Heart Research
Our Latest Notable Research
No. 14 in the Nation for Cardiology & Heart Surgery
The Children’s Heart Center program ranks among the nation’s top 20 pediatric hospitals on the U.S. News & World Report list of “Best Children’s Hospitals” for Cardiology & Heart Surgery. The report ranks hospitals for excellence in outcomes, program structure and national reputation.
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Emory University, Our Primary Research and Academic Partner
Children’s and Emory University School of Medicine partner together on clinical trials, residencies and fellowships. More than 500 physicians hold titles at both institutions. Our research program has ranked in the top five nationally for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for nearly a decade.
Learn About EmoryAt the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center, we’re committed to improving prevention and treatment of heart disease in children so that they can lead healthier lives. We treat more than 40,000 heart patients each year and work closely with Emory University School of Medicine and the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center at Georgia Tech to develop pediatric heart research. With more than 450 heart transplants since its inception, the Children’s Heart Center seeks new and innovative ways to prevent and treat pediatric heart disease. Our research collaborations, combined with our experience in treating congenital heart defects in children of all ages, have allowed us to become a national leader in heart disease research.
Children’s Pediatric Research Unit is one of nine core sites in the Pediatric Heart Network (PHN). Created and funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute—part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the PHN is a collaboration of clinical sites and a data coordinating center that conducts research studies in children with heart disease. Learn more about the Pediatric Heart Network and other ways we are involved in research below.
The Children’s and Emory Heart Research and Outcomes Center (HeRO) is a research partnership between Children’s, Emory University and the Walter H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Tech College of Engineering. HeRO seeks to reduce the morbidity of pediatric heart disease and leads the transformation of focused cardiac research into innovative therapies for young patients. Some of the primary focus areas of this research include regenerative and nanomedicine technologies, cardiac development, cardiac outcomes, cardiac devices and neurodevelopmental studies.
HeRO strives to create the next generation of pediatric-specific therapies through cutting-edge research using nanotechnology and stem cells, resulting in a better understanding of normal and abnormal cardiovascular development. Our researchers look at the whole picture and consider what will happen to these children from a neurodevelopmental standpoint as they age. By studying daily function and long-term outcomes, HeRO aims to have a better understanding of how to help children with heart disease regain normal function. This approach blends fundamental basic science with translational and clinical medicine to improve the quality of life for children with congenital heart disease.
The Children’s Heart Center is home to the Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative (CCRC), which is a multicenter research consortium studying outcomes following catheterizations, as well as surgical and nonsurgical interventions. Nine other centers are involved. Since founding the CCRC in 2014, our team has received numerous awards and authored many publications.
As one of 9 core sites in the Pediatric Heart Network, an NIH multicenter collaboration, we are working to define best practices for treating pediatric heart disease. We are leading a network investigation of collaborative learning to improve postoperative management.
We provide investigators across the country with advanced pediatric cardiovascular imaging services and research support. In collaboration with Georgia Tech, our CT surgeons use imaging to reconstruct a heart in 3D before surgery. This enables surgeons to better plan an operation based on the unique features of a patient’s heart.
Our Cardiovascular Imaging Research Core (CIRC) provides noninvasive imaging services, including electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, stress test, stress echocardiography and cardiac MRI, for cardiovascular research involving infants, children and adolescents. The CIRC has dedicated space, equipment and staff to provide quality cardiovascular imaging data and research analysis.
Cardiology
- Alaa Aljiffry, MD
- Asaad Beshish, MD
- William Border, MD
- Arene Butto, MD
- Nikhil Chanani, MD
- Martha Clabby, MD
- Shanelle Clarke, MD
- Eric Ferguson, MD
- Peter Fischbach, MD
- Michael Fundora, MD
- Richard Garcia-Soriano, MD
- Glen Iannucci, MD
- Usama Kanaan, MD
- Dennis Kim, MD, PhD
- Lazaros Kochilas, MD
- James Kuo, MD
- Allen Ligon, MD
- Kevin Maher, MD
- William Mahle, MD, Chief of Cardiology and Co-Chief of Children’s Heart Center
- Chad Mao, MD
- William McEachern, MD
- Meghann McKane, MD
- Marcos Mills, MD
- Tony Nelson, MD
- Matthew Oster, MD
- Gina Patel, MD
- Andrew Porter, MD
- Sanghee Ro, MD
- Henry Fred Rodriguez, MD
- Zahidee Rodriguez, MD
- Ritu Sachdeva, MD
- Denver Sallee, MD
- Cyrus Samai, MD
- Timothy Slesnick, MD
- Divya Suthar, MD
- Dongngan Truong, MD
- Heather Viamonte, MD
- Michelle Wallace, MD
- Stephanie Wechsler, MD
- Robert Whitehill, MD
- Hunter Wilson, MD
- Michael Wolf, MD
Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Paul Chai, MD, Co-Chief, Heart Center; Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Mohan John, MD
- Joshua Rosenblum, MD
- Subhadra Shashidaran, MD
- Fawwaz Shaw, MD
Heart Research and Outcomes (HeRO) Center
- Michael Davis, PhD, Director | Emory profile | Georgia Tech profile
- Hananeh Fonoudi, PhD | Emory profile
- Ilanit Ronen Itzhaki, PhD | Emory profile
- Lazaros Kochilas, MD
- Jennifer Kwong, PhD | Emory profile
- Matthew Oster, MD
- Chunhui Xu, PhD | Emory profile
Clinical Trials
Children’s is involved in more than 1,200 clinical trials locally, nationally and abroad. Find or join one of our trials. Narrow your search by including a specific condition or disease.
Find Our Trials
Predictive Performance and Rater Reliability of CT-derived Virtual Reality Models for PDA Stent Planning in Patients with Ductal-Dependent Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease. Saini A, Hashemi S, McEachern W, Ligon RA, Wilson HC. Pediatr Cardiol. 2025 Sep 24.
Complications From Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement With Self-Expanding Prestent. Ligon RA, Nageotte SJ, Kheiwa A, Gray RJ, Ghez O, Hijazi ZM, McElhinney DB, Babaliaros VC, Kim DW, Boucek DM, Gordon BM. JACC Case Rep. 2025 Mar 19.
Abbott Vascular, Inc. 2025 U.S. National Sales Meeting, Invited lectureship for national-level training: “Piccolo Experience from a MD Perspective.” R Allen Ligon. February 2025.
Invited lectureship for national-level training: “Cautions with Self-expanding Platforms for Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement: A Long Way to Go with Lots to Learn.” R Allen Ligon. Medtronic, Inc: U.S. National Field Personnel Training. January 2025.
Cardiac MRI Predictors of Arrhythmic Sudden Cardiac Events in Patients With Fontan Circulation. Wolfe NK, Schiff MD, Olivieri LJ, Christopher AB, Fogel M, Slesnick TC, Krishnamurthy R, Muthurangu V, Dorfman AL, Lam CZ, Weigand J, Robinson JD, Rathod RH, Alsaied T; FORCE Investigators. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024 Dec 17.
Abbott Vascular, Inc. U.S. National Congenital Field Training: “Piccolo Closure Case Presentation & Discussion.” R Allen Ligon. May 2024.
B. Braun Interventional Systems, Virtual National Training Meeting, Invited lectureship for national training: “Seamless Micro-introducer Kits Line Extension.” R Allen Ligon. February 2024.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Induce Cardiotoxicity and Alter Protein Profiles of Extracellular Matrix, Metabolism, and Mitochondrial Function in Human Cardiomyocytes. Wenhao Zhang, Zeyu Wang, Olivia Reid, Frank Harris, Kun Man, Matthew Wang, Stephanie Li, Lawrence C. Armand, Alicia Lane, Gayatri Patel, Victor Faundez, Yuhong Du, Ronghu Wu, Lou Ann Brown, W. Michael Caudle, and Chunhui Xu. Chemical Research in Toxicology. 2025 Nov.
Spaceflight alters protein levels and gene expression associated with stress response and metabolic characteristics in human cardiac spheroids. Forghani P, Liu W, Wang Z, Ling Z, Takaesu F, Yang E, Tharp GK, Nielsen S, Doraisingam S, Countryman S, Davis ME, Wu R, Jia S, Xu C. Biomaterials. 2025 Jun.
The mitochondrial citrate carrier SLC25A1 regulates metabolic reprogramming and morphogenesis in the developing heart. Ohanele C, Peoples JN, Karlstaedt A, Geiger JT, Gayle AD, Ghazal N, Sohani F, Brown ME, Davis ME, Porter GA Jr, Faundez V, Kwong JQ. Commun Biol. 2024 Oct 31.
Targeted Rapamycin Delivery via Magnetic Nanoparticles to Address Stenosis in a 3D Bioprinted in Vitro Model of Pulmonary Veins. Ning L, Zanella S, Tomov ML, Amoli MS, Jin L, Hwang B, Saadeh M, Chen H, Neelakantan S, Dasi LP, Avazmohammadi R, Mahmoudi M, Bauser-Heaton HD, Serpooshan V. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Jul.
Statistical modeling of extracellular vesicle cargo to predict clinical trial outcomes for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Hoffman JR, Park HJ, Bheri S, Platt MO, Hare JM, Kaushal S, Bettencourt JL, Lai D, Slesnick TC, Mahle WT, Davis ME. iScience. 2023 Sep 21.
Association of Pre-Fontan Hemodynamics With Long-Term Outcomes After Fontan Palliation: A Study From the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium. Suthar D, Yang Y, Beshish AG, Knight J, Song X, Thomas A, Hao H, Shaw FR, Jenkins K, Jacobs JP, Oster ME, Alonso A, Huang Y, Raghuveer G, Hiremath G, Marino B, Wright L, Deshpande SR, John AS, Gaitonde MM, Alsoufi B, Overman DM, Canter C, St Louis J, Devanagondi R, McHugh KE, Kochilas L. Circulation. 2026 Jan 22.
Safety of direct oral anticoagulants in surgical bioprosthetic heart valves: a paediatric institution's experience. Barisano D, Nance G, Gleason M, Chai P, Fundora MP, Woods G, Rosenblum JM, Branstetter JW. Cardiol Young. 2025 Aug.
Sex-Based Disparities in Heart Transplantation in Teenagers. John MM, Nayi P, Rosenblum J, Butto A, Shashidharan S, Chai P, Shaw F. Pediatr Transplant. 2025 May.
Six-Month Outcomes in the Long-Term Outcomes After the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Study. Truong DT, Trachtenberg FL, Hu C, Pearson GD, Friedman K, Sabati AA, Dionne A, Oster ME, Anderson BR, Block J, Bradford TT, Campbell MJ, D'Addese L, Dummer KB, Elias MD, Forsha D, Garuba OD, Hasbani K, Hayes K, Hebson C, Jone PN, Krishnan A, Lang S, McCrindle BW, McHugh KE, Mitchell EC, Morrison T, Muniz JC, Payne RM, Portman MA, Russell MW, Sanil Y, Shakti D, Sharma K, Shea JR, Sykes M, Shekerdemian LS, Szmuszkovicz J, Thacker D, Newburger JW; MUSIC Study Investigators. JAMA Pediatr. 2025 Mar 1.
Sacubitril/Valsartan in Pediatric Heart Failure (PANORAMA-HF): A Randomized, Multicenter, Double-Blind Trial. Shaddy R, Burch M, Kantor PF, Solar-Yohay S, Garito T, Zhang S, Kocun M, Mao C, Cilliers A, Wang X, Canter C, Rossano J, Wallis G, Menteer J, Daou L, Kusa J, Tokel K, Dilber D, Xu Z, Xiao T, Halnon N, Daly KP, Bock MJ, Zuckerman W, Singh TP, Chakrabarti M, Levitas A, Senni M, Grutter G, Kim GB, Song J, Lee HD, Chen CK, Sanchez-de-Toledo J, Law Y, Wanitkun S, Cui Y, Anjos R, Mese T, Bonnet D; PANORAMA-HF Investigators. Circulation. 2024 Nov 26.
Comparison of treatment strategies for neonates with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia. Meadows JJ, Bauser-Heaton H, Petit CJ, Goldstein BH, Qureshi AM, McCracken CE, Kelleman MS, Nicholson GT, Law MA, Zampi JD, Shahanavaz S, Chai PJ, Romano JC, Batlivala SP, Maskatia SA, Asztalos IB, Eilers L, Kamsheh AM, Healan SJ, Smith JD, Ligon RA, Dailey-Schwartz A, Pettus JA, Pajk AL, Glatz AC, Mascio CE. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Sep.
Cardiac complications in children with acute COVID-19 vs multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Hensley M, Goodman M, Madani R, Jaggi P, Keesari R, Zhang Q, Oster ME. Am Heart J. 2023 Sep.
Pulmonary Artery Hypoplasia in Neonates With Tetralogy of Fallot. Petit CJ, Glatz AC, Goldstone AB, Law MA, Romano JC, Maskatia SA, Chai PJ, Zampi JD, Meadows JJ, Nicholson GT, Shahanavaz S, Qureshi AM, McCracken CE, Mascio CE, Batlivala SP, Asztalos IB, Healan SJ, Smith JD, Pettus JA, Beshish A, Raulston JEB, Hock KM, Pajk AL, Goldstein BH. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023 Aug 15.
8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. “COVID-19 and Myocarditis.” Matt Oster. August 2023.
Palliation Strategy to Achieve Complete Repair in Symptomatic Neonates with Tetralogy of Fallot. Law MA, Glatz AC, Romano JC, Chai PJ, Mascio CE, Petit CJ, McCracken CE, Kelleman MS, Nicholson GT, Meadows JJ, Zampi JD, Shahanavaz S, Batlivala SP, Pettus J, Pajk AL, Hock KM, Goldstein BH, Qureshi AM; Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative (CCRC) Investigators. Pediatr Cardiol. 2022 Oct.
Risk of myocarditis and pericarditis following BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccination. Goddard K, Lewis N, Fireman B, Weintraub E, Shimabukuro T, Zerbo O, Boyce TG, Oster ME, Hanson KE, Donahue JG, Ross P, Naleway A, Nelson JC, Lewin B, Glanz JM, Williams JTB, Kharbanda EO, Katherine Yih W, Klein NP. Vaccine. 2022 Aug 19.
Comparison of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children-Related Myocarditis, Classic Viral Myocarditis, and COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Myocarditis in Children. Patel T, Kelleman M, West Z, Peter A, Dove M, Butto A, Oster ME. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 May 3.
Novel Techniques in Imaging Congenital Heart Disease: JACC Scientific Statement. Sachdeva R, Armstrong AK, Arnaout R, Grosse-Wortmann L, Han BK, Mertens L, Moore RA, Olivieri LJ, Parthiban A, Powell AJ. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024 Jan 2.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Determine Single Ventricle Function in a Pediatric Population is Feasible in a Large Trial Setting: Experience from the Single Ventricle Reconstruction Trial Longitudinal Follow up. Detterich J, Taylor MD, Slesnick TC, DiLorenzo M, Hlavacek A, Lam CZ, Sachdeva S, Lang SM, Campbell MJ, Gerardin J, Whitehead KK, Rathod RH, Cartoski M, Menon S, Trachtenberg F, Gongwer R, Newburger J, Goldberg C, Dorfman AL; the Pediatric Heart Network Investigators. Pediatr Cardiol. 2023 Oct.
Contemporary Utilization of Cardiac Imaging in Patients With Single Ventricle Congenital Heart Disease and Association With Change in Clinical Management. Patel T, Wallace M, Smith C, Sachdeva R. Am J Cardiol. 2023 Aug 1.
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 2025 Expert Consensus Document: Management of Ebstein anomaly in children and adults. Expert Consensus Panel; Chai P, Konstantinov IE, da Fonseca da Silva L, Qureshi M, Wackel P, Knott-Craig C, Connolly H, Walsh E, Singh H, Nelson J, Yoo SJ, Brizard C, Bacha E, Nido PD, Starnes V, Pedro da Silva J, Dearani J. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 Jul.
Rationale and design of CHD PULSE: Congenital Heart Disease Project to Understand Lifelong Survivor Experience. Oster ME, Yang Y, Shi C, Anderson S, Knight J, Spector LG, Aldoss O, Canter CE, Gaitonde M, Hiremath G, John A, Kozik DJ, Marino BS, McHugh KE, Overman D, Raghuveer G, Louis J St, Jacobs JP, Gurvitz M, Smith G, Claxton JS, Kuo K, Flores JM, Velani RN, Thomas A, Mertens A, Basler M, Carey V, Gavalas C, Johnson M, Mathews A, Nelson J, O'Grady K, Riley E, Roesler M, Sykes A, Young D, Kochilas LK. Am Heart J. 2024 Dec.
Mind the Gap! Working Toward Gender Equity in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease: Present and Future. Chowdhury D, Bansal N, Ansong A, Baker Smith C, Bauser-Heaton H, Choueiter N, Co-Vu J, Elliott P BS, Fuller S, Jain SS, Jone PN, Johnson JN, Karamlou T, Kipps AK, Laraja K, Lopez KN, Rasheed M, Ronai C, Sachdeva R, Saidi A, Snyder C, Sutton N, Stiver C, Taggart NW, Shaffer K, Williams R. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 May 7.
Bioprosthetic Pulmonary Valve Dysfunction in Congenital Heart Disease. Patel PM, Zapata D, Qu W, Callahan M, Rao N, Kelleman M, Kanter KR, Chai PJ, Shaw FR, Shashidharan S, Rosenblum JM. Ann Thorac Surg. 2023 Mar.
Implementation of Appropriate Use Criteria for Transthoracic Echocardiography in Follow-Up Care of Pediatric Patients with Congenital Heart Disease. Patel T, Kelleman M, Pickard S, Miller J, Suthar D, Sachdeva R. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2022 Oct.
Perioperative Metabolites Are Associated With Adverse Neonatal Congenital Heart Disease Surgical Outcomes. Heibel J, Graham EM, Mahle WT, Roux A, Graham D, Manlhiot C, Everett AD. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 Aug 16.
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