September 2022:
Announcing the recipients of the third round of ACHA Research Grants! This year, we are funding four more research projects. Three are recipients of the ACHA 2022 Research Grant Awards (funded by ACHA with support from the Meil Family Foundation, the Dale Amorosia Heart Fund, and Brad’s Heart of a Jayhawk Heart Fund), and the fourth is the inaugural Meil Family Foundation Research Award for Neurocognitive Studies (funded by ACHA and the Meil Family Foundation). Click here for a news story and more on each grant. You can also learn more about all our research grants below.
As the ACHA research program continues to grow, it remains an integral part of the organization’s five pillars, along with awareness, accreditation, advocacy, and education.
July 2021:
We are thrilled to announce our second round of research grants to fund four new projects taking place across the country. The grants are jointly funded by ACHA, the Meil Family Foundation, Project Heart, the Dale Amorosia Heart Fund, and the Brad's Heart of a Jayhawk Research Fund. Click here for a news story and more on each grant.
ACHA funds critical research focused on, but not limited to: functional abilities, risk factors, outcomes of treatment, patient-centered care models, anxiety, self-management interventions, improving pregnancy outcomes, protein measurements, cognitive impairments, and resilience in stress management.
May 2019:
After an extensive application and peer review process, we are thrilled to announce the funding of the Adult Congenital Heart Association's inaugural research grants.
Jointly funded with the Meil Family Foundation, Project Heart, and the Dale Amorosia Heart Fund, ACHA is funding six research grants in 2019 to advance the science of congenital heart disease (CHD) in adults, including three provider grants and three fellow grants.
With the advent of this new ACHA program, we can continue to improve the lives of CHD patients and future generations in partnership with medical professionals.
Click here for the news story and more on each grant.
ACHA Research Grants
2022:
ACHA Research Grant Awards
- REHAB Fontan Failure: RCT of the Effects of cardiac reHABilitation versus Tadalafil Among Patients with Fontan Failure, Jonathan Menachem, MD, and Daniel Clark, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Impact of a Home-Based Healthy Lifestyle Program on Body Composition and Exercise Capacity in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Patients with Heart Failure, Tracey Thompson, MD, and Salil Ginde, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
- Validating a Patient-Reported Outcomes Tool in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease, R. Thomas Collins II, MD, Alexander Sandhu, MD, and Jennifer Woo, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Meil Family Foundation Research Award for Neurocognitive Studies
- Exploring Mind Body Resilience and Coping/Cognitive Exercises-(EMBRACE): A Psychoeducational Intervention for Adult Congenital Heart Disease, a Randomized Control Trial, Vicki Freedenberg, PhD, RN, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
2021:
- Intrahepatic Transcriptomics Discriminate Advanced Fibrosis in Patients with the Fontan Circulation, Katia Bravo-Jaimes, MD, Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center, Los Angeles, CA
- Renal Functional Reserve in Adults with a Fontan Circulation, Adam Lubert, MD, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
- Novel Remotely-Monitored Home-Based Cardiac Physical Activity Program Using Real-Time Data for Patients with Fontan Circulation, Prashob Porayette, MBBS, MS, University of Iowa Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, Iowa City, IA
- Our Care Wishes – Adults with Congenital Heart Disease (OCW-ACHD), Lynda Tobin, CRNP, and Yuli Kim, MD, Philadelphia Adult Congenital Heart Center, Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
2019:
Click on the researchers' names below for a video to learn more about each project, and on the study title for more information:
- Dr. Nael Aldweib, Serial C-Reactive Protein Measurements to Predict Clinical Events in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease
- Dr. Valeria E. Duarte, Improving Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Tetralogy of Fallot
- Dr. Richard A. Krasuski, Peer Coaching Adaptive Self-Management Interventions for Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease (CHASM IN ACHD)
- Dr. Matthew Lewis, Patient Centered Research Models to Diagnose and Treat Anxiety Disorders in Adult Congenital Heart Disease: A Pilot Pragmatic Clinical Trial
- Dr. Carla P. Rodriguez-Monserrate, Cognitive Impairments in Adult CHD Patients
- Dr. Jill Steiner, Strategies for the Successful Adaption of the PRISM (Promoting Resilience in Stress Management) Intervention to Promote Resilience for Patients with Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital Heart Initiative
The Heart Research Alliance, Children's National Hospital and University of California San Francisco, in conjunction with the Adult Congenital Heart Association, came together to fight for a better future for those living with congenital heart defects by creating the Congenital Heart Initiative, an adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patient registry. This initiative will give researchers, health care providers and patients a deeper understanding of ACHD as a condition, informing future research projects and spurring innovation to improve patient outcomes and quality of life!
If you are a patient living with ACHD, consider enrolling in the registry! Learn more by clicking here.
ACHA wants our community to know how important research is in improving the quality of care and the quality of life for people with adult congenital heart disease. We work to inform patients and caregivers about open studies, to support research and to develop partnerships that advance the research agenda for ACHD.
You can help advance research in adult congenital heart disease by:
- Increasing awareness of ACHD
- Advocating for research funding for ACHD
- Educating yourself about the ACHD research agenda
- Participating in a clinical trial of study
Clinical Trials
There are clinical trials for all types of ACHD as well as studies that focus on the emotional and social issues that people with CHD face. Some require only that you fill out a survey form or participate in an interview; others involve actual treatment in a specific clinic or center.
ACHA lists several open studies on these pages. These are projects that we have co-sponsored or supported or were conducted by our partners. We encourage you to review these studies and considering participating in a trial if it is appropriate.
The best way to find a clinical trial is to talk to your ACHD specialist about finding a study that is appropriate for you. You can also find clinical trials for adult congenital heart disease by going to www.clinicaltrials.gov. This is a very comprehensive website but some may find it difficult to use. Before searching this site, make sure you know your diagnosis and are aware of any issues or complications that you have. Every trial has very specific eligibility requirements. Talk to your doctor about your option to participate in a clinical trial. Print out anything you find on line for that discussion.
CenterWatch
www.CenterWatch.com, is a resource that helps both professionals and patients find industry-sponsored clinical trials.
By participating in a clinical trial, you can potentially help yourself and make a real contribution to the treatment and care of adults with congenital heart disease, today and tomorrow.
In Research
Studies Enrolling Subjects
Studies Enrolling Subjects
Discover where and how you can participate in Congenital Heart Disease studies, including the Quality of Life in Adults with Atrial Septal Defects study.
Learn about or enroll in ACHA sponsored research projects
ACHA Sponsored Research
These efforts address the great need for better information on the numbers and kinds of people affected by ACHD, and on the long-term outcomes of living with these heart conditions.
Congenital Heart Initiative
Congenital Heart Initiative
About the Registry While nearly 2 million adults in the United States are living with a congenital heart defect, it’s been historically hard to gather significant data on these...