Columbia and Colin’s Kids Celebrate and Support Congenital Heart Disease Research

On November 30, 2022, the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons hosted a reception to honor the 11th annual recipients of research awards from Colin’s Kids, supporting research in pediatric cardiology. Established in 2008 by two families whose children were born with congenital heart defects, Colin’s Kids has been making awards to Columbia pediatric cardiology faculty and fellows since 2012, helping to improve the outcomes for babies and newborns who face similar medical challenges.

Julie S. Glickstein, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and director of the pediatric cardiology fellowship program, welcomed attendees with remarks on the extraordinary generosity and commitment of Colin’s Kids, which since its inception has raised over $200,000 to support congenital heart disease research at Columbia. Dr. Glickstein recognized the tremendous contributions of Colin’s Kids founders, Nancy King and Kelly Malloy: “Kelly and Nancy are such special women who have made Colin’s Kids the incredible organization that it is.” She also noted how the values of Colin’s Kids and of Columbia are so closely aligned: “This year’s award recipients represent the values and clinical talents of what a wonderful pediatric cardiologist should be- clinically smart, caring, empathetic.”

Recipients of this year’s Andrew King Awards, which supports the research of fellows training in pediatric cardiology at VP&S, are Stephen Bravo, MD; Sophie Hsein, MD; and William Patten, MD. The Colin Molloy Award, presented to a young faculty member in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology to support their research, this year went to Benjamin Mantell, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, whose research focuses on investigating various forms of heart transplant rejection, and ways to improve outcomes for patients considered high risk for transplant.

Pediatric Cardiology at Columbia

Faculty members of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology are premier cardiologists, trained in the full range of related subspecialties, providing comprehensive care for a wide spectrum of cardiac conditions and diseases that affect fetuses, newborns, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. We are the destination of choice for the very best clinicians in the field, as well as for the children who are faced with cardiac abnormalities, and their families – and we are engaged in a robust research program, to make the care we provide even better. And as part of a great university, we are training the medical students, residents and fellows who will build on our successes, and care for future generations of children. To learn more about our program, and about how you can help, please contact Jennifer Small, at 646-951-0255, or Jennifer.small@columbia.edu.

About Colin’s Kids

The mission of Colin’s Kids, Inc. is to provide funding to advance medical research related to congenital heart defects (CHD) and to provide financial assistance to families struggling to obtain the best care for their children.

In the spring of 2008, two families met in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian.  Their children, Colin and Andrew, were born with congenital heart defects and would spend the first weeks of their lives recovering from heart surgeries performed shortly after birth.  Andrew survived a transposition of the great arteries thanks to an arterial switch procedure that did not exist until thirty years ago.  Colin, born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, died from surgical complications after only 47 days, despite the best efforts of the dedicated staff at the hospital.  The families founded Colin’s Kids in memory of Colin, whose brief time nevertheless brought incredible joy to his family and friends, and in honor of Andrew, Colin’s first and best buddy.