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October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) honored Joseph P. Ornato, MD, FACP, FACC, FACEP, Professor and Chairman of Emergency Medicine at the VCU Medical Center, with the 2009 June Daugherty Public Spirit Award for his career-long dedication to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), prevent sudden cardiac death and improve cardiovascular health. The award was presented at the SCAA Awards Dinner on October 10 in Chicago, Illinois, during the SCAA Annual Meeting.

"From leading research initiatives to directing working groups to educating the next generation of physicians and the implementation of best practices in the field of emergency medicine, Dr. Ornato's career has been dedicated to virtually all aspects of the fight to eliminate sudden cardiac death," said Chris Chiames, executive director of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. "As SCAA works to raise public awareness about sudden cardiac arrest, it is imperative that we recognize his contributions."

Named in honor of Washington State University women's basketball coach June Daugherty, who is an SCA survivor, the June Daugherty Public Spirit Award recognizes an individual who uses his/her public position to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Ornato's career consists of numerous SCA research initiatives, membership in various cardiovascular-related industry working groups, academic instruction of best-practices and development of next-generation technologies. He is past Chairman of the American Heart Association's (AHA) National Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee and its Advanced Cardiac Life Support Subcommittee.

A special consultant to the Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Ornato currently is the co-chairman of the $50 million National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) and serves as Principal Investigator for VCU on the NIH-sponsored Neurological Emergency Treatment Trials (NETT) Network. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2008.

A graduate of Boston University Medical School, Dr. Ornato completed his training in Internal Medicine at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital and Cardiology at New York Hospital - Cornell University Medical Center and is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Emergency Medicine.

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) is the nation's largest non-profit advocacy organization exclusively focused on sudden cardiac arrest. SCAA identifies and unites survivors, those at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, as well as others who are interested in being advocates on SCAA issues in their communities. Its membership is dedicated to promoting solutions to prevent sudden cardiac death, including increased awareness, immediate bystander action, public access to defibrillation (PAD), and access to therapies. The SCAA Annual Meeting in Chicago will bring together volunteers from nearly 50 chapters and affiliates from across the country, including SCA survivors, physicians, nurses, emergency professionals and others touched by SCA. To learn more, visit www.suddencardiacarrest.org.