2020 Heart & Stroke Ball Event Honorees
Corporate Honorees:
Thomas & Nanci Dufek
Thomas is a financial and marketing executive with over 30 years’ experience in professional services and corporate environments as well a cherished and respected community leader. Thomas has been the President of Dufek & Associates since 2002, providing consulting and management advisory services to businesses, non-profits and high net worth individuals. Before he created Dufek & Associates, Thomas served as the Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of the Tyree Organization, Ltd and he was the Managing Partner of Kilgannon, Furey, Dufek & Company, CPA’s. Charity has always been important to Thomas he has been a longtime community supporter and has served on many boards over the years. Thomas has served on the boards and committees of St. Christopher-Ottilie, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Chaminade High School, Good Shepherd Sisters and Sisters of St. Dominic.
Nanci is a native New Yorker, having been born and raised on Long Island. A graduate of Holy Trinity High School, Briarcliffe College and St. Joseph’s College, Patchogue. Additionally she is a graduate of the Pastoral Formation Institue of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
While raising a family, Nanci found time for volunteer work in various not-for profit organizations, including Bethpage Co-Operative Nursery School, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish, SCO Family of Services, Nazareth Farm, Inc. and Chaminade High School.
Nanci has received various recognitions for her volunteerism as well as being inducted into the National Honor Society for Adult College Students.
In 2009 Nanci and Tom were honored with the Founders Award from Chaminade High School for continued support and commitment to the Marianist Mission.
Her volunteer endeavors took her to different parts of Long Island as well as West Virginia where she served for six years on the Board of Directors at Nazareth Farm, Inc. Her love for working with teenagers and her commitment to the disenfranchised she volunteered with, fueled her decision to finish her BS in 2007 and seek additional opportunities to work in Youth Ministry.
She currently works at Chaminade High School where she is in charge of the Drama Club. She works tirelessly with the students from Chaminade as well as females from the neighboring high schools who are part of the two shows produced each year.
In addition to this work, Nanci is the Teen Music Minister at her home parish of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Centerport.
Nanci is an avid photographer, loves the beach and outdoor living and enjoys her membership at the YMCA where she continues to make strides in living a heart healthy lifestyle. She and Tom live in Suffolk County and enjoy time with their married sons, their wives, four grandchildren, and a beautiful grand-dog.
Medical Honoree:
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD
Dr. Valentin Fuster serves The Mount Sinai Medical Hospital as Physician-in-Chief, as well as Director of Mount Sinai Heart Center. Dr Fuster is the General Director of the National Center for Cardiovascular investigation of CNIC (equivalent to NHLBI) in Madrid, Spain.
The innumerable positions he has held include those of President of the American Heart Association, President of the World Heart Federation, member of the US National Academy of Medicine, where he chaired the Committee for the document on “Promotion of Cardiovascular Health Worldwide and presently Co-Chairs the Advisory Committee on “the Role of the United States on Global Health” as advisor to the new President, Member of the European Horizon 2020 Scientific Panel of Health, Council member of the US National Heart, Lunch and Blood Institute and President of the Training Program of the American College of Cardiology.
After qualifying in medicine at the University of Barcelona, Valentin Fuster continued his studies in the USA. He was Professor in Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases at the Mayo Medical School, Minnesota and in 1982 at the Medical School of Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. From 1991 to 1994 he was the Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. In 1994, he was named director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai a post he has combined since 2012 with that of Physician-in-Chief of the Hospital.
Dr. Fuster has been named Doctor of Honoris Causa by thirty-three universities. He is an author on more than 1000 scientific articles (HI-145). He was named Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nature Reviews in Cardiology and recently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the ACC’s flagship publication and the main American source of clinical information on cardiovascular medicine (Impact factor 17.7). His research into the origin of cardiovascular events, which have contributed to improved treatment of heart attack patients, was recognized in 1996 by the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research (highest award in Spanish speaking countries). And in June 2011, he was awarded the Grand Prix Scientifique of the Institute of France (considered the most prestigious award in cardiology), for his transitional research into atherothrombotic disease.
Among his many achievements, it is noteworthy that Dr. Fuster is the only cardiologist to have received the highest awards for research from the three leading cardiovascular organizations; the American Heart Association (Golf Medal and Research Achievement Award), the American College of Cardiology (Living Legend and Life Achievement Award 2017) and the European Society of Cardiology (Gold Medal). In addition, in May 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spain granted Dr. Fuster with the title of Marquis for his “outstanding and unceasing research efforts and his education outreach work”.
