About Dhillon’s Gift
The Dhillon Jordan Shah Innovation Fund in Congenital Heart Disease, or Dhillon’s Gift, was created by his maternal grandmother Bev Foster and family at the UNC School of Nursing to honor the memory of Dhillon Jordan Shah, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a severe congenital heart defect. His 12.5 years were a heroic series of hurdles and milestones, inspiring everyone around him every step along his remarkable journey. Dhillon received medical care in three world-class institutions: UNC Health Care, the University of Michigan Health System, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dhillon’s Gift honors not only Dhillon but the health professionals who contributed to his care.
Dhillon’s Gift provides seed money to fund innovative projects for faculty, students and practitioners at all levels related to congenital heart defects across the lifespan. The goal of this initiative is to stimulate the career development and lifelong interest of health professionals in congenital heart disease (CHD), including prevention, patterns of occurrence, assessment, treatment, care across transitions, family resources and needs across the continuum of care, and the growth and development of the child into adulthood. It is estimated by some studies that there are currently over 2 million infants, children, adolescents and adults living with CHD in the US (CDC, 2021).
Learn more from Dr. Beverly Foster on Heart to Heart, a podcast dedicated to the congenital heart defect community. Listen here.
Questions? Please contact Dr. Brent Small, Senior Associate Dean for Research, at brent_small@unc.edu.