On April 22, 2026, Pier Sixty on the Chelsea Piers waterfront became the stage for one of the year’s most purposeful evenings: the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women NYC Gala, a defining moment in the movement to transform women’s cardiovascular health.
Guests called it, in unison, the gala of the year. Civic leaders, corporate partners, medical experts, and advocates filled the room — among them H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe and celebrity ambassador Samantha Bessudo Drucker, the actress, host, and author whose presence as a survivor gave the evening its human center.
The mission in the room
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading health threat facing women, affecting nearly half of women over twenty. The Go Red for Women initiative has spent more than two decades closing awareness gaps and insisting that women’s heart health be treated with urgency — and the gala is where that mission meets its supporters face to face.
A special guest embodied the medical side of the fight: Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, the renowned women’s heart specialist whose standards of care have set benchmarks in the field.
Leadership on display
The Association’s executive leadership anchored the evening: CEO Nancy Brown, COO Suzie Upton, Chief Science and Medical Officer Mariell Jessup, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Prevention Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., Chief Science Officer Mitchell S. V. Elkind, M.D., CMO Katrina McGhee, and CFO Cyndi Roberts, alongside Board Chair Lee Shapiro and President Stacey E. Rosen, M.D.
National sponsors CVS Health and Aetna led a deep roster of support including JPMorganChase, Northwell Health, EY, Mastercard, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, PwC, S&P Global, NYU Langone Health, Brookfield, RXR, and Tishman Speyer.
An evening that moves the needle
For Drucker, advocacy works best when it is personal and inclusive — translating complex health messages into conversations people actually have. For Prince Mario-Max, the night was another reminder that influence matters most when it is pointed at something real.
Guests left with renewed purpose, carrying the evening’s clarity forward: progress in women’s heart health is built through sustained effort, guided by science, and powered by rooms exactly like this one.
Related Reading
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- Prince Mario Max Schaumburg Lippe Opens New York Fashion Week 2026
- H.H.Dr. Princess Antonia zu Schaumburg-Lippe: Six years ago, God needed a new angel and called H.H. Dr.h.c. Prince Waldemar zu Schaumburg-Lippe into heaven!
Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.
