This new funding will help improve outcomes for children born with congenital heart defects —America’s most common birth defect. 

Northbrook, IL - Jan. 30, 2025 –  The Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF), the nation’s leading organization dedicated to funding congenital heart defect research, funded nearly $1.8 million of new research and scientific collaborations in 2024— the largest amount of funding in a single year in the organization’s 28-year history.

Every 15 minutes in the United States, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect, or CHD, making congenital heart defects the nation’s most common birth defect. The Children’s Heart Foundation’s sole mission is to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of CHDs by funding the most promising research.

This new funding by The Children’s Heart Foundation spans four key initiatives: 1. independent Research Awards funded by the Foundation, including the 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 the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatric Cardiology Research Fellowship Award, and 4. funding of Cardiac Networks United (CNU), a pediatric congenital cardiovascular research network.

The researcher receiving the Mend a Heart Foundation Research Award through The Children’s Heart Foundation is Yuli Kim, MD, (Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania) for research on, “Hepatic Perfusion and Liver Health as Assessed by Dual Cholate Clearance Assay in Fontan-associated Liver Disease.” Funding for this award was generously provided by the Mend a Heart Foundation, which is intended to support research that focuses on adult congenital heart disease and the life-long care needs of this growing population.

Four additional researchers will receive funding from The Children’s Heart Foundation through the CHF Independent Research Awards:

• Robert Tranquillo (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities) – “Growing Transcatheter Pulmonary Stent Valve for Congenital Heart Disease”
• Thangam Natarajan (Georgia Tech Research Corporation) – “Reduced Order Modeling of Coronary Flow Dynamics in AAOCA for Risk Stratification and Management”
• Benjamin Smood (The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) – “Quantifying Lymphatic Contractile Dysfunction and Endothelial Glycocalyx Disruption of Lymphatic Failure Using Isometric Myography and Electron Microscopy”
• Yun Zhang (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) – “Advancing Neonatal Tetralogy of Fallot Care with a Comprehensive Evaluation Framework”

"We’re incredibly proud to be investing $1.8 million into groundbreaking CHD research this year," said Jeffrey Franco, Interim CEO of The Children’s Heart Foundation. "Even more exciting, this milestone pushes our total funding to nearly $20 million—an extraordinary achievement made possible by the unwavering generosity of our donors and the tireless dedication of our volunteers. Together, we are driving progress and changing lives."

Since 1996, The Children’s Heart Foundation has invested nearly $20 million in CHD research and scientific collaborations, leading to groundbreaking advancements that have significantly improved survival rates and quality of life for those living with CHDs. The research we fund is truly moving the needle.

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