University of Michigan Heart Club receives grant to expand CPR training on campus

The University of Michigan Heart Club has been awarded a grant from the American Heart Association to expand CPR education and training on its Ann Arbor campus, officials announced.

The grant, part of the association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative, provides two CPR in Schools kits and $500 to support CPR events on campus. The funding aims to increase the number of students and educators trained in lifesaving skills as part of a nationwide effort to double survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2030.

The University of Michigan was selected as one of 32 high school and college campuses nationwide to receive the Heart Club grant, which supports student-organized projects promoting CPR education, developing cardiac emergency response plans, and raising awareness about sudden cardiac arrest.

According to American Heart Association data, nine out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

“Every student deserves the opportunity to learn how to save a life,” said Sara Hegarty, executive director of the American Heart Association’s Southeast Michigan division. “This grant helps students become changemakers on their campuses and in their communities by equipping them with lifesaving CPR skills, emergency response planning tools, and a voice in public health advocacy.”

John D. Bisognano, professor of internal medicine-cardiology at University of Michigan Medical School and faculty advisor of the campus Heart Club, said the funding enables students to lead efforts in creating a safer campus environment while building leadership skills.

Joanne Jung, co-president of the University of Michigan American Heart Association Heart Club, said the funding and CPR kits will help make lifesaving skills part of the campus culture.

“We are building a distributed network of bystanders who trust their ability to respond,” Jung said.

Heart Clubs are student-led organizations on high school and college campuses that promote physical and mental well-being while supporting community initiatives. Started in the 2024-2025 school year, more than 250 of these student-driven groups now operate across the country. Each participating campus receives training and guidance from the American Heart Association.

Walgreens serves as a national sponsor of the Nation of Lifesavers initiative.