Her antidote for a sedentary lifestyle? Climbing mountains and rappelling skyscrapers.

Her antidote for a sedentary lifestyle? Climbing mountains and rappelling skyscrapers.

Lisa rappelling video 

PROVIDENCE, RI, OCTOBER 8, 2018 –  North Conway is perched on the eastern side of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. For rock climbers on the East Coast, the towering granite outcrops beckon like a siren’s song. The vast swath of jutting rocks travels from the Kancamagus Highway down through the Mount Washington Valley. It offers climbers thousands of different rock climbs with varying grades and styles.

For Lisa Abbott, rock climbing is the one activity that takes her mind completely off work. And that’s no easy task. Abbott is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Community Affairs of Lifespan Corporation. Her role fills a critical need, as Lifespan is the state of Rhode Island’s largest employer. She’s also the new Chairwoman of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Luncheon.  

 “The thing about rock climbing is that the single experience is solely focused on that climb,” Abbott said. “Which rock am I going to choose, is the protection going to hold, each problem needs to be solved immediately, and it takes all my concentration. It’s very meditative!”

 Lisa Abbott celebrated her fiftieth birthday earlier this summer, by rock climbing in North Conway. Many of the climbs there soar higher than Providence’s Superman building at 428 feet.

 “It was the perfect way to spend my birthday,” she said. “I didn’t think about work or home, I just celebrated.” Abbott is also a runner, an ice climber, a skier and an adventure racer.  

 One of the driving forces behind Lisa Abbott’s quest for exercise and fitness may be because it wasn’t a priority in her family growing up. There is a family history of heart disease. “My father has had two major heart attacks and has five stents,” she said. He is still alive and living in California. Her grandfather is a heart disease survivor as well, living independently, about to turn 100.  Her mother passed away six years ago. 

 “Without your health, nothing else matters,” said Abbott. “To me, living well allows the rest of life to happen – the business of work, volunteering, and of course the next adventure.” 

 Lisa Abbott will bring her message of healthy living and leading by example to the 2019 Go Red for Women Luncheon. It’s taking place on Thursday, February 14th at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

 “The event helps give heart disease the attention it deserves as the number one killer of women,” said Abbott.  

 Prior to joining Lifespan, Abbott served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Penn State Hershey Medical Center and the Associate Vice President for Health Affairs for Penn State’s College of Medicine. Before Penn State, Abbott was at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City where she was responsible for the human capital aspect of advancement in patient care, research and education for both the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and its regional campus in Doha, Qatar.

The American Heart Association Go Red for Women Luncheon is a celebration of its commitment to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke in women. Heart disease and stroke remain the nation’s leading health threats to women but there is good news. These diseases are 80% preventable with education and lifestyle changes. Guests are invited to wear red, share stories of prevention and survival, and advocate for women’s heart and brain health.

 The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Luncheon is the “must attend” social event of the season. People come together to network with peers and socialize with some of the area’s most influential people. It also recognizes and celebrates excellence in heart and stroke science, research, health care, treatment and community involvement.

 The Go Red for Women Luncheon is sponsored nationally by CVS and Macy’s. The Go Red for Women Luncheon is sponsored locally by Lifespan Corporation, Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island,  KPMG and Citrin Cooperman.

 For more information, sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets, call the Southern New England American Heart Association’s Executive Director, Tara Comer at 401-228-2325 or email her at [email protected]

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