With the donation from Kinderherzen wollen leben, the DZHK will be able to create a five year professorship for ‘Cardiogenetics of Congenital Structural Heart Diseases’. The funding will be used at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU) and complemented by another DZHK-funded project from Professor Hans-Heiner Kramer (Director of the Clinic for Congenital Heart Defects and Pediatric Cardiology at the University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Kiel Campus). He says: "I am very grateful to the association for the enormous financial support in establishing the endowed professorship. Creating the very best research environment enables young, highly qualified researchers to build successful scientific careers in Germany".
The Neumünster-based Kinderherzen wollen leben is a non-profit organization that promotes the use of research to improve the long-term prognosis of children with congenital heart defects. It was founded 19 years ago by the parents of children treated at the Kiel Children's Heart Center. Their main aim is "to improve the future possibilities of children with heart conditions, but we also want to show our gratitude to the many people who work at the clinic by fundraising for research ", says Hendrik Zloch, a member of their board.
By integrating the professorship into the nationwide, networked activities of the DZHK and into the broader Hamburg-Kiel-Lübeck DZHK location, the DZHK is strengthening its commitment to children’s heart research.
The professorship has already been advertised. The appointment is planned for 2019.
Contact: Christine Vollgraf, Press and Public Relations, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Tel.: 030 3465 529 02, presse(at)dzhk.de