Media Contact:
Ellen C. McKenna
434-982-4490
ellenmckenna@virginia.edu

 

UVA Stroke Doc Hopes to Repeat Her Double Win
Proceeds from Sept. 19 Race Will Benefit Stroke Care at UVA

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., September 14, 2009 - When the starting gun sounds for the 2009 Walking for My Life race on September 19, Karen C. Johnston, M.D., will be looking to repeat her double win from last year. Besides being first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 28:32:00, Johnston later accepted the event's $5,000 in proceeds in her role as chair of the Neurology Department and member of the Primary Stroke Center team at the University of Virginia Health System.

Walking for My Life 
Dr. Karen Johnston (lower row, second from left) will be defending her title at
the Walking for My Life walk-run event on Saturday, September 18. Joining her
will be other members of UVA's Primary Stroke Center, including
(upper row from left to right) Shaneela Malik, MD, Brad Worrall, MD and Clarke
Haley, MD and (lower row, left to right) Janet Garnett, RN, Heather Turner, RN
and Kathleen Bledsoe, PharmD. Event proceeds will be donated to the UVA
Primary Stroke Center.  
Sponsored by Faith Christian Center International, this year's race will again benefit the UVA Primary Stroke Center. Starting time is 8:30 a.m. at Newcomb Hall on Grounds at UVA. Along with Johnston, several other members of UVA's stroke team will participate in the race.

Walkers and runners age 5 and up are eligible to participate and can register by logging on to www.fccintl.org  and clicking on the Event Registration link. The entry fee is $25 for adults (until September 18th) and $15 for children 10 and under. On race day, the entry fee for adults will be $35.

"This event should be a ton of fun for everyone and will be a great opportunity for community fellowship, exercise and fundraising," Johnston says. "I'm honored by the grassroots support shown by the Walk for My Life organizers and race participants. Their generosity directly impacts our work, helping us advance stroke care and research and bring new hope to our patients and their families."

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