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
Angela Lorts, MD, MBA
Co-Executive Director
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
David Rosenthal, MD
David Rosenthal, MD
Co-Executive Director
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Lauren Smyth, MHA
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.

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Executive Leadership

Iki Adachi, MD
Surgical Advisor
Texas
Children's
Shahnawaz Amdani, MD
Shahnawaz Amdani, MD
Research Advisor
Cleveland
Clinic
Jonathan Edelson, MD
Jonathan Edelson, MD
VAD Advisor
Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia
Amanda McCormick, MD
Amanda McCormick, MD
Heart Failure Advisor
C. S. Mott
Children’s Hospital
Deepa Mokshagundam, MD
Deepa Mokshagundam, MD
Advocacy Advisor
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
WashU Medicine
Jenna Murray, NP
Jenna Murray, CPNP
APP Advisor
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Deipanjan Nandi, MD
Deipanjan Nandi, MD
Muscular Dystrophy Advisor
Nationwide
Children’s Hospital
Matthew O'Connor, MD
Matthew O’Connor, MD
Academic Advisor
Children’s Hospital
of Philadelphia
David Peng, MD
David Peng, MD
Innovation Advisor
C. S. Mott
Children’s Hospital
Tanya Perry, DO
Tanya Perry, DO
VAD Advisor
Cohen Children’s
Medical Center
Joseph_Spinner_MD
Joseph Spinner, MD
Heart Failure Advisor
Texas Children's
Hospital
Christina VanderPluym
Cardiology Advisor
Boston Children’s
Hospital
Chet Villa, MD
Chet Villa, MD
Muscular Dystrophy Advisor
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Lydia Wright, MD
Lydia Wright, MD
Research Advisor
Nationwide
Children’s Hospital

Data / Research Outcomes

Scott Auerbach, MD
Scott Auerbach, MD
Children’s Hospital
Colorado
Rob Hyslop
Rob Hyslop, BSN, RN
Children’s Hospital
Colorado
Kwiatkowski_David
David Kwiatkowski, MD
Lucile Packard Children’s
Hospital Stanford​
Robert Niebler, MD
Robert Niebler, MD​
Children’s
Wisconsin

Disease or Treatment Specific Leadership

Heart Failure
Joseph_Spinner_MD
Joseph Spinner, MD
Texas Children’s
Hospital
Amanda McCormick, MD
Amanda McCormick, MD
C. S. Mott
Children’s Hospital
Congenital Heart Disease
Humera Ahmed, MD
Humera Amhed, MD
Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia
Ryan Kobayashi, MD
Ryan Kobayashi, MD
UCLA Mattel
Children's Hospital
Caroline West, MD, MS
Caroline West, MD, MS
Vanderbilt University
Medical Center
Thomas Glenn, MD
Tom Glenn, MD
Texas Children's
Hospital
Ventricular Assist Devices
Jonathan Edelson, MD
Jonathan Edelson, MD
Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia
Nora Hammond, MSN, APRN-NP
Nora Hammond, MSN, APRN-NP
Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Jenna Murray, NP
Jenna Murray, CPNP
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Tanya Perry, DO
Tanya Perry, DO
Cohen Children’s
Medical Center
Christina VanderPluym, MD
Christina VanderPluym, MD
Boston Children’s
Hospital
Muscular Dystrophy
Linda Cripe, MD
Nationwide Children's
Hospital
Deipanjan Nandi, MD
Deipanjan Nandi, MD
Nationwide Children's
Hospital
Emily Hayes, MD
Emily Hayes, MD
Nationwide Children's
Hospital
Chet Villa, MD
Chet Villa, MD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Wittlieb-Weber Carol, MD
Carol Wittlieb-Weber, MD
Children’s Hospital
of Philadelphia
Cardio-Oncology
Neha Bansal, MD
Neha Bansal, MD
Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital / NYU Langone Medical Center
Thomas Ryan, MD
Thomas Ryan, MD, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Medical Center
Heang Lim, MD
Heang Lim, MD
University of Michigan Health
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
Elyse Miller, MD
Elyse Miller, MD
Children's Medical Center of Dallas / UT Southwestern
Kasey Leger, MD, MSc
Seattle Children's
Hospital
Jonathan Bender_MD
Jonahan Bender, MD, MS
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Medical Center

Core Initiative Leaders

  • Betsy Blume, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Melissa Cousino, PhD, C.S. Mott Children’s
  • Andrea Fasbinder, MSN, RN, PHN, Stanford Children’s Health / Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
  • Aine Lynch, MBBCh, BAO, MSc, CUIMC/New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley 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
  • Anna Joong, MD, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
  • Joseph Spinner, MD, Texas Children’s Hospital
  • Antonio Amodeo, MD, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

Leadership Committee (not listed above)

  • Christopher Almond, MD, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
  • Shahnawaz Amdani, MD, Cleveland Clinic Children’s
  • Sharon Chen, MD, Primary Children’s Hospital/University of Utah Health
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Steven Zangwill, MD, Phoenix Children’s

Operations & Data Coordinating Center

Located within the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

  • Jenelle Baker, Admin
  • Aislinn Desieghardt, Data Analyst
  • Toni Duganiero, Data Management
  • Katie Flaspohler, Coordinator
  • Eden Freudenberg, Data Management Coordinator
  • Harish Gureddygari, Developer II
  • Tori Hinton, Data Management Specialist
  • Benjamin Kroslowitz, Sr. Data Analyst
  • Christina Larkins, Program Management
  • Megan Lunsford, Program Management
  • Rashmita Naorem, Research Assistant
  • Kacie Serrato, Designer, Swash & Dot Design
  • Muhammad Shezad, MHSA, Staff Scientist

Key Stakeholders

  • Joseph Hillenburg,  Parent Advisor
  • Kirstie Keller, PhD,  Additional Ventures
  • Bob Kroslowitz,  Berlin Heart, Inc.
  • Melissa McQueen,  Parent Advisor

Our Sites

To contact an ACTION site or member, please email us and let us know who you would like to connect with.

  1. Advocate Children’s Hospital
  2. American Family Children’s Hospital
  3. Arkansas Children’s Hospital
  4. Boston Children’s Hospital
  5. Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center
  6. Children’s Health Dallas
  7. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
  8. Children’s Hospital at Montefiore
  9. Children’s Hospital Colorado
  10. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
  11. Children’s Hospital of Michigan
  12. Children’s Hospital of New Orleans
  13. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  14. Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
  15. Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU
  16. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
  17. Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
  18. Children’s Mercy Kansas City
  19. Children’s Minnesota
  20. Children’s Nebraska
  21. Children’s National Medical Center
  22. Children’s of Alabama
  23. Children’s of Mississippi
  24. CHU Sainte-Justine
  25. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  26. Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital
  27. Cohen Children’s Medical Center
  28. C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
  29. Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas
  30. Duke Children’s Hospital
  31. Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone
  32. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
  33. Holtz Children’s Hospital/Jackson Memorial
  34. Inova L. J. Murphy Children’s Hospital
  35. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
  36. Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
  37. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
  38. Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
  39. Levine Children’s Hospital
  40. Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital
  41. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
  42. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
  43. Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital
  44. Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian
  45. Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Heart Center
  46. MUSC Children’s Health
  47. Nationwide Children’s Hospital
  48. Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
  49. Norton Children’s Hospital
  50. Ochsner Hospital for Children
  51. Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center
  52. OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
  53. Phoenix Children’s Hospital
  54. Primary Children’s Hospital
  55. Rady Children’s Hospital
  56. Riley Hospital for Children
  57. Seattle Children’s Hospital
  58. Sick Kids – The Hospital for Sick Children
  59. St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
  60. St. Louis Children’s Hospital
  61. Stollery Children’s Hospital
  62. Texas Children’s Hospital
  63. UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital
  64. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
  65. UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital
  66. University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital
  67. University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital
  68. UVA Children’s
  69. Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital
  1. Australia – Melbourne: The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
  2. Australia – Westmead: Children’s Hospital Westmead
  3. Brazil – São Paulo: Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo
  4. Brazil – São Paulo: Heart Institute (InCor) University of São Paulo Medical School
  5. Italy – Rome:  Bambino Gesù Children Hospital
  6. Japan – Osaka: National Cerebral and CV Center
  7. Japan – Osaka: The University of Osaka
  8. Japan – Tokyo: Tokyo Women’s Medical University
  9. Japan – Tokyo: The University of Tokyo
  10. Japan – Hidaka: Saitama International Medical University
  11. Poland – Gdańsk: Medical University of Gdańsk
  12. Singapore – KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
  13. Switzerland – Zurich: Children’s Hospital Zurich
  14. Turkey – Ankara: Ankara City Hospital
  15. United Kingdom – Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
  16. United Kingdom – London: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
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Our team is ready to get you on the path to heart success.
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