Current Environment:

Getting Involved | Overview

The Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program is based on the ongoing research of executive director Jane W. Newburger, MD, MPH, and her colleagues.

Patient registry

We are assembling a registry of neurodevelopmental information for many of our patients. Participation in this registry is completely voluntary and confidential. Currently, 90 percent of our patients choose to participate. The registry serves as a rich data source for current and future research into the effects of pediatric heart disease on neurodevelopment.

For more information, please call our program coordinators at 617-355-3401.

Research funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

With funding from the NHLBI, Dr. Newburger — along with Boston Children's colleagues Michael Rivkin, MD; David Bellinger, PhD; and David DeMaso, MD — is studying the relationship of development and behavior to brain structure using MRI brain scans in teenagers with CHD.

Additionally, through the NHLBI-funded Pediatric Heart Network, Boston Children’s faculty are studying the longer-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of young children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and other forms of single ventricle defects.