With over 30 years in the healthcare industry, Michelle Peña has a proven track record of delivering exceptional results and driving positive change in complex healthcare environments.
She has served in her current role as Chief Nursing Officer at Trinity Health Grand Rapids for the last five years, overseeing clinical and administrative strategies to elevate patient care, managing a substantial team, and orchestrating strategic, budgetary and operational planning within clinical operations. Peña has served on the West Michigan American Heart Association Board for four years and is passionate about the work AHA is doing to improve the health and well being of our communities.
We caught up with Peña—a West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards "Brilliant Tenacity" finalist in 2021—to learn more about taking care of your cardiovascular health this Heart Health Month and beyond.
Please share about AHA's latest efforts to improve heart health outcomes!
A TIME magazine article in June 2024 highlighted the AHA's efforts to bring awareness to the fact that 80% of cardiovascular disease is preventable. AHA has a comprehensive approach to improving heart health outcomes, through research, advocacy, education and technology to change that statistic.
What advice can you give for incorporating heart-healthy habits into daily life, even with limited time?
There are many components to healthy living that impact heart health. AHA outlines key strategies for a healthy lifestyle that includes information on smart eating, fitness, stress management, sleep optimization, pet therapy and overall healthy habits.
My advice to incorporate heart healthy habits into daily life is to start small and with something that you are likely to make routine. For example, a nighttime routine that includes relaxation breathing and stretching can help provide a good night's sleep. Start tracking your steps and compete with yourself or family and friends to see who has the most steps every day, commit to eating green leafy vegetables with your lunch. These little changes are just examples, but they can add up and have a cumulative effect the longer you do them and they are buildable to allow for adding even more strategies to your healthy lifestyle.
What role does community support play in improving heart health, and how can women get involved?
We are fortunate to live in a community that has so many opportunities to support a healthy lifestyle. There are amazing parks, trails, bike paths, museums, venues and events, so there is always something for everyone. Women can get involved in a variety of ways. Through community sponsored events, listed on AHAs website or through their own network of work and community. I think women have a tremendous amount of influence and power to help educate others in the importance of heart health in women. It is often overlooked and underappreciated. Women can change that simply by being educators and change agents.
Edited by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for West Michigan Woman.
This article originally appeared in the Feb/Mar '25 issue of West Michigan Woman.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Peña.
