The Children's Heart Foundation

Research - The Children's Heart Foundation funds The most promising congenital Heart defect (chd)research. Since 1996, chf has invested $18 million into chd research and scientific collaborations.in 2023 chf funded nearly $1.5 million in chd research and scientific collaborations across four key initiatives: 1. Independent research funded by The Foundation, 2. Collaborative research with The Heart association through joint congenital Heart defect research awards, 3. Funding The american academy of pediatrics' pediatric cardiology research fellowship award, and 4. Funding cardiac networks united (cnu), a national pediatric and congenital cardiovascular research network.chf provided funding for The following independent research:-hee cheol cho, phd (johns hopkins medicine) received funding from The Children's Heart Foundation for his work on human stem-cell derived pacemakers for pediatric cardiac pacing.-juliet emamaullee, md, phd (university of southern California, Children's hospital of los angeles) received funding from The cortney gives bak Foundation, as well as The Children's Heart Foundation, for her efforts on predictive biomakers to inform transplant candidacy in fontan associated liver disease.-john ladisa, phd (medical college of Wisconsin) received funding from The Children's Heart Foundation for his efforts on mechanical stimuli as a predictor of adverse outcomes after pulmonary vein stenting.-mark rodefeld, md (Indiana university) received funding from The haley Foundation, as well as The Children's Heart Foundation, for his efforts on The self-powered fontan pump.these research efforts will help experts learn more about The life-long care needs of individuals living with chds and how to continue to improve their overall quality of life.the Children's Heart Foundation provides funding to cardiac networks united to improve outcomes for children with chds. One of cnu's current research efforts - The pac3 chest tube project - is now being implemented at nearly 20 u.s. Hospitals as researchers consider The optimal time for chest tube removal in young chd patients.in addition, The Foundation funded The american academy of pediatrics' 2023 pediatric cardiology research fellowship award given to michael kim, do, of cincinatti Children's health. His research - virtual reality simulation to improve parent discharge education and readiness for The transition to home after congenital Heart surgery (chs)- aims to incorporate virtual reality simulation as part of discharge education for parents and caregivers of congenital Heart surgery patients to identify signs of cardiac compromise.

Advocacy - we endeavored to create more awareness of The need for advocacy for those with chds and their family members by telling their story on our websites, in video, and through special broadcast productions, like The pbs visionaries series. Our advocacy efforts focus on raising awareness of The need for increased funding for research, survivival, longevity and quality of life efforts which have dramatically increased for chd patients. There has been a 37.5% decrease in babies dying at birth which is a tremendous result, but we know that babies are still being born daily with chds.we intend to provide more educational and outreach opportunities around The current environment for congenital Heart defects. Our advocacy efforts seek to educate our communities on The significance of congenital Heart defects and its impact on individuals and families.

Awareness- congenital Heart walks: The Children's Heart Foundation's congenital Heart walk series is The nation's largest walk series solely dedicated to raising awareness and funds for congenital Heart defect research. 30 congenital Heart walk events took place in 2023. The walks offer a chance to strengthen our community and spread awareness about america's most common birth defect - chds, and we raised more than $2,000,000!fundraising events and campaigns: various fundraising events and campaigns took place throughout 2023, including #givingtuesday, Heart month, volunteerappreciation month, and our matching from The Heart campaign - all of which helped raise awareness and funds of The Children's Heart Foundation's critical mission.general awareness: The Children's Heart Foundation utilizes social media and video storytelling to spread further awareness of chds and chf. Our social media efforts focus on sharing stories of children, adults, and families impacted by chds, as well as telling our audience about The important research efforts we are funding. These tools help us reach people who may not have previously known about our important work.