Hearts in Hand Awarded $35,000 Grant from Men of Distinction Houston
The Hearts in Hand initiative is honored to have been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Men of Distinction Houston grant, receiving $35,000 in support of its mission to improve global access to high-quality pediatric cardiac training. This recognition underscores the project's alignment with the Men of Distinction's commitment to advancing pediatric research, education, and care through meaningful, community-supported innovation within the Texas Medical Center and beyond.
Hearts in Hand was founded with the goal of addressing a persistent and overlooked challenge in global surgery: the lack of accessible, anatomically accurate training models for congenital cardiac procedures in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The project focuses on developing 3D-printed, silicone-based pediatric heart models that replicate complex cardiac pathologies encountered in clinical settings. These models are designed to be both cost-effective and high-fidelity, providing a critical tool for hands-on surgical training in regions where simulation resources are severely limited.
The generous grant from Men of Distinction will support continued research and development efforts to enhance the anatomical precision, durability, and surgical realism of the models. In the coming months, the Hearts in Hand team will use this funding to refine the fabrication process, expand quality assurance testing, and build scalable packaging solutions suitable for international shipment. Pending institutional and regulatory approvals, the team aims to deliver the first batch of training hearts to an LMIC partner site in the near future—marking a major step toward closing the global gap in pediatric cardiac education.
The selection process for the Men of Distinction award is highly competitive, involving a rigorous review of proposals from across the Texas Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The recognition of Hearts in Hand reflects both the scientific rigor of the work and its clear potential for sustainable, real-world impact.
Special thanks are extended to David Wuthrich, whose leadership and support through the Men of Distinction organization helped make this opportunity possible. His continued efforts in championing community-driven medical advancement have enabled countless innovations to take root and flourish.
As the Hearts in Hand team continues its mission, this funding provides vital momentum to translate engineering design and clinical insight into tools that empower surgeons, improve training, and ultimately save lives in resource-constrained environments.
