About Us

Our Mission

Enduring Hearts funds research to increase longevity and improve the quality of life for children with a transplanted heart.

Heart transplantation is a life-saving procedure for over 10,000 children born with inoperable heart defects or that later suffer from heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy or other disorders. Currently a heart transplant is not a cure, but a bridge to life. The average lifespan of a transplanted heart is less than 20 years. We believe a child’s heart transplant should last a life, which is why we fund the critical research needed to eliminate rejection, prevent life-threatening complications, and reduce the risk of needing a second transplant, giving each of these extraordinary kids a chance to live the future they deserve.


Our Vision

We envision a world where every child who needs a new heart received one that lasts a lifetime.

Our Values

Family-Focused

We know the transplant process can feel isolating, but you’re not alone. Join our Enduring Hearts family for support.

Committed

Our Scientific Advisory Committee, Board of Directors, and Review Panel work tirelessly to advance our research.

Innovative

We aim to drive leading-edge research to help children with heart transplants live longer, healthier lives.

Our History

The Gahan family established Enduring Hearts on April 17, 2013 in honor of their daughter, Mya. They wanted to ensure that all children that received a heart transplant would have the chance to live a longer, healthier life. Enduring Hearts operates as a 501(c)3 national non-profit organization and is the only non-profit dedicated to funding pediatric heart transplant research.

Our Team

The Board

Officers

Patrick Gallagher
Board Chair
Blake Albert
Vice Chair
Dr. Janet Scheel
SAC Chair/ Board Member
Mike Gahan
Board Treasurer
Ruth Manlapas
Board Secretary

Board Members

Dr. Robert Boucek
Dr. Yolanda Becker
Max Dean
Jeff Carper
Jeff Garrett
Jason Decker
Dr. Heather Gatcombe
Scott Stephens
Josh Weiner
Sarung Tripathi
John Hawkins
Manuel Kingsley
Ben Quigley

Scientific Advisory Committee

Our Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is a critical part of the team at Enduring Hearts. The SAC is comprised of top pediatric cardiologists and immunologists from highly esteemed institutions with many years of both patient care and clinical research. The SAC peer-reviews grants several times a year and helps provide invaluable input that enables us to dedicate funds to the most promising research that will save lives for kids who are alive TODAY.

Janet Scheel, M.D.
SAC Chair - Washington University, School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology St. Louis, MO
Yolanda Becker, M.D., FACS, FAST
Board Member - Transplant Surgeon, Director of Career Advising Burnett School of Medicine at TCU Vice President and Chief Medical Office at LifeGift Organ Procurement Organization
George Nicholson, M.D.
Pediatric Cardiologist-Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Cardiology St. Louis, MO
Kurt Schumacher, M.D.
Pediatric Cardiologist – C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor of Pediatrics – University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan
Dave Matthews. PhD
Emory University School of Medicine MSTP, Emory Transplant Center, Immunology Research Fellow Atlanta, GA.
Shriprasad Deshpande, M.D.
Children’s National Medical Center Medical Director of Pediatric Heart Transplantation Professor of Pediatrics – Emory University Atlanta, Georgia
Melissa Cousino Hood, PhD
Pediatric Heart Transplant Psychologist, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Psychology University of Michigan Transplant Center Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michael Davis, PhD, FAHA
Director, Children’s Heart Research and Outcomes Center (HeRO) Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medicine, Emory University Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Research Scholar Atlanta, GA
Robert Boucek, M.D.
SAC Chair Emeritus, Seattle Children’s Research Institute Past Associations: Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle WA Chief of Pediatric Cardiology, University of South Florida/All Children’s Hospital St. Petersburg, FL Medical Director, Pediatric Cardiac Transplant Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Lori West, M.D.
Professor, Depts. of Pediatrics, Surgery, Medical Microbiology/ Immunology and Laboratory Medicine/Pathology Canada Research Chair in Cardiac Transplantation Director, Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program Director, Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Richard Chinnock, M.D.
Professor & Chair of Pediatrics, Loma Linda University School of Medicine Chief Medical Officer, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Loma Linda, CA
Stephanie Nakano, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Cardiology, University of Colorado, Denver Children’s Hospital Colorado
Alfred Asante-Korang, M.D.
Medical Director, Heart Transplant Program, All Children’s Specialty Physicians, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Juan Alejos, M.D.
Medical Director Pediatric Heart Transplant/Cardiomyopathy Program at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension program Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Pediatric Cardiology Vice chair of JEDI for the Department of Pediatrics
Kevin Daly, M.D.
Medical Director – Heart Transplant Program Boston Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor of Pediatrics – Harvard Medical School
Maryanne Chrisant, M.D.
Director – Pediatric Cardiac Transplant, Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy – The Heart Institute at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
Marc Richmond, M.D., M.S.
Director, Program for Pediatric Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure and Transplantation Associate Professor of Pediatrics at CUMC Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons | NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
David Scheinker, PhD
Founder and Director, SURF Stanford Medicine Executive Director of Systems Design and Collaborative Research, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology, Stanford School of Medicine Adjunct Professor, Management Science and Engineering, Stanford School of Engineering
Pranava Sinha, M.D., M.B.A.
Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Co-Director, Pediatric Heart Center University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, MN
Bill Pietra, M.D.
Professor, Department of Pediatric, Division of Cardiology Virginia Root-Sutherland Chair, University of Florida College of Medicine, UF Health Congenital Heart Center

Research Collaborators

Amaerican Heart Association

2024 Corporate Award

Congratulations to our 2024 Corporate Award recipient, Kyndryl U.S. Kyndryl US is celebrating 2 years of partnership with Enduring Hearts, a non-profit focused on pediatric heart transplant research. In that time, Kyndryl has provided over 1400 volunteer hours delivering projects that accelerate technology modernization, advancement of research and diagnostic power via data science, improved engagement with heart transplant families via design strategy, and given $50,000 in direct donations.

Corporate Sponsors

Media Sponsors

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