Bio coming soon.

Dra. Perez is the Head of the cardiology program and Chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Hospital del Niño in La Paz, Bolivia. She is also a professor at Universidad Catolica Boliviana. Dra. Perez is passionate about providing care to Bolivian children with heart disease and is committed to leading her team in the development of a sustainable pediatric cardiac program. Dra. Perez graduated from Universidad Mayor de San Andres in La Paz as a Medical Doctor and General Surgeon. She completed her residency as a Cardiovascular Surgeon after graduating from Pontificia Universidad Catoica de Chile. She completed her Fellowship as a Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgeon at Fundación Cardioinfantil de Colombia. Dra. Perez is a member of Sociedad Boliviana de Cirugia cardiovascular y torácica, Sociedad Boliviana de Cardiología, and the World Society of Congenital Heart Surgery.

Creative, a dreamer, and eager to help others. I'm a business administrator and have been Executive Director of Latidos de Esperanza for over 10 years, a Salvadoran non-profit organization that helps children with heart defects. I enjoy travelling, experiencing new cultures, and constantly learning. My two children and God are my greatest inspirations.

Ivonne has led Latidos de Esperanza since its inception in 2011 and has been instrumental in the development of the Gift of Life International Legacy program at Benjamin Bloom Children's Hospital in San Salvador - the only children's hospital in the country serving a population of 6 million Salvadorans. Today, the sustainable pediatric cardiac program at Benjamin Bloom Hospital treats approximately 200 children annually. Since 2010, the program has provided hope and critical cardiac care to over 2,800 Salvadoran children with heart disease.

Emma Scanlan has led the Chain of Hope to deliver high-quality care to children around the world over the past 25 years. Emma holds a Master's Degree in NGO Management. She has a wealth of hands-on experience working with both governments and charities to deliver healthcare to children in need around the world. At the same time, Emma works with partners, governments and healthcare professionals to develop cardiac services through the training of local doctors and nurses. Emma has been a trusted partner of Gift of Life International for over 15 years.

Christy Casey-Moore is a visionary and results-driven executive with nearly 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and client services sectors, currently serving as CEO of HeartGift since 2016. Under her leadership, HeartGift has undergone transformative growth, expanding services by over 700% while advancing organizational sustainability, operational efficiency, and measurable impact. A native Texan, Christy brings strategic clarity, financial discipline, and a people-first approach to every role, with a track record of mobilizing teams and stakeholders through periods of rapid change and mission-driven expansion.

Owen Robinson is the co-founder and executive director of International Cardiac Alliance (HCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to working with partners to scale up the availability of life-saving cardiac surgery to children who need it in countries throughout the world. Prior to starting ICA, Owen worked at Partners In Health, managing a number of health programs and initiatives in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. He also previously worked at Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), where he developed their strategies on tuberculosis, child mortality, and market-shaping strategies. Owen holds a BA from Harvard University and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He lives in Burlington, Vermont.

Gabe E. Owens, M.D., Ph.D. has dedicated his career to caring for the most vulnerable hearts. A Professor of Pediatric Cardiology at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan, Dr. Owens has served as Medical Director of the Pediatric Cardiothoracic ICU, where he has led the care of infants, children, and young adults facing complex heart conditions. Dr. Owens is a leading expert in cardiac intensive care for children with congenital and acquired heart disease. His research focuses on developing novel therapies, including non-invasive treatments and innovations in heart transplantation. Dr. Owens’s work extends far beyond Ann Arbor. Through his partnership with Gift of Life International, he helps build sustainable pediatric cardiac programs in countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Bolivia, offering hope and healing to children around the world. Whether advancing research, mentoring the next generation, or delivering critical care, Dr. Owens remains devoted to one mission: ensuring that every child with heart disease has the chance to live a fuller, healthier life.

Rodrigo Soto is the senior lead surgeon for Gift of Life International. After med school and his general surgery residency in Chile, he completed his CV training at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Subsequently, Dr. Soto took a fellowship position at the Marie-Lannelongue Hospital in France. After several years of working as an attending surgeon back in Melbourne, he returned to Chile to develop a pediatric cardiac unit and an ECMO program at Clínica Alemana in Santiago. Following a decade of volunteering in pediatric cardiac surgical missions, he became the CEO of the International Children's Heart Foundation before moving to his current role at Gift of Life International. For the past two years, Dr. Soto has also collaborated with the Duke University Pediatric Cardiac Surgery team to enhance and expand their Global Health outreach. Currently, Duke and Gift of Life International are engaged in several projects across various low- and middle-income countries.

John Albers has been a pediatric cardiac intensive care nurse for 33 years. All this time at Albany Medical Center in Upstate New York. John has participated in over 40 training visits for Gift of Life to Bolivia, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Romania, Kosova, The Dominican Republic, and The Philippines. John's dedication and expertise have truly made an impact around the world for children treated, their parents and for healthcare professionals he has provided mentorship to.

Fredlee Ann Kaplan, LCSW, LMFT, has been an individual, couple and family psychotherapist in private practice in NYC since 1976. She is a former board member, fundraising chair and vice president of GOLI. Fredlee had a dream that came to fruition in 2010 when she founded our Humanized Care Program. It has a bio-psycho-social approach that empowers the hospital staff to provide supportive care with empathic relational connections. This program is thriving in El Salvador and Bolivia. Fredlee supervised psychiatry, psychology and social work clinicians in the Dept. of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, NYC for 23 years. She is an advisor to the Clinical Advisory Council for the Sanctuary for Families, a domestic violence treatment program. Fredlee is licensed in Clinical Social Work and Marriage and Family Therapy and is a Certified school psychologist. She earned her BA in Psychology from Boston University, MA from Columbia University (Psychology and Guidance) and MSW from Rutgers University (Social Work).

Craig Sable, MD, specializes in pediatric cardiology at Ochsner Health. Dr. Sable is the associate chair of Pediatrics for Academics and will be a co-director of the Ochsner Childrens Heart Center. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine in 1989 and completed his residency and fellowship training at Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C., from 1989 to 1995. He was an attending cardiologist at Ochsner from 1995 to 1997 and then spent 27 years at Childrens National Hospital serving as Interim and Associate Chief of Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Director (mentoring over 100 trainees) as well as director of Echocardiography, Global Health, and Telemedicine. He is an adjunct professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Sable is recognized as an international leader in pediatric echocardiography, telemedicine, rheumatic heart disease, and global cardiovascular disease. He has authored 200 peer-reviewed articles given over 100 invited talks, and coauthored ten book chapters. Dr. Sable has been working in Uganda since 2003, visiting over 50 times to advance echocardiography, catheterization and surgery at Uganda Heart Institute, improve care of children and young adults with heart disease, support research in rheumatic heart disease, and train the next generation of cardiologists. He has been a principal or co-investigator for several NIH, AHA and foundation grants totaling over $10 million, all focused on underserved populations.