The Children’s Heart Foundation is proud to announce Samuel Regalado, M.D./Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington, as the inaugural recipient of the Scholarship for Researchers Committed to Advancing Congenital Heart Defect Research in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities.
Regalado is a first-generation college graduate and member of the Barbareño Band of Chumash Indians. He has dedicated his career to addressing health inequities in CHD research and care. To that end, this scholarship enables Regalado to pursue research on improving congenital heart defect (CHD) outcomes in indigenous and under-resourced populations. Combining cutting-edge science with culturally responsive care, he seeks to reduce current health disparities and strengthen community engagement in CHD research.
For Regalado, the connection to CHD research is not only professional, but also personal. His great aunt, a Chumash elder, lived with a structural heart defect, while his young daughter was recently diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve. These experiences fuel his determination to improve outcomes for families facing CHD.
Through its $10,000 Scholarship for Researchers Committed to Advancing CHD Research in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities, The Children’s Heart Foundation provides financial support to early-career scholars dedicated to improving outcomes and advancing equity in congenital heart disease research.
“We are honored to support future research leaders like Samuel Regalado,” said Terry Morrow, president and CEO of The Children’s Heart Foundation. “This scholarship reflects our commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders who will transform CHD outcomes for all communities.”
“Receiving this scholarship from The Children’s Heart Foundation is a profound honor at this pivotal stage in my training,” said Regalado. “It affirms a vision of medicine that reflects the values I hold most dear—compassion, equity, and curiosity—and helps me become the kind of physician-scientist who brings both discovery and culturally attuned care to patients and families affected by CHDs.”
At the University of California Berkeley, and later at the University of Washington, Regalado combined community service with groundbreaking research in genetics and developmental biology. His doctoral work uses stem cell models, genome engineering, and single-cell sequencing to study how congenital anomalies arise during early development. His research has been published in top scientific journals and created a foundation for improved diagnosis, treatment, and modeling of CHDs.
Regalado has also been a leader in creating inclusive spaces in science and medicine. He co-founded the Genome Sciences Association for the Inclusion of Minority Students, led the Association of Native American Medical Students at the University of Washington, and has mentored students from underrepresented backgrounds. He plans to pursue a residency in internal medicine and a cardiology fellowship with a focus on adult congenital heart disease.
