Beth Cosgrove awarded Dhillon Jordan Shah Innovation Fund award

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Beth Cosgrove, PhD, MSN, RN, PNP-PC, who has been awarded support from the 2024 Dhillon Jordan Shah Innovation Fund, an endowment intended to encourage and support students, post-graduates and practitioners working on pilot endeavors in the field of congenital heart defects. 

Beth’s project is titled: “Our Lives, Our Stories: Young People with Chronic Health Conditions Tell Their Own Stories,” with co-investigators Professor Marcia Van Riper, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Professor and Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Programs and Division, Louise Fleming, PhD, RN, FAAN. 

The purpose of the study is to gain a better understanding of life with a complex chronic condition from the perspective of young people ages 12 to 25 years. As many as 20% of adolescents and young adults have a chronic condition that requires special health care considerations. However, there is a lack of research in which adolescents and young adults are given the opportunity to identify quality indicators that support their quality of life. These findings can help young people with chronic conditions meet their quality-of-life goals, gain autonomy for healthcare needs and management and support nurses in identifying and meeting the needs of young people managing complex chronic health conditions. 

Dhillon’s Gift, the Dhillon Jordan Shah Innovation Fund, was created by his maternal grandmother Bev Foster and family at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing to honor the memory of Dhillon Jordan Shah, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a severe congenital heart defect. 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.

Learn more about Dhillon’s gift here.