ISHLT2026: Pediatric Heart Transplantation Innovation Challenge Grant Selection Session (Non-CME)
22 April, 2026 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. EDT
Supported by The ISHLT Foundation and Enduring Hearts
This session will showcase presentations from the five finalists for the ISHLT/Enduring Hearts Pediatric Heart Transplantation Innovation Challenge Grant, which will be scored by on site judges. This grant is aimed at supporting research that focuses on improving outcomes for pediatric patients who undergo heart transplantation.
The winner will be announced during General Session III on Saturday, 25 April.
Grant Finalists
Maria Gagnon, MSN, RN, PHN
M Health Fairview
Minneapolis, MN USA
Research Proposal Title: Nurse-Led Pediatric-to-Adult Heart Transplant Transition Pilot: Early Adult Team Engagement and Post-Transfer Support
Mathieu Garand, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO USA
Research Proposal Title: Stealth Viral Immunomodulation in Pediatric Heart Transplantation: Defining the Impact of Human Pegivirus on Immune Homeostasis, Rejection, and PTLD Risk
Carolina Moore, PhD, MBA
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH USA
Research Proposal Title: Early Thymectomy and Alloantigen Exposure as Determinants of Immune Trajectory and Early Allograft Injury in Pediatric Heart Transplantation
Alireza Raissadati, MD, PhD
Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA USA
Research Proposal Title: Distinguishing Cellular from Antibody-Mediated Heart Transplant Rejection Using Plasma Cell-Free mRNA
Taufiek Rajab, MD
Arkansas Children's Hospital
Little Rock, AR USA
Research Proposal Title: Allograft Preservation Using Vitrification in a Clinical-Size Animal Model
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