Who We Are: The Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program

By the 1980’s, medical advances were allowing children with heart defects to survive longer than ever before.  But Boston Children’s Hospital researchers Jane Newburger, MD and David Bellinger, PhD were not satisfied. Along with colleagues around the world, they hypothesized that this survival might come with ongoing developmental challenges.

In 1988, Drs. Newburger and Bellinger launched the Boston Circulatory Arrest Study (BCAS) to examine different cardiopulmonary bypass strategies.  This landmark longitudinal study discovered that regardless of the surgical strategy used, children with heart defects had higher than usual rates of developmental challenges. In collaboration with the families who generously participated in this study, Drs. Newburger and Bellinger were able to monitor the children's development as they grew into adulthood. 

Through this study, Drs. Bellinger and Newburger established a connection between heart defects and developmental concerns.  Their research helped to clarify the relationship between heart health and brain development, and to reinforce the importance of the field of Cardiac Neurodevelopment. 

Once the link between heart defects and developmental delays was established, clinicians at Boston Children’s Hospital and other leading pediatric institutions knew they needed to do something more to help children born with heart defects.  Survival was not enough: children needed a chance to thrive.

In 2008, Janice Ware, PhD and Jane Newburger, MD responded to this need, and founded Boston’s Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP). 

Based on follow-up programs for preterm infants, the new CNP employed a multidisciplinary team of experts.  Clinicians were able to track children’s development, and provide supports and services to families.

Through the last 15 years, Boston’s small program has grown into a robust and well-integrated specialty service within the Benderson Family Heart Center.  Our team includes experts from psychology, neurology, education, cardiology, and genetics, and we serve young people from the time of prenatal diagnosis until age 24 years. 

Our CNP carries on the tradition of Drs. Bellinger and Newburger, and continues to perform groundbreaking research.  We remain motivated to understand and improve the outcomes of all young people with heart defects.

Boston’s staff collaborate with leaders in the field of Cardiac Neurodevelopment across the country and the world, sharing research, developing best practices, and presenting at conferences.

We look forward to sharing what we know, and to learning from the whole CHD community.

This content was reviewed by a physician at Boston Children's Hospital.

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