Our Team
We are a group of physicians, nurses, social workers, parents, and advocates who care for children with congenital heart disease. Even though CHD is the most common type of birth defect in the U.S., we struggled to find a comprehensive resource that answered basic questions for parents about “What happens next?” on the CHD care journey. So we worked together to create one.
Combining our professional and personal experiences, we built this website to help families find their way after diagnosis – wherever they live or receive care.
The topics in this resource were all suggested by parents, who were critical partners and contributors in this collaboration. Medical professionals and parents reviewed the website content to ensure that it is useful, accurate, and relatable.
Our goal is to empower families with practical guidance that is easy to access and understand, and to provide vital emotional support and resources.
Special thanks to the Association of Auxiliaries for Children, whose generous support made this resource possible.
List of Contributors
| Name | Position | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Shantelle Barta, NP | Nurse Practioner, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program | University of Utah |
| Kara Belinsky, LICSW | Clinical Social Worker, Obstetrics & Gynecology | Brigham and Women’s Hospital |
| Kara Adams Boo | Parent and Director | Family Voices of Tennessee |
| Dolores Chavez | Financial Counselor | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Kelly Coaty | Parent | |
| Kayla Demuth | Clinic Clerical Coordinator | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Danielle Doolitle, MSW, ASW | Clinical Social Worker | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Lauren Dubrouillet | Parent | |
| Gretchen Eckstein, RN BSN | Clinical Research Nurse and fMCG Program Coordinator | Children’s Wisconsin Herma Heart Institute |
| Shannon Feehan, MSN, RN, CPN | Patient Care Director | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Austin French | Parent | |
| Katherine French | Parent | |
| Flora Nunez Gallegos, MD | Fellow in Pediatric Cardiology | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Kristen Gosnell, MS, RN | Fetal Cardiology Program Nurse Coordinator | UCSF Benioff |
| Anita Moon Grady, MD | Medical Director, Fetal Cardiology Program | UCSF Benioff |
| Sarah Vega Grove | Parent | |
| Deborah Ho, MD | Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatric Cardiology | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Meg Homeyer, MS, CGC, LGC | Genetic Counselor | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Hannah Ison, MS, LCGC | Genetic Counselor | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Jessica Jones, MD | Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatrics | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Beth Kaufman, MD | Pediatric Cardiologist | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Ann Kavanaugh-McHugh, MD | Medical Director, Fetal Cardiology Program | Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt |
| Alaina Kipps, MD, MS | Medical Director, Acute Care Pediatric Cardiology | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Rachel Kotheimer | Parent | |
| Kelly LaRash | Parent | |
| Lindsay Macias, LCSW | Clinical Social Worker | UC Davis Health, Fetal Care & Treatment Center |
| Jennifer Mangena, RN | Nurse | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Karina Meraz | CV Financial Coordinator | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Marcos Mills, MD | Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatric Cardiology | Emory University |
| Marta Moyano | Medical Spanish Interpreter | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Sharon Paige, MD, PhD | Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatric Cardiology | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Sameer Pangrekar | Parent | |
| Koyelle Papneja, MD | Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatric Cardiology | UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital |
| Sarah Pekoc | Parent | |
| Marsha Perez | Parent Mentor (Spanish Speaking) | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Linda Pilkinton | Parent | |
| Amy Quirin, RN BSN | Fetal Cardiology Program Manager | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Krista Reuther, LCSW, MPH | Manager, Family Guidance & Bereavement Program | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Daniela Rey-Ardilla | Latinx Family Resource Program Lead | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Loren Sacks, MD | Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatric Cardiology | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Julie Sachse | Parent | |
| Cynthia Schultz | Parent | |
| Danielle Sganga, MD | Fellow in Pediatric Cardiology | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Kami Skurow-Todd, MSN, RNC-NIC | Fetal Program Nurse Coordinator | Johns Hopkins Children’s Center |
| Jodi Smith, Esq. | Parent and Program Manager | Mended Little Hearts |
| Missy Smith | Parent | |
| Mariel Spengler | Parent and Family Advisory Council Coordinator | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Michelle Steltzer, APRN-NP | Single Ventricle Program Coordinator | Lurie Children’s Hospital |
| Theresa Tacy, MD | Medical Director, Fetal Cardiology Program | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Ari Vanrenen | Parent | |
| Nicole Warren | Parent | |
| Liana Zannis, MSW | Clinical Social Worker | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
| Ellen Zemarkowitz, LCSW | Clinical Social Worker | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford |
Empowering families with knowledge and tools for the CHD care journey