We've broken down the most common questions about our site into the following categories. Use these links to go directly to questions about a specific subject, or scroll down the page to review all the questions.

Viewing this Web Site
Search
Account Username and Password
My AmericanHeart Registration
Membership and Subscriptions
Customer Support related to scientificsessions.org
Privacy and Security
General Help 

Viewing this Web Site

• What are the recommended browsers for viewing this Web site?
  The my.AmericanHeart.org Web site is best viewed with Internet Explorer 4.x or better or Netscape 6.x or better.
  
  
• Why are images and content not appearing as they should?
  If you are having trouble viewing the Web site and content are not appearing as they should, this could be a problem with the version of browser you're using. To best see the Web site, we recommend using Internet Explorer version 4.x or better or Netscape 6.x or better.

Search

• How do I interpret search results?
  When a search is submitted, two kinds of results are returned: American Heart Association results and Library results. The search results are categorized according to subject but are listed in order of relevance based on the method used by the search engine. 

• How do I narrow my search?
  The easiest way to narrow your search results is to use the advanced search page. By using the advanced search page, you can customize your search based on Boolean operators, subject area searches and case-sensitive searches.

• What search options are available?
  The site search supports AND, OR and NOT operators.  Searches also can be narrowed to specific subject areas.

• What content is searched by default?
  By default, the search covers News, Research, Conferences and Events, Library and other American Heart Association information.

Account Username and Password

• What if I forgot my account username?
  If you have forgotten your username, please call 1-800-AHA-USA1.

• What if I forgot my password?
  If you have forgotten your password, click on the “Forgot Password” link on the homepage. From that page, enter your username and e-mail address. The system will reset your password and will e-mail it to your e-mail address. Please make sure that the e-mail address you enter matches the e-mail address you used to register.
  
• How do I update my password?
  Once logged in, click on “Update My AmericanHeart Profile” on the right. Your profile will be displayed. From this page, click the “Change Password” link to specify a new password.

• How do I update my account information?
  Once logged in, click on “Update My AmericanHeart Profile” on the right. This will pull up your profile where changes can be made to information about your account.
  

My AmericanHeart Registration

• How do I register with My AmericanHeart?
  From the homepage, click on the “Sign Up” link on the right side of the page, next to the login area. This link will take you to the registration wizard where you can complete the registration process.

• What is the benefit of registering with the American Heart Association?
  By registering, you’ll receive access to rich, personalized, professional information determined by the information you provide. You'll also get access to the online Clinical Library, including reference texts, world-renowned journals and a powerful search capability (until March 31, 2003).

• How do I look up information about another member of the American Heart Association?
  Once logged in, members of the American Heart Association have access to the membership directory. The directory contains listings for all American Heart Association members and can be searched using numerous sets of criteria.  Members can limit the information displayed about them in the directory.

• How do I control the information that is displayed about me in the membership directory?
  During the registration process, each directory field has a check box next to it. These check boxes, if checked, indicate that the data will be available via the membership directory. If you do not want that information displayed in the directory, simply uncheck that box during the registration process. This same process can be used if you click on “Update My AmericanHeart Profile” after already completing the registration process during a previous visit.

Membership and Subscriptions

• How do I become a member of the American Heart Association?
  You can become a member online, or by phone or fax. Become a member now!

• What are the benefits of becoming a member of the American Heart Association?
  See the member benefits list.

• How do I subscribe to the American Heart Association journals?
  Subscribe to a journal using any of the following methods:

• How do I look up information about another American Heart Association member?
  You may look up member information if you are a member of the American Heart Association through the membership directory.

• How do I control the information displayed about me in the membership directory (for American Heart Association members only)?
  You may edit your member profile and select the information you’d like other American Heart Association members to see using either of the following methods:
  
  A.  Sign Up for My AmericanHeart
  Located in the top right corner of this screen: during the registration process specify, by selecting or unselecting the checkboxes, what information you’d like other members to see.
  
  OR
  
  B. Sign in to My AmericanHeart
  If you have already registered with My AmericanHeart, sign in by entering your username and password, then edit your profile and select or unselect the checkboxes for information you’d like other members to see.

Customer Support related to scientificsessions.org

• What’s the relationship between scientificsessions.org and my.americanheart.org?
  These are two separate sites, both owned and maintained by the American Heart Association. Links on each of these sites link to the other (scientificsessions.org main page, ad, and also several high usage pages on this site; ads on my.americanheart.org). If a user is registered and signed onto one site, when he links to the other site, some information is passed between the sites to streamline registration at the other site.
  
  
• What information passes from one site to the other?
  If you are signed onto the Sessions site and link to the My AmericanHeart site, your contact information and preferences specified when you registered at the Sessions site will be filled in for you automatically to assist you as you register at the My AmericanHeart site. The same is true if you are registered and signed onto the My AmericanHeart site and link to the scientificsessions.org site and register there.
  
  Note: If a user’s data does not transfer from one site to the other, he will not receive an error message. The only difference will be that his registration information on the second site will not be pre-populated. He can still fill it in himself and register.
  
  
• If I have signed on at one site, why do I have to sign in again at the other?
  The American Heart Association has not yet implemented a “single sign on” capability between these two sites.  This is a future enhancement.  Even though you can link between sites without signing on at either or both, you need to sign into a site to obtain the full benefits and functionality of each site.  These include the ability to register and request lodging for Sessions and to personalize your view of AHA information and access the clinical library on the my.americanheart.org site.
  
  
• Can I use the same username and password at both scientificsessions.org and my.americanheart.org?Yes, you can register under the same username and password for both sites.  It is important to remember that the scientificsessions.org site requires that your e-mail be your username.  So you need to choose that same e-mail as your username on my.americanheart.org.  On the other hand, you may use entirely different usernames and passwords for the sites if you want to.

• If I go back and forth between the two sites, do I have to sign on again each time?
  No, you will remain signed onto the original site when you move to the other.  You will continue to be signed into a site until you close your browser.
  
• Am I registered for Sessions?
  Any questions involving a user’s registration for the AHA Scientific Sessions or the user’s housing arrangements for Scientific Sessions should be referred to these numbers: 

ExpoExchange for Sessions Housing and Registration questions

• I recently submitted my council membership application (via mail, fax, etc).  Can I have my membership number?
  All such requests should be referred to the AHA Customer Service group managed and staffed by Lippincott Wilkins and Williams (LWW).

• The AHA Customer Service group (managed by LWW) just gave me my membership number.  But the my.americanheart.org site does not recognize it when I try to register.  What’s wrong?
  Because there is about a 24-hour turnaround from the time the membership number is assigned and the time it is imported into the my.americanheart.org database, your member number may not work now.  Please allow one working day and then try again. Call back if your member number still is not recognized.
  
• I have forgotten my scientificsessions.org username or password.  Can you help?
  For assistance with scientificsessions.org usernames and passwords, contact the American Heart Association’s Office of Science Operations by sending an e-mail to sessionsadmin@heart.org. Please include full name and country in e-mail.

Privacy and Security

• What is the American Heart Association's Privacy Policy?
  Our privacy policy contains information about user privacy.

• How is my data secure by the American Heart Association?
  Our privacy policy and policy on collection and use of personal information address these issues.

General Help

• How can I find my way around the site?
  We've organized our site into several major sections that you can reach from the left side of each page. As you roll over each subject, the menu will expand to give you an overview of the site topics. You can always get back to the home page by clicking the Home link in the menu at the top of every page.

• I still can't find the information I'm looking for. What now?
  Try using our Search feature, located in the upper left corner of each page, just above the navigation bar. To search, simply type a word or phrase in the box and click the Search button.

• How can I talk to a live person?
  For American Heart Association inquiries, call 1-800-AHA-USA-1 (1-800-242-8721).
  For American Stroke Association inquiries, call 1-888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653).
  For information about AHA Professional Membership, call 1-800-787-8984 or 1-301-223-2307 (outside the United States).

• Why will I be asked to download files?
  To improve the site's performance and make it easier for you to find what you're looking for, we've made some of our longer documents downloadable. You can print them out and take your time reading them (we know it’s not that much fun reading pages of text on your computer screen). Examples of files available for downloading include PDF files and Microsoft Word documents.

• What is a PDF file and why do I need to download special software to view it?
  PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format that allows you to view and print out documents. You cannot change these documents, though. To view PDF files, you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download the free utility from Adobe's Web site. Once you've downloaded the program, it will start automatically whenever you want to view a PDF file.