Hollis, NH (November 25, 2024) – Heartfelt Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the treatment experience for congenital heart defect (CHD) patients and their families, is proud to announce Shannon Murray, M.D. as the recipient of its Advanced ACHD Fellows Grant for 2024. Dr. Murray has been awarded $5,000 in financial assistance to pursue her specialized medical training in cardiology and critical care skills to better treat congenital heart defect patients.
Dr. Murray received her undergraduate degree from Lawrence University and completed her medical degree at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. After completing her Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin, she went on to complete the Pediatric Cardiology Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus where she is now in the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fellowship Program. Dr. Murray is completing her ACHD fellowship with a particular research interest in determining whether an association exists between Body Mass Index (BMI) and the
timing and incidence of pulmonary valve replacement among adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot.
“The Heartfelt Dreams Foundation is extremely proud to recognize Dr. Shannon Murray as the third recipient of our Advanced ACHD Fellows Grant,” said Eric Ankerud, CEO, President, and co-founder of the Heartfelt Dreams Foundation. “Our Board of Directors were very impressed with Dr. Murray’s desire and vision to enhance treatment for CHD patients. Her research interest and dedication to specialized training in congenital heart disease represents the future of caring for patients with this life-long condition.”
The Heartfelt Dreams Foundation awards the Advanced ACHD Fellows Grant annually to support the education, time, money, and commitment that comes with medical school and professional development in cardiovascular medicine. Through decades of medical and surgical treatment, specialized cardiologists have played a critical role in the care and treatment for Heartfelt Dreams Foundation Co-Founder, Lori Ankerud’s complex CHD condition. Grant recipients will make the same difference in providing quality healthcare for congenital heart defect patients.
“The grant funding provided to our future ACHD cardiologists through the Heartfelt Dreams ACHD Fellows Grant Program is vital to support the future generation of ACHD experts, researchers and those who will change and impact our field,” said Doreen Defaria Yeh, M.D., Program Director of Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, Associate Director of the MGH Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, and Medical Advisor to Heartfelt Dreams Foundation. “Given the many years of training necessary for ACHD sub-specialization, Fellows accrue significant debt and financial programs such as this allow them to invest in their innovative research ideas and expand their training opportunities. In the U.S., we are not training enough physicians annually to sustain the growth of this field and all efforts, like this one, to support and mentor ACHD trainees are critically needed.”
Heartfelt Dreams Foundation strives to see every CHD patient lead a long, healthy and meaningful life. The Foundation is committed to facilitating greater access to care and treatment for CHD patients of all ages and strengthens the network of specialty heart centers and physicians across the country. For more information about the Heartfelt Dreams Foundation Advanced ACHD Fellows Grant, please visit www.heartfeltdreamsfoundation.org.
About Heartfelt Dreams Foundation:
Founded in 2019 by Lori and Eric Ankerud, Heartfelt Dreams Foundation (HDF) is the only nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the dual mission of improving the CHD treatment experience for patients and families and advancing CHD education within the medical community. Congenital heart defects are the number one birth defect in the United States and there are more than two million Americans living with CHD. Heartfelt Dreams Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for these patients and their families, increasing the number of cardiologists and medical facilities capable of properly treating CHD, and facilitating connections between patients and the medical community. Please find more information at www.heartfeltdreamsfoundation.org and follow HDF on Facebook and Twitter.
Contact: Andrea Peicott, apeicott@elevatecom.com, 978-270-7934
