The Childrens Heart Foundation

THE MISSION OF THE CHILDREN'S HEART FOUNDATION (CHF) IS TO ADVANCE THE DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND PREVENTION OF CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS (CHDS) BY FUNDING THE MOST PROMISING RESEARCH.

RESEARCH - THE CHILDREN'S HEART FOUNDATION FUNDS THE MOST PROMISING CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT (CHD)RESEARCH. SINCE 1996, CHF HAS INVESTED NEARLY $14 MILLION INTO CHD RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS.IN 2021, CHF FUNDED MORE THAN $1,000,000 IN CHD RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS ACROSS FOUR KEY INITIATIVES: 1. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE FOUNDATION, 2. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH WITH THE AMERICAN 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.ALONG WITH NEW RESEARCH, THE FOUNDATION PROVIDED THIRD-YEAR FUNDING TO THREE PROJECTS THAT MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS: -KRISTOPHER B. DEATRICK, MD [UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND] FOR HIS WORK ON STEM CELL THERAPY FOR POST- CARDIOPULMONARY BYPASS LOW CARDIAC OUTPUT SYNDROME. -YOUNGJAE CHUN, PHD [UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH] FOR HIS EFFORTS ON A SELF-GROWING PERCUTANEOUS HEART VALVE FRAME TO TREAT CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE. -ALLEN EVERETT, MD [JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY] WHO IS STUDYING THE ROLE OF CYCLOHEXANONE TOXICITY IN MEDIATING CONGENITAL CARDIAC SURGICAL OUTCOMES.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' 2021 PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AWARD GIVEN TO MOHAMMAD AL-MOUSILY, MD, PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY FELLOW AT MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. HIS RESEARCH - THE USE OF A 12 LEAD ECG AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH A MACHINE LEARNING MODEL TO IDENTIFY STRUCTURAL HEART DISEASE - AIMS TO USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH ECG'S TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY CHILDREN WITH STRUCTURAL HEART DISEASE. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS WILL IDENTIFY PATIENTS WITH STRUCTURAL HEART DISEASE SOONER.

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. THE 2021 CONGENITAL HEART WALK SERIES VIRTUALLY BROUGHT TOGETHER MORE THAN 6,750 WALKERS, 800 TEAMS, AND HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES, PROVIDERS, AND SPONSORS WHO SHARED DIRECT SUPPORT, ALONG WITH 31 AMAZING WALK DAY PROGRAMS, AS WE RAISED OVER $1,650,000 FOR CHD RESEARCH. THE WALKS OFFER A CHANCE TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY AND SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT AMERICA'S MOST COMMON BIRTH DEFECT - CHDS.25TH ANNIVERSARY: IN 2021 THE FOUNDATION CELEBRATED IT'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY. THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN SHOWCASED THE DRAMATIC ROLE RESEARCH HAS PLAYED, HIGHLIGHTING BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE AND THE RESEARCHERS WHO LED IT. FUNDRAISING EVENTS AND CAMPAIGNS: VARIOUS FUNDRAISING EVENTS AND CAMPAIGNS TOOK PLACE THROUGHOUT 2021, INCLUDING HEARTS AT PLAY, GRAEME'S RUN, #GIVINGTUESDAY, HEART MONTH, AND VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION MONTH - 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.

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. WITH CHD PATIENTS LIVING LONGER WE ARE LOOKING TO DRIVE MORE RESEARCH FUNDING AND ADVOCATE FOR EFFORTS IN NEURODEVELOPMENT, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MENTAL HEALTH CARE, DEVICES, AND PROCEDURAL RESEARCH, TRANSITIONAL CARE, AND LONG-TERM CARE FOR ADULTS WITH CHDS. LAST YEAR, WE HELD MORE THAN 20 VIRTUAL RESEARCH RECEPTIONS THAT UNDERSCORED THIS CRITICAL LINKAGE FROM THE DOLLARS RAISED IN COMMUNITIES THROUGH OUR WALKS AND OTHER EVENTS, CREATING MORE AWARENESS OF CHDS, AND, ADVOCATING FOR MORE FUNDING THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND HEALTH SYSTEM RELATIONSHIPS. WE ARE MOVING FORWARD TO ENGAGE MORE IN ADVOCACY EFFORTS BY RECRUITING GRASSROOTS VOLUNTEERS, CREATING A STRATEGIC LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, AND ADVOCATING THROUGH VOLUNTEER EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE MORE FUNDING FOR CARDIAC HEART DEFECTS.