ABOUT ACTION
Our Team
Our team knows when it’s time to take action.
Our hearts are in ACTION.
We have grown exponentially since our start in 2017— our global healthcare network is comprised of patients, families, clinicians, researchers and industry representatives. Our multi-disciplinary leadership team and members work together to guide ACTION’s initiatives to improve outcomes for patients.
Founders
Angela Lorts, MD, MBA
Co-Executive Director
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
David Rosenthal, MD
Co-Executive Director
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Lauren Smyth, MHA
Director, Operations
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Inspiring ACTION
After a heartbreaking experience, Liam and his family inspired providers across the country to rethink how they communicate and learn from one another. Now, with the ACTION collaborative, every patient has access to a healthcare community working together to provide the best care throughout their heart health journey.
Executive Leadership
Neha Bansal, MD
Media & Outreach Advisor
Mount Sinai Kravis
Children's Heart Center
Children's Heart Center
Melissa Cousino, PhD
Psychology Advisor
C. S. Mott
Children’s Hospital
Children’s Hospital
Katrina Fields, BSN
VAD Coordinator Advisor
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
David Morales, MD
Surgical Advisor
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Jenna Murray, NP
APP Advisor
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Matthew O’Connor, MD
Academic Advisor
Children’s Hospital
of Philadelphia
of Philadelphia
David Peng, MD
Innovation Advisor
C. S. Mott
Children’s Hospital
Children’s Hospital
Tanya Perry, DO
ICU Advisor
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Joseph Spinner, MD
Heart Failure Advisor
Texas Children's
Hospital
Hospital
Christina VanderPluym, MD
Cardiology Advisor
Boston Children’s
Hospital
Hospital
Chet Villa, MD
Muscular Dystrophy Advisor
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Executive Adjunct Leadership
Scott Auerbach, MD
Pediatric Heart Transplant Society
Katy Fraser
Abbott
Kirstie Keller, PhD
Additional Ventures
Bob Kroslowitz
Berlin Heart, Inc.
Melissa McQueen
Transplant Families
Sara Pasquali, MD, MHS
Cardiac Networks United
Joesph Rossano, MD, MS
Pedimacs
Farhan Zafar, MD
Data Consultant
Data Adjudication & Visualization Leadership
Scott Auerbach, MD
Children’s Hospital
Colorado
Colorado
David Kwiatkowski, MD
Lucile Packard Children’s
Hospital Stanford
Hospital Stanford
Robert Niebler, MD
Children’s
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Disease or Treatment Specific Leadership
Heart Failure
Ryan Butts, MD
Children’s Health
Dallas
Dallas
Kathleen Simpson, MD
Children's Hospital
Colorado
Colorado
Joseph Spinner, MD
Texas Children’s
Hospital
Hospital
Congenital Heart Disease
Ari Cedars, MD
Johns Hopkins
Children's Center
Children's Center
Kurt Schumacher, MD
C. S. Mott
Children’s Hospital
Children’s Hospital
Kathleen Simpson, MD
Children's Hospital
Colorado
Colorado
Ventricular Assist Devices
Jennifer Conway, MD
Stollery Children’s
Hospital
Hospital
Angie Lorts, MD, MBA
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Christina VanderPluym, MD
Boston Children’s
Hospital
Hospital
Muscular Dystrophy
Linda Cripe, MD
Nationwide
Children’s
Children’s
Deipanjan Nandi, MD
Nationwide
Children’s
Children’s
Chet Villa, MD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Preparing for Transplant
Neha Bansal, MD
Mount Sinai Kravis
Children's Heart Center
Children's Heart Center
Seth Hollander, MD
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Aamir Jeewa, MD
SickKids/
The Hospital for Sick Children
The Hospital for Sick Children
Core Initiative Leaders
- Betsy Blume, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Melissa Cousino, PhD, C.S. Mott Children’s
- Lindsay May, MD, Primary Children’s
- Kevin Hall, MD, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital
- Dave Peng, MD, C.S. Mott Children’s
- Jennifer Conway, MD, Stollery Children’s
- Dave Peng, MD, C.S. Mott Children’s
- Kathleen Simpson, MD, Children’s Hospital Colorado
- Katrina Fields, BSN, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- Jodie Lantz, MSN, Children’s Health Dallas
- Tanya Perry, DO, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- Anna Joong, MD, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
- Joseph Spinner, MD, Texas Children’s Hospital
Task Force & Committee Leaders (not listed above)
- Christopher Almond, MD, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
- Shahnawaz Amdani, MD, Cleveland Clinic Children’s
- Sharon Chen, MD, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
- Lara Danziger-Isakov, MD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- John Dykes, MD, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
- Barbara Elias, BSN, Texas Children’s
- Jesse Esch, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Brian Feingold, MD, Children’s of Pittsburgh
- Josh Friedland-Little, MD, Seattle Children’s
- Robert Gajarski, MD, Nationwide Children’s
- Kristen George, NP, Sick Kids/The Hospital for Sick Children
- Nancy Ghanayem, MD, Advocate Children’s Hospital
- Aamir Jeewa, MD, Sick Kids/The Hospital for Sick Children
- Michael Khoury, MD, Stollery Children’s Hospital
- Steven Kindel, MD, Children’s Wisconsin
- Mary Mehegan, RN, St. Louis Children’s
- Michelle Ploutz, MD, Primary Children’s
- Marc Richmond, MD, Columbia Morgan Stanley
- Arash Salavitabar, MD, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- David Sutcliffe, MD, Children’s Mercy Kansas City
- Hari Tunuguntla, MD, Texas Children’s
- Kae Watanabe, MD, Texas Children’s
- Samuel Wittekind, MD, Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Steven Zangwill, MD, Phoenix Children’s
Operations & Data Coordinating Center
Located within the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- Aislinn Desieghardt, Data Analyst
- Toni Duganiero, Data Management
- Katie Flaspohler, Coordinator
- Eden Freudenberg, Data Management Coordinator
- Harish Gureddygari, Developer II
- Benjamin Kroslowitz, Sr. Data Analyst
- Christina Larkins, Program Management
- Rashmita Naorem, Research Assistant
- Nikita Orwick, Program Management
- Kacie Serrato, Designer, Swash & Dot Design
- Muhammad Shezad, MHSA, Staff Scientist
Key Stakeholders
- Sonya Bhavsar Abiomed
- Eric Chen Abbott
- Katy Fraser Abbott
- Robert Kormos Abbott
- Kirstie Keller, PhD Additional Ventures
- Bob Kroslowitz Berlin Heart, Inc.
- Melissa McQueen, Parent Advisor
- Leslie Sweet Medtronic
- Elizabeth Oei SynCardia
Our Sites
To contact an ACTION site or member, please email us and let us know who you would like to connect with.
- Advocate Children’s Hospital
- American Family Children’s Hospital
- Arkansas Children’s Hospital
- Boston Children’s Hospital
- Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center
- Children’s Health Dallas
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
- Children’s Hospital at Montefiore
- Children’s Hospital Colorado
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
- Children’s Hospital of Michigan
- Children’s Hospital of New Orleans
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU
- Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
- Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
- Children’s Mercy Kansas City
- Children’s Minnesota
- Children’s Nebraska
- Children’s National Medical Center
- Children’s of Alabama
- Children’s of Mississippi
- CHU Sainte-Justine
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital
- Cohen Children’s Medical Center
- C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
- Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas
- Duke Children’s Hospital
- Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone
- Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
- Holtz Children’s Hospital/Jackson Memorial
- Inova L. J. Murphy Children’s Hospital
- Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
- Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
- Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
- Levine Children’s Hospital
- Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital
- Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
- Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
- Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital
- Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian
- Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Heart Center
- MUSC Children’s Health
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
- Norton Children’s Hospital
- Ochsner Hospital for Children
- Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center
- OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
- Phoenix Children’s Hospital
- Primary Children’s Hospital
- Rady Children’s Hospital
- Riley Hospital for Children
- Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Sick Kids – The Hospital for Sick Children
- St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
- St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- Stollery Children’s Hospital
- Texas Children’s Hospital
- UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital
- UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
- UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital
- University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital
- University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital
- UVA Children’s
- Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital
United Kingdom
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Great Ormond Street Hospital for ChildrenMalaysia
National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara, Kuala Lumpur)Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia Children’s HospitalSão Paulo, Brazil
Heart Institute (InCor) University of São Paulo Medical SchoolRome, Italy
Bambino Gesù Children Hospital
