Ultimate Medical Academy Walks More Than 30 Million Steps in Support of Go Red for Women

Tampa, Fla. – March 9, 2022 – In the month of February, Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) faculty and staff took to the streets to highlight the steps people can take to reduce the threat of heart disease. Two hundred thirty-three UMA team members walked more than 30 million steps to celebrate the benefits of an active lifestyle. This internal initiative was in addition to UMA’s support of the American Heart Association of Tampa Bay’s annual Go Red for Women campaign. UMA, a nonprofit higher education institution with the mission of equipping and empowering students to excel in healthcare careers, participated in the initiative for the third straight year.

Go Red for Women stretches throughout American Heart Month and focuses on preventing heart disease and stroke, sharing stories of people impacted by cardiovascular disease, and raising critically-needed funds to save more lives.

The partnership reflects UMA’s commitment to healthcare issues, especially those that disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America, with the disease disproportionately impacting women of color.

“Heart disease has tragically affected my life and that of many friends, so it’s incredibly uplifting to see the community come together to combat the tragic effects it has on a community,” said UMA Chief Financial and Strategy Officer Alexandra Schaffrath, who serves on the American Heart Association of Tampa Bay’s Go Red Campaign Executive Board. “Even more so considering most of UMA’s workforce and student population are women, including a large community of women of color, our team’s incredible contribution is a collective personal and professional triumph.

Exercise and movement are key to improving and maintaining good heart health, so UMA is focusing on these areas this year. To support those priorities, UMA invited University of South Florida cardiologist Dr. Joel Fernandez to speak about lifestyle choices that support heart health at a virtual event on Valentine’s Day in front of more than 200 UMA attendees.

UMA also curated a playlist in the spirit of the 2022 Go Red for Women theme, Reclaim Your Rhythm, which team members used while advancing through the Step Challenge.

Although the event has ended, contributions to UMA’s #UMAGoesRed campaign can still be made at https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/TBGoRed/team/UltimateMedicalAcademy. For more information, follow hashtags #UMAGoesRed and #TBGoRed on social media.