Isabel Roth awarded Dhillon Jordan Shah Innovation Fund award

A person with short brown hair, wearing a black blazer over a light blouse, small hoop earrings, and a delicate necklace, smiles at the camera against a plain light gray background. — *Isabel Roth, DrPH, MS*

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Isabel Roth, DrPH, MS, who has been awarded support from the 2025 Dhillon Jordan Shah Innovation Fund, an endowment intended to encourage and support faculty, students, post-graduates and practitioners working on pilot endeavors in the field of congenital heart defects.  

Roth’s project is titled: “Circle of Care: Caregiver Insights and Evaluation of Integrative Health Resources in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology” with co-investigators Melissa Luna, MD, MPH, Social/Clinical Research Specialist, UNC School of Medicine; Cammie Moore Presler, DNP, RN, CPNP, CPON, Clinical Assistant Professor; Carmen D. Echols, PharmD, BCPPS, CPP, Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, UNC Health; Thomas Alexander, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UNC School of Medicine; Victoria Crowder PhD, T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Becky Salomon, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, Assistant Professor; and Tamryn Fowler Gray, PhD, RN, MPH, Assistant Professor.

Families of children with cancer and hematological conditions often face intense physical, emotional, and informational challenges, as conventional treatments can cause significant side effects. They are often navigating complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches such as mindfulness, yoga, guided imagery, dietary supplements, and traditional healing practices, often without discussing this use with providers.

In response to growing family interest, this interprofessional team of clinicians and researchers, after conducting family surveys and national qualitative interviews, launched a pediatric CIH consult service in January 2025. Led by a nurse practitioner and supported by a pediatric pharmacist and program manager, the service has already supported 68 patients, with early experiences showing strong family engagement, improved care coordination and growth opportunities.

A young boy with short brown hair and a big smile stands outdoors next to a tree, wearing a dark, striped sweater. The background is softly blurred with hints of greenery. — *Dhillon Jordan Shah* *(2002–2015)*

With support from Dhillon’s Gift, the team will now formally evaluate and strengthen the service by examining its reach, feasibility, and acceptability, and identifying ways to expand and improve CIH support for children with cancer and non-malignant hematological conditions and their families.

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. 