Contact:
Gina Peattie, MPA
Executive Director, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation
gina.peattie [at] sca-aware.org ()
Mary Newman to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation and Citizen CPR Foundation to make presentation at 2025 Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit
Wexford, PA — November 20, 2025— The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation (SCAF) and the Citizen CPR Foundation (CCPRF) are pleased to announce that Mary M. Newman, MS, Founder and former President & CEO of SCAF, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit (CASSummit) in Phoenix, Arizona.
The joint award will be presented during the Conference’s Survivor and Rescuer Celebration on Thursday, December 4, 2025, in recognition of Newman’s life-long commitment to advancing awareness of sudden death, promoting the role of citizen rescuers, stimulating community engagement, and driving system improvements needed to increase survival from sudden cardiac arrest.
Newman has been a tireless advocate for the field of resuscitation for more than four decades. She co-founded the Citizen CPR Foundation in 1987, and she founded the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation in 2005 to raise public awareness, advance lifesaving programs, and support survivors and their families. Under her leadership, SCAF has become a national voice for advocacy, education, and survivor support, through initiatives such as the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance™, the Call-Push-Shock campaign, and the People Saving People Award.
“Mary’s vision and unwavering commitment have had a profound and lasting impact on the field of resuscitation,” said Dr. Joseph Farrell, Board Chair of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. “She has inspired countless professionals, survivors, and advocates to work together to strengthen every link in the Chain of Survival.”
Before SCAF, Mary worked with the late Jim Page in the early 1980’s, when he was the Director of the ACT Foundation and later the Publisher of JEMS, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, an award-winning monthly publication.
“Mary was our go-to writer when it came to trends and controversies in the art and science of resuscitation,” said Keith Griffiths, founding editor of JEMS. “She wrote hundreds of articles for the Journal and interviewed the leading figures in the profession. She dedicated her life to the cause of improving survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest, using JEMS to reach hundreds of thousands of people.”
Newman’s career exemplifies her passion for resuscitation awareness, research, and support, from her early work authoring numerous articles on public CPR and AED use, in creating the Chain of Survival metaphor that was later popularized by the American Heart Association, to her enduring role in founding the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance (CASA), the largest peer support platform for those impacted by SCA in the United States. Notably, Ms. Newman was the recipient of the American Heart Association 2021 Resuscitation Champion Award.
The Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit, hosted by the Citizen CPR Foundation, brings together prehospital and hospital teams, researchers, survivors, lay rescuers and community advocates worldwide – each working to strengthen the Chain of Survival and save more lives from time-sensitive emergencies. The 2025 summit will take place December 3-6 in Phoenix. Visit citizencprsummit.org for more information.
About the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation (SCAF) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating preventable death and disability from sudden cardiac arrest and support people affected by SCA. SCAF’s mission is to raise public awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and promote initiatives that help save lives through education, research, and community. Learn more at www.sca-aware.org.
About the Citizen CPR Foundation
The Citizen CPR Foundation (CCPRF) believes that every individual has the potential to make a difference in time-sensitive emergencies. CCPRF is committed to empowering citizens, professionals and organizations through comprehensive education, training and advocacy. Learn more at www.citizencpr.org.