CSA Award Recipients

Christopher Breuer, MD – Nationwide Children’s Hospital

John Kelly, MD – Nationwide Children’s Hospital

David Brigstock, PhD – Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Mike Davis, PhD – Emory University

Elucidation of the Mechanisms Underlying the Development and Progression of Fontan Associated Liver Disease 

Led by Christopher Breuer, MD, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, this team will study a common complication of single ventricle disease, Fontan–associated liver disease (FALD). The team will seek to understand the mechanisms which underly FALD by determining how blood flow impacts the development and progression of FALD in animal models.  

Isabelle Deschênes, PhD – Ohio State University 

PhD Stacey Rentschler, MD, PhD – Washington University in St. Louis 

Patrick Boyle, PhD – University of Washington 

Mingtao Zhao, PhD, DVM – Nationwide Children’s Hospital 

PULSE-SVA Network: Personalized Understanding from Linked Simulations & Electrophysiology in Single Ventricle Arrhythmia 

Led by Isabelle Deschênes, PhD, professor and chair of physiology and cell biology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, this team’s research will focus on both the mechanisms of and treatment for arrhythmias in patients with single ventricle disease. They seek to better understand the electrical properties that underly arrhythmia at the cellular and tissue level and will test the potential of cardiac radiotherapy as a novel intervention for the treatment of arrhythmias. 

Casey Gifford, PhD – Stanford University 

Christina Theodoris, MD, PhD – The J. David Gladstone Institutes 

Elizabeth Crouch, MD, PhD – University of California, San Francisco 

Anshul Kundaje, PhD – Stanford University 

Correcting Latent Mechanisms that Underlie Neurodevelopmental Disorders Associated with Congenital Heart Disease 

Led by Casey Gifford, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics cardiology and genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine, this team will identify genetic factors that may cause or protect against neurodevelopmental disorders in people with single ventricle disease. The team will focus their investigation on the role that endothelial cell dysfunction plays in the co-development of single ventricle disease and associated neurodevelopmental disabilities.  

Shelley Miyamoto, MD – University of Colorado 

Sarah Kelly, PsyD – University of Colorado 

Melanie Cree, MD, PhD – University of Colorado 

Roni Jacobsen, MD – University of Colorado 

The DEFEND Trial: Dapagliflozin or Empagliflozin for Fontan Exercise, QOL and MitochoNDrial function

Led by Shelley Miyamoto, MD, FAHA, professor of pediatrics (cardiology) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, this team will test the use of two sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors used to treat diabetes and heart failure in adults to determine if they may also be used as a treatment for single ventricle patients. They hope to determine if the medications improve quality of life and the ability to exercise by improving skeletal mitochondrial functioning. 

Stephanie Nakano, MD – University of Colorado 

Anastacia Garcia, PhD – University of Colorado 

Jordan Abbott, MD – University of Colorado 

Julie Lang, PhD – University of Colorado  

Consequences of Impaired T Cell Homeostasis in Single Ventricle Congenital Heart Disease  

Led by Stephanie Nakano, MD, pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, this team plans to study how existing immune dysfunction may drive further complications in single ventricle patients. They will focus their investigation on the role that abnormal T-Cell functioning may play in heart failure and other co-morbidities.