CASSummit 2025 Brings Together Resuscitation Professionals and Advocates from Across the World

December 16, 2025

CASSummit 2025 Brings Together Resuscitation Professionals and Advocates from Across the World

More than 1,000 attendees gather to review the new CPR & ECC Guidelines, celebrate lifesaving achievements, and advance global efforts to improve care

CHICAGO — Dec. 16, 2025 — The Citizen CPR Foundation announced the successful conclusion of the Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit (CASSummit) 2025, held Dec. 3–6 at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix. This year’s biennial conference, with 1,005 attendees, was the largest in a decade. The location and dates of the 2027 conference will be announced soon — join our email list to get the latest information.

The 2025 program featured 135 sessions across seven educational tracks, led by 205 faculty representing clinical, educational, advocacy, and community expertise. Attendees traveled from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and 13 countries, including pre-hospital and hospital practitioners, survivors and co-survivors, resuscitation leaders, educators, community advocates, and professionals serving in every link in the chain of survival.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

The 2025 theme, “Seconds to Act: Empowering the Response to Cardiac Arrest and Life-Threatening Emergencies,” marked a pivotal evolution for the Summit. For the first time, it expanded its focus beyond sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) to include other time-sensitive emergencies such as opioid overdoses, drowning, and uncontrolled hemorrhage, drawing critical connections across disciplines.

“The audience embraced it,” said Ed Racht, MD, Program Chair. “It’s truly remarkable how the knowledge we’ve gained from decades of work building lay responders into systems of care for cardiac emergencies is being leveraged in new ways.”

The program also offered the first national opportunity for resuscitation professionals to hear from the experts about the new 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and ECC, released in late October. Expert authors and researchers led a series of highly attended workshops, general sessions, concurrent sessions and roundtable discussions on what changed, what stayed the same, and why.

SPECIAL DEMONSTRATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS

Childhood drowning is a particular concern in Arizona with more than 50 deaths a year. The Phoenix Fire Department, Air Methods, and lifeguards from the Arizona Grand Resort coordinated a dramatic scenario featuring a 13-year-old boy who was air medevacked after suffering cardiac arrest from drowning in a resort pool. Sponsored by the American Red Cross, the demonstration highlighted the importance of teamwork and readiness in real-world emergencies. Coverage by the local media can be found here.

The Celebration of Survivors and Rescuers brought powerful emotion to the week. Some 40 survivors with many of their rescuers were acknowledged and three inspiring local survivor stories were featured. The indoor/outdoor evening continued with local food trucks, dancing and tributes.

Additional highlights included the Women in Resuscitation breakfast, 40 Under 40 Awards Ceremony, dynamic plenary sessions such as “MythBusters” with the American Red Cross, and a special new track dedicated to addressing SCA in Youth and Athletes.

Photos from throughout the event can be viewed on the CCPRF Facebook Page.

A SUMMIT WITH LASTING IMPACT

Several individuals and teams were honored for exceptional contributions to resuscitation and lifesaving efforts:

Hans Dahll Award – Laurie Morrison, MD

Lifetime Achievement Award – Mary Newman

40 Under 40 Awards – Ania Aliev; Nathaniel Balch; Anne Clarke; Kenneth Cugle; Cody Dunne; Evan Ernst; Dana Evans; Alyssa Fillmore; Grace Firestone; Jeffery Forbes; Vishwa Gankid/Reddy; Amanda Goucher; Anne Juul Grabmayr; Kathryn Graham; Katie Hagood; Tegan Hampton; Jacob Hutton; Usman Jamal; EB Keime; Robby Klaber; Tom Lowe; Laura Mantella; Aubi Nemeth; Amanda O’Halloran; Kevin Omohundro; Mike Papale; Chris Postill; Halle Price; Ryan Reece; James Salio; Priyansh Shah; Megan S.; Carolina Snypes; Sara Stephens; Julieta Valdes De la Garza; Walter Watts; Shannon Wolf; Bentley Woods Curry; Kuldeep Yadav; Lin Zicheng.

You can read more about these winners here.

Throughout the week, attendees emphasized the energy, depth, and relevance of this year’s program. One long-time participant shared, “I’ve come to many past Summits, and this is the best one yet.”

“When we come together across disciplines, systems, and communities, we strengthen the chain of survival in ways no one can do alone,” said Program Chair Ed Racht, MD. “CASSummit 2025 demonstrated the extraordinary power of collaboration — and even with serious content, we have a lot of fun when we come together.”

SUPPORT FROM SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

The Citizen CPR Foundation acknowledges and thanks the organizations whose support makes the Summit possible:

Signature Sponsor: ZOLL

Diamond Sponsor: American Red Cross

Platinum Sponsors: American Heart Association, Laerdal, Stryker

Gold Sponsor: RedFlash Group
Silver Sponsors: Cardio Partners, Heart & Stroke, PRESTAN

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

As CASSummit 2025 concludes, the Citizen CPR Foundation extends its gratitude to the speakers, sponsors, volunteers, survivors, rescuers, and attendees whose dedication drives continuous improvements in cardiac arrest survival.

“Our mission remains unwavering: to empower individuals, communities, and professionals to act decisively in time-sensitive emergencies,” said Stu Berger, MD, President of the Foundation. “We are grateful for the collective commitment demonstrated this week — and energized by the impact it will have for years to come.”

About the Citizen CPR Foundation:

The Citizen CPR Foundation has pursued its mission for more than four decades: We believe that every individual has the potential to make a difference in time-sensitive emergencies. We are committed to empowering citizens, professionals and organizations through comprehensive education, training and advocacy.

The Foundation hosts the biennial Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit (CASSummit), serving as the central hub for resuscitation professionals serving in every link in the chain of survival, as well as survivors and advocates. The Foundation also hosts the HEARTSafe Community initiative, which provides guidance to communities on a systems approach to improving sudden cardiac arrest survival rates.

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Media Contact:

Keith Griffiths | kgriffiths@redflashgroup.com