Poster
Partnering With Community Members to Address Regional SCI Care Needs
Presented at the 2026 American Heart Association | Epidemiology Lifestyles Meeting.
UW Cardiac Advisory Council
Voices Across WWAMI.
Patients, caregivers, and clinicians partnering with the University of Washington to shape research and care for serious cardiac illness across Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
- Members
- 20–25
- States
- 5
- Founded
- 2025
What is Serious Cardiac Illness?
Care that often means a long way from home.
Serious cardiac illnesses (SCI) — like heart failure and adult congenital heart disease — can be life-threatening. These conditions require specialized care and “advanced therapies,” like heart transplants.
The University of Washington is the largest and one of only two hospitals that offer advanced therapies for SCI in the WWAMI region — Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho — representing more than one-fifth of the United States’ land mass.
Patients and families must travel to Seattle for care: sometimes from hours away, sometimes for long periods of time. That creates logistical, financial, and social challenges that can cause or worsen inequities.
WWAMI Voices was formed in 2025 to elevate the voices of the people experiencing serious cardiac illness firsthand.
Who We Are
A council of 20–25 from across the region.
We are patients with serious cardiac illness, caregivers and care partners, and healthcare professionals. We all live and/or work in the WWAMI region.
We meet quarterly — once every 2–3 months — by Zoom to discuss:
- The needs of the SCI population cared for at UW
- Ongoing research studies and quality improvement projects
- New opportunities for research and quality improvement
There are also opportunities to become more deeply involved in studies or projects.
Work We Have Done Together
Community-driven research, published and shared.
Research Letter
A Pilot Project to Develop a Community Advisory Board
Published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure: Intersections.
Read the letter →Ranked Priorities
What our community said matters most.
Together we identified and ranked a list of priority topics for research and quality improvement — from support for families during hospitalization to arranging travel to UW and transitioning from pediatric to adult care.
How Can You Get Involved?
We’d love to hear from you.
We welcome anyone who:
- 1Lives or works in the WWAMI region
- 2Has serious cardiac illness, or cares for someone who does
- 3Is connected to the University of Washington for SCI care