Program Overview

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Strategic Plan includes, as part of its goals and challenges, recognition of a critical need to accelerate the translation of basic research findings into clinical studies and trials, and to provide clinical input on pressing needs for basic research. To accomplish this goal, the NHLBI established an innovative translational research program in pediatric cardiovascular disease, the “Bench to Bassinet” Program. The Bench to Bassinet Program includes two new research consortia: the Pediatric Cardiac Genomic Consortium (PCGC) and the Cardiovascular Development Consortium (CvDC), administered through a common Coordinating Center (CC), and aligns with the Pediatric Heart Network, funded by NHLBI since 2001.