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 receives one that lasts a lifetime.

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Our Values

Family-Focused

Family-Focused

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

Committed

Committed

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

Innovative

Innovative

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

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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
Ben Quigley Board Treasurer
Ruth Manlapas Board Secretary

Board Members

Mike Gahan
Dr. Robert Boucek
Dr. Yolanda Becker
Max Dean
Leslie Meyer
Jason Decker
Scott Stephens
Catherine Chen
John Hawkins
Carson Lamb
Cliff Berryman

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.

Janet Scheel, M.D.

SAC Chair - Washington University, School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Division of 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stephanie Nakano, M.D.

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Cardiology, University of Colorado, Denver Children’s Hospital Colorado

Kevin Daly, M.D.

Medical Director – Heart Transplant Program Boston Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor of Pediatrics – Harvard Medical School

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

Chieh-Yu Lin, M.D., PhD

Associate Professor and Director of Autopsy Service at Washington University in St. Louis (Wash U) Department of Pathology and Immunology

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

Shriprasad Deshpande, M.D.

Children’s National Medical Center Medical Director of Pediatric Heart Transplantation Professor of Pediatrics – Emory University Atlanta, Georgia

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

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

Maryanne Chrisant, M.D.

Maryanne R. Chrisant, MD, is Director, Heart Transplant and Advanced Cardiac Therapies at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein and Associate Professor, Cardiology at our Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

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

Annette Jackson, Ph.D. F(ACHI)

Associate Professor, Department of Surgery Chief, Clinical Transplantation Immunology Research Director, Clinical Transplantation Immunology Laboratory

Research Collaborators

Corporate Award

2025 Corporate Award

Congratulations to our 2025 Corporate Award recipient, Audi-Atlanta. Audi-Atlanta exemplifies corporate social responsibility to their customers by giving back and sharing a lifesaving story. Audi has invested over $100,000 in the Enduring Hearts mission to saves lives with innovative breakthroughs in medical science. Audi Atlanta is a Magna Society Elite honored full-service, new Audi and used car dealer in Atlanta, Georgia and part of the Jim Ellis family of dealerships. Their philosophy is to keep the Jim Ellis Promise evident in every interaction with clients as well as to give back in a meaningful way.

Corporate Sponsors

Carlos & Marguerite Mason Trust