McGuireWoods Baltimore partner Jennifer J. Stearman has been appointed the Greater Baltimore chair of the 2016 Go Red for Women campaign, the American Heart Association’s nationwide initiative to end heart disease and stroke in women.
Stearman, who has served on the board of visitors of the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital for 11 years and as its chair from 2011 to 2014, developed a passion for fighting heart disease when she became deeply involved in the hospital’s campaign for pediatric cardiac care. Building on her years of philanthropy and volunteerism within the healthcare community, in 2014 she was appointed co-chair of AHA’s Circle of Red, a group of women leaders who joined together to support the Go Red campaign.
For 11 years, the AHA’s Go Red campaign, symbolized by a red dress, has been the driving force of heart health for millions of women. The campaign’s goals are to save lives by increasing awareness about heart disease and stroke and encourage all women to schedule well-women visits with their healthcare providers. The symptoms of a heart attack in women are different from those in men and are often overlooked or misdiagnosed.
“Each year, one in three women dies from heart disease and stroke,” Stearman said. “This is a statistic that we can change because 80 percent of heart attacks and strokes are connected to controllable factors that can be prevented with education and lifestyle changes.”
Stearman, a member of McGuireWoods’ nationally recognized debt finance practice, focuses her practice on the healthcare and energy industries. She represents borrowers, including healthcare systems and hospitals, underwriters, credit providers, corporate trustees and other agents in a diverse range of tax-exempt and taxable finance transactions. She is regional co-chair of McGuireWoods’ Women Lawyers Network and is active in the firm’s mentoring programs for women lawyers. Among her many recognitions, The Daily Record again named Stearman to its “Maryland’s Top 100 Women” in 2015, and inducted her into its Circle of Excellence, an honor reserved for those who have made the list three times.
“Not only is this an important initiative across the United States, but we are focused on fighting heart disease within the Greater Baltimore community,” she added.
According to the AHA, an average of 5,638 Greater Baltimore residents die from heart disease each year. In an effort to curb this statistic, the AHA funded $13 million in heart disease and stroke research for Maryland this year.
The Greater Baltimore Go Red campaign will culminate with a celebratory luncheon on June 3, 2016, at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover, Maryland. The event will include guest speakers, survivors’ stories and an auction of purses donated by prominent area women. All proceeds will support research, education and community programs in the Greater Baltimore region. For more information about Go Red for Women, visit www.goredforwomen.org.