This is the largest amount of funding in a single year in the organization’s history.
Northbrook, IL - Dec. 21, 2022 – The Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF), the nation’s leading organization dedicated to funding congenital heart defect (CHD) research, will fund over $1.5 million of research and scientific collaborations in 2022 — the largest amount of funding in a single year in the organization’s history.
This new funding spans four initiatives: 1. independent research funded by CHF, and through the Cortney Barnett Research Award and Mend a Heart Foundation Award, 2. collaborative research with the American Heart Association (AHA) through the AHA/CHF Congenital Heart Defect Research Awards, 3. funding of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatric Cardiology Research Fellowship Award, and 4. annual funding to Cardiac Networks United (CNU), a pediatric and congenital cardiovascular research network.
Samantha Butler, PhD, (Boston Children's Hospital) will receive funding from The Children’s Heart Foundation for her work on “Developmental Intervention in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for Newborns with Congenital Heart Disease”. This study will serve as the needed pilot study to request funding for a larger multicenter trial that could impact hospital-based care for infants with CHD and their families around the world.
The researcher receiving the Cortney Barnett Research Award through The Children’s Heart Foundation is Vahid Serpooshan, PhD, (Emory University) for, “A 3D Bioprinted Platform for Modeling and Treatment Planning of Hepatic Disorders in Fontan Patients”. This funding was generously provided by the Cortney Barnett Research Fund, which is intended to support research to prolong longevity and improve quality of life in patients who have undergone the Fontan procedure. Results from this study may create the first class of laboratory models of Fontan-associated liver disease that can find answers to several key questions in both diagnosis and treatment of these life-threatening injuries.
The Mend a Heart Foundation Award, new this year, will support research that focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and other single ventricle heart defects. This year’s awardee is Nimrod Goldshtrom, MD, MS, (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) for research on, “Cerebral Autoregulation and Neurodevelopment Outcomes in Neonates with Single Ventricle Congenital Heart Disease”. This will look at using autoregulation tools to reduce short and long-term neurologic injury in babies who undergo surgery.
"We’re so proud to be funding over $1.5 million of CHD research this year,” said Gail Roddie-Hamlin, President & CEO of The Children’s Heart Foundation. “It’s the largest amount of research the organization has ever funded in a single year so far in its history – a huge accomplishment that is only possible because of the continued support of our donors, funders, board members, and volunteers. We are overwhelmed with Gratitude. THANK YOU!”
The Children’s Heart Foundation’s mission is to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of CHDs by funding the most promising research. Since 1996, CHF has funded $16.5 million of CHD research and scientific collaborations— driving breakthroughs that have improved survival rates and quality of life for individuals living with CHDs in life-changing ways. In many cases, we’ve provided start-up funding for research that’s gone on to earn support from larger entities such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the U.S. Department of Defense, along with pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
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About The Children’s Heart Foundation
The Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF) is the country’s leading organization solely dedicated to funding congenital heart defect (CHD) research. The mission of CHF is to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of CHDs by funding the most promising research. Since 1996, CHF has funded $16.5 million of CHD research and scientific collaborations.
