American Heart Association, Breathe Free PA
Title: American Heart Association, Breathe Free PA
Student Interns:
Sophia Keang
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
Harsha Meduru
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Academic Preceptor:
Dalmacio Dennis Flores, PhD, ACRN, FAAN
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
Abby Quinn Peterson, DMD, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Elizabeth Powell, DDS, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Brad Cary
Pennsylvania Government Relations Director, American Heart Association
Traci Kennedy, MPA
Midwest States Strategist, American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation
Community Site:
The American Heart Association is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Through research, public education, advocacy, and community programs, the AHA works to enhance cardiovascular health, promote healthy lifestyles, and reduce health disparities nationwide.
The American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation is a nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, with a national reach. It focuses on protecting the public from exposure to secondhand smoke by educating communities, supporting smoke-free policy development, and promoting tobacco control efforts. ANRF’s mission is to preserve and advance the right of all people to breathe smoke-free air, especially in workplaces and public environments, with a focus on vulnerable and historically underserved populations.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns worked on a project that focused on legislative and advocacy efforts to eliminate the casino smoking loophole (a result of Pennsylvania’s 2008 Clean Indoor Air Act) and promote equitable public health protections for casino workers. The interns collaborated with the American Heart Association and the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation to support the passage of a comprehensive indoor smoking ban that includes casinos. The work included researching health impacts, reviewing legislative history, and drafting advocacy materials to be published on blogs and local news outlets. The final product was an op-ed titled “It’s Time to Clear the Air; Make Casinos Smoke-Free,” aimed at raising public awareness and building support for HB 880, also known as the Updates to the Clean Indoor Air Act bill.
Reflections
“This internship showed me how deeply interconnected the healthcare field is with the legislative system. Healthcare providers hold a powerful role in public health advocacy, using clinical knowledge to fight for policies that protect entire communities, not just within the clinical setting. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to engage in hands-on advocacy through healthcare policy while working alongside students and professionals from diverse disciplines. This experience strengthened my skills in collaboration, adaptability, and effective teamwork — all of which are essential in real-world healthcare and advocacy work focused on overlooked and marginalized communities. In spaces like casinos, where visitors come and go but workers remain, lasting protections are critical. Advocacy ensures that no matter how transient a space may seem, the people within it are not forgotten.”
Sophia Keang
“Working with the American Heart Association was truly eye-opening. I was surprised to learn that despite the widespread progress in smoke-free policies, significant exemptions still exist, particularly in casinos. This experience made me realize the vital role of advocacy and policymaking in healthcare. As a future healthcare provider, I now understand that being involved in policy work is just as important as providing clinical care. Actively contributing to policy change is essential to protect and improve public health, especially for vulnerable populations. I am incredibly grateful to have been exposed to this different side of healthcare, one that reminds me that meaningful change can also happen outside of traditional healthcare environments.”
Harsha Meduru