Thank you for joining us for Art & Medicine at the Nasher!
This program was in partnership with the Nasher Museum's Love & Anarchy exhibition. We hope you were moved to learn about the groundbreaking heart surgical advances pioneered by Joe Turek, MD, PhD, MBA, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Duke Children's.
If you want to learn more about the pioneering work happening every day at Duke Children's, please sign up for our quarterly e-newsletter.
If you want to support the work of the Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center, please make your gift here or contact Kristen Ward with Duke Children's Development at kristen.ward@duke.edu to discuss your philanthropy.
Dr. Turek and other cardiologists at the Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center performed the world's first partial heart transplant in 2022, the first heart and thymus transplant in 2021, and most recently the first-ever domino partial heart transplant in North Carolina, saving two babies who needed new hearts. Duke's pediatric cardiology and heart surgery program is ranked second in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
The world’s first partial heart transplant, performed on Owen Monroe in April of 2022, has achieved what researchers have spent more than a year hoping for -- functioning valves and arteries that grow along with the young patient, as hypothesized by the pioneering team behind the procedure at Duke Health. Owen is now a thriving toddler, growing and meeting milestones.
Read Owen's Story
Easton Sinnamon was the first person to receive a combination heart transplant and allogeneic processed thymus tissue implantation, in summer of 2021. Easton is now almost three and is gaining the immune cells necessary to reduce or eliminate the need for prolonged use of toxic anti-rejection drugs. He is currently only on one anti-rejection drug. Easton and his family were recently featured at the Duke Centennial Celebration Kickoff Event.
Read Easton's Story
When three-month-old Asher Hobby needed a heart transplant, his parents eagerly agreed to help to save another life at the same time. In June 2023 at Duke Health, Asher received a new heart from a deceased donor -- then the healthy valves and arteries from Asher’s old heart were transplanted into another infant with heart disease. Months later, both children are growing stronger and healthier every day.
Read Asher's StorySUPPORT THE DUKE PEDIATRIC AND CONGENITAL HEART CENTER
We appreciate gifts of any size, making sure that your generosity is used to advance medical care and provide a better tomorrow for our children. You can choose a dollar amount to give now, or continue exploring more ways that you can support heart patients at Duke Children's.