen firsthand the toll this disease takes, not only on the diagnosed person, but on their loved ones as well. It has shown me how critical the American Heart Association's mission is in advancing research, education, and support for those impacted. At the same time, my therapy dog, Willow and I volunteer to visit patients who are facing these same battles. Willow has a gift for bringing comfort and joy, reminding people they are not alone on their journey. Every smile she pulls is a reminder of the importance of compassion and hope alongside science and care.,” said Hall. “We are working to ensure everyone everywhere in our community has the opportunity to live a long, healthy life, full of special times with their loved ones.” 

For more than 100 years, the American Heart Association has driven change by supporting health and access to health care for all, investing in groundbreaking research, educating health care professionals and patients and advocating for healthy policies. In Eastern PA, the Heart Association is specifically focused on Hands-Only CPR education, Food Insecurity initiatives, Cardiac Emergency Response Planning, and more.  

Leaders of Impact launched on Sept. 18 in hundreds of cities across the nation and culminated on Nov. 5. Each nominee’s participation was focused on opportunities to be a changemaker with a shared purpose to raise critical awareness and fund the mission of the American Heart Association.