The Heart of Rock 'n' Roll was the theme of this year's Heart Ball, an annual mega-event that cuts across hospital affiliations to bring together the top cardiologists in the city. Honored during Saturday's gala at the Pittsburgh Hilton was Dr. P.S. Reddy, who received the Peter J. Safar Pulse of Pittsburgh Award for his work as director of the Cardiac Catheterization lab at UPMC Presbyterian, among many other accomplishments. Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg presented the award to Dr. Reddy, a professor in the School of Medicine. Also, Lauren Saul was honored with the Mary Ann Scully Nursing Award.

More than 975 guests packed the ballroom, romantically designed by Shelly Tolo in elegant black and red. An extensive silent auction might have had more action if guests didn't have to wait in long lines at the three bars, but a live auction made up for it later in the evening, bringing in $50,000. Kitty and John Goodish of U.S. Steel served as ball chairs, with Sherri and Ron Andro as event chairs. American Heart Association Allegheny Division board president Dr. Donald Fischer also welcomed the crowd before a hearty dinner expertly prepared and served -- laudable given the Hilton's recent challenges. The rock 'n' roll theme translated into a very loud special performance by Joe Grushecky -- unfortunately during dinner, so guests could neither dance nor talk. But No Bad Ju Ju turned it down a notch and kept the crowd -- brightened by a bevy of great red gowns -- on the dance floor late. Awesome total: a very generous $1.2 million.

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