Kathleen A. Mussatto, PhD, RN is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI.  Her career path over the past 35 years includes transitions from bedside nurse to research coordinator to principal investigator. She has been engaged in clinical research with children and families with congenital heart disease for more than 20 years. Her program of research is focused on understanding and optimizing the psychosocial and functional outcomes of pediatric heart disease for affected individuals and their families.