Since opening its doors in 2007, the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (CII) at the University of Louisville has focused on the discovery, research, development, and implementation of innovative treatments for cardiovascular disease. Our main goal is to foster a world-class collaborative, integrated, multi-disciplinary institute encompassing basic, translational, clinical, and population research in cardiovascular disease, which affects individuals throughout their entire lifespan, from pre-natal life to death. This is also the goal of the National Institutes of Health and has been identified as the most important area of medical research for the next decade. The CII uses gifts to provide funding for the latest advancements in research, to attract and retain the best minds, and to expand laboratory facilities.