On Monday, researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus were awarded multiple grants from the Rose Community Foundation to advance cardiology research as well as arthritis research and treatment. The one-time grantmaking is an initiative called “Heart and Soul,” awarding nearly $1.3 million to six organizations in the greater Denver area.

The grant recipients are Peter M. Buttrick, MD; Kevin Deane, MD, PhD; Judith G. Regensteiner, PhD; Jane E.B. Reusch, MD, PhD; and Josiane Broussard, PhD.

The Rose Community Foundation team members, led by president and CEO Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, surprised the researchers on campus Monday with the news.

“We are excited to support and highlight the incredible work taking place in our own backyard around cardiovascular disease and arthritis,” said Eichenbaum Lent. “These grants span the entire age continuum – supporting work that will benefit children through older adults – while also spanning the continuum of therapeutic and clinical care to trailblazing laboratory research. Our hope is that these funds will make a significant impact in the lives of Coloradans living with cardiovascular disease or arthritis – and provide transformational support to the local doctors, scientists, researchers and institutions working to improve the health of people with these conditions.”

The awards were presented to the Center for Women’s Health Research, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado:

• The Center for Women’s Health Research was granted $300,000 to support the following: $200,000 for a study exploring the effects of insufficient sleep on cardiovascular fitness and insulin action, and an additional $100,000 to fund two seed grants for interdisciplinary research teams that allow for early-career researchers to gather the necessary preliminary data to obtain national funding and launch a large research project in the field.
• University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus was granted $185,000 to support the following: $110,000 for a new robotic workstation that expands the capacity of the arthritis research at the facility, and $75,000 for a bioinformatic and laboratory expert to identify unique heart failure signatures on over 1,300 heart tissues so that more precise treatments can be offered to patients for better outcomes.
• Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation received a $410,000 grant which includes the following: $360,000 to fund a two-year study to identify compounds that improve heart function in children with heart failure and test whether physical exercise improves heart function in children with heart failure, and an additional $50,000 to purchase software for an ultrasound machine that improves treatment for pediatric rheumatoid diseases by allowing for clearer imaging and more targeted joint treatment in children, and laboratory equipment to further accelerate care and research for a cure.

“These philanthropic gifts from the Rose Community Foundation’s “Heart & Soul” initiative will accelerate vital work at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and we are proud to partner with such a visionary and committed leader in our community to transform health care,” said John J. Reilly, Jr., MD, CU School of Medicine dean and vice chancellor for health affairs. “This generous support will speed innovative research in cardiology and fund essential equipment for arthritis research and treatment, ultimately helping our talented physician-researchers improve care and quality of life for countless patients.”

Photos by KO, Office of Communications.