Career Resources

The cardiothoracic surgery community is uniquely devoted to the advancement of its specialty, and it shows in its support of The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF), says Lee Wiensch, CAE, CFRE, who recently assumed the role of TSF executive director.  Wiensch described how, coming from a background of charitable foundations overseen by a parent association, she has seen rifts between the leadership, staff, and workflow of the charitable arm and those of the governing body—and that she has in fact in some cases been hired to heal those rifts. Not so with STS and TSF.  “The most refreshing and surprising thing about STS and the Foundation is that they really are one cohesive organization, and they are both very clearly working for the same purpose,” Wiensch said. “We happen to be the charitable arm who can accept donations and give away grant money, but the mission of the Foundation is very seamlessly woven into the fabric of STS.” STS covers all TSF administrative costs, which is another unusual aspect of its governance, Wiensch explained. “Administrative overhead is necessary to run a foundation, and many association foundations don’t have the luxury of a sponsoring parent organization. But STS supports TSF, which means that every dollar our donors give is spent on doing good. We are using donors’ gifts in a really meaningful and impactful way.”  In the past year, donations have supported 286 cardiothoracic surgery research and fellowship grants, 63 surgical outreach awards and scholarships, 128 travel scholarships to attend educational meetings, and 304 Alley-Sheridan scholarships, fueling work including:  A mission to save the lives of young patients—and train local staff to save many more—in underserved areas of Peru, where rheumatic heart disease still takes a toll.  Development of a novel molecular preservation technique to keep donated hearts more vigorous during transport.  Exploring the role of nonclassical monocytes and lung-restricted antibodies in the development of primary graft dysfunction in lung transplant recipients, with a special focus on patients with cystic fibrosis.  Studying the impact of PARP inhibitors on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.  Training in an immersive congenital clinical research experiences and formal mentorship from renowned pediatric cardiac surgeons, laying the foundations for a future career as a congenital surgeon-scientist.  Examining the significance of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles in the development of lymph node metastases in patients with gastroesophageal malignancies.  Investigating metabolic derangements in acute non-ischemic cardiomyopathies.  A screening program in the Pacific Island Countries Network that will close gaps in patients’ access to lung cancer detection and treatment.  Wiensch also is impressed by the truly international scope of TSF’s sponsored research, education, and outreach. “My first week, I was on a review call for the Francis Fontan fellowship,” she said. “And on that call were reviewers who were in Spain, in Austria, in Latin America, in London—and we were interviewing applicants from all over the world. It was the most wonderfully international call, and I love that the Foundation really puts its money where its mouth is and funds excellent global research and fellowship opportunities."   The TSF/Francis Fontan Fund International Traveling Fellowship, coadministered by TSF, the Fund, and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, supports a cardiothoracic surgeon’s travel to another institution for the purpose of learning a novel technique, adapting innovative technology, and/or fostering collaboration among surgical investigators—ultimately furthering the progress of surgical practice at the recipient’s home institution.  The generosity of TSF donors has made a profound impression on Wiensch. “It’s always fascinating to me that people give so much to a career, to a profession, and that they are willing to give back to the organizations that ensure the future of the specialty through volunteer leadership and sharing treasure. The thoracic surgery specialty has defined and enriched TSF donors’ lives,” Wiensch added, “and when they make a commitment to giving back to that specialty through TSF, they’re committing to research, education, and outreach that will benefit the way they practice, and will benefit the future of the specialty.”  STS Members can continue to support critical advancements in cardiothoracic surgery at thoracicsurgeryfoundation.org. 

Whether they know from the start that they’ll emulate their parents’ careers—or they fight tooth-and-nail to carve a different path—there seems to be something in the genes of cardiothoracic surgeons that pulls their children toward their calling.   Hal and Sophia Roberts For Harold “Hal” G. Roberts Jr., MD, and Sophia H. Roberts, MD, Barnes Jewish Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, is a cornerstone, an alma mater, and a workplace.  Last year, Dr. Hal Roberts joined the Barnes Jewish Heart and Vascular Center, transitioning from a South Florida private practice. He arrived a celebrated member of the surgical team, with more than 20 years of surgeries under his belt, a patent for a 3D mitral annuloplasty ring, the first publication to describe a modification of the Cox Maze IV right atrial lesion set, and a reputation for performing the first TAVR procedure in Broward County, Florida. And another singular distinction: Sophia’s dad.  “On ‘Take Your Child to Work Day,’ cardiothoracic surgeons can pretty much blow it out of the water by bringing their kid to the OR,” Sophia reflected. “Seeing the team dynamic and the real leadership that comes with being the attending surgeon had a lasting impact on me.”  Dr. Sophia Roberts adds that although her siblings didn’t go into medicine, they also considered the experience to be special—and fundamental to understanding their dad as a person.  “I tend to be a bit quieter than baseline,” she explained, “and that initially made me concerned for my ability to lead an operative team.” But observing her father, in addition to other attending surgeons and their diverse personalities, helped to assuage that concern. “I imagine that my leadership style will channel components of my dad and my other mentors,” Sophia said. “Particularly those who lead without being the loudest person in the room.” Dr. Sophia Roberts is a third-year resident at Washington University, and she’ll soon be assuming a senior resident role. Before Dr. Hal Roberts accepted the job, he made sure that he had Sophia’s blessing, because they’d be working in the same program.    Sophia has explored many facets of surgery during her training, but her father says that, just as he did, she found that she enjoyed caring for cardiac surgical patients the most.  “As far as Sophia deciding to go into cardiothoracic surgery, I was very flattered, but I made quite sure that she realized what she was getting into,” Dr. Hal Roberts said. “Cardiac surgery can be a physically and emotionally draining field, but it does give me great satisfaction in knowing that the quality and quantity of my patients’ lives are favorably impacted by the care I render.”  The new position at Barnes Jewish has afforded the elder Dr. Roberts the opportunity to teach—a realm he entered relatively late in his career. He calls it his greatest satisfaction, saying, “I have been amazed at how much fun this really is.”  For her academic development, Sophia is working through a fellowship in cardiovascular device innovation. “Delving into engineering is new terrain for me, and I am excited to carry our new devices from concept to pre-clinical testing,” she said, adding, “It’s pretty surreal to have a single dream for so long and then realize you’re living it.”  Dr. Hal Roberts hopes that his daughter will have exposure to classic as well as novel surgical approaches. “Though there will be more and more minimally invasive techniques on the horizon, I always think there will be a role for some of the basic procedures, like coronary artery revascularization, that we have been effectively doing for years.”  David and John Cleveland “We’re both extremely pragmatic, to both benefit and fault at times,” says John Cleveland, MD, of himself and his father, David C. Cleveland, MD, MBA. The elder Dr. Cleveland is an associate professor of surgery at the Heersink School of Medicine, part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He’s a giant in congenital heart surgery, having served as chief of pediatric cardiac surgery for the Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, New York, the Children’s Hospital at Medical City Dallas in Texas, and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. At St. Joseph’s, he founded the Eller Congenital Heart Center and served as its executive director.  As a kid, John Cleveland was acutely aware of the demands of his father’s profession, which often pulled the elder Dr. Cleveland away from time with his wife and three children. He missed some of his kids’ big milestones, from music recitals to winning touchdowns, because he was working to save the lives of “other people’s kids.”  Even so, John was drawn to a surgical career himself—but he was determined to find a course that wouldn’t cause him to miss out on moments with his own budding family. He leaned toward reconstructive plastic surgery.   John’s internship years brought an encounter that for most would be incandescent: He helped treat a man who had been mauled by a grizzly bear. But while his fellow trainees were thrilled at the opportunity to perform a potentially once-in-a-career reconstruction, John realized that he didn’t feel the same rush.   Plastic surgery wasn’t for him, he now understood—and he was just weeks away from starting a plastic surgery residency. Luckily, he was able to slide into a surgical rotation in a different specialty.  “In the operating room, a veteran doctor threw question after question at the rookie,” recounted a feature by the American Heart Association. “Even as the queries became more complex, John—who’d never studied this area, much less trained in it—aced the quiz. The look on the veteran doctor’s face sent John a clear message.”  The area was cardiac surgery. Specifically, pediatric cardiac surgery. And John was a natural.  Since those days, Drs. John and David have developed a deeper understanding of one another—and of how they both lamented the moments they missed.  “I have been surprised by the manner in which my career has allowed me to see my father from a different perspective,” John reflected. “Now that I am a dad myself, working in the same field, I have come to better terms with the demands that this job places on you and how much it can compete with family life. It has certainly increased my empathy and understanding of how my dad had to do things growing up.”  It has also helped John approach his career decisions with a savviness for work/life balance that wasn’t as feasible for his dad.  Dr. David Cleveland was often a lone ship in his profession, having at most one surgical partner to cover for him in an emergency. Dr. John Cleveland landed a fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) in California, which has a large surgical staff that he described as virtually interchangeable because of their top-notch skillsets.  “I am entering my fourth year as an attending and have taken over as the program director for our congenital heart surgery training program,” Dr. John Cleveland said. “I’m looking forward to continue matching high-quality applicants that our group of surgeons can mold into excellent technicians as well as thoughtful bedside physicians who care for children with congenital heart disease.”  As his career and family have blossomed, John has happily stayed with CHLA, and it allows him the freedom to be present for moments like birthdays and softball games.  The senior Dr. Cleveland recently celebrated a milestone of his own. He has retired from clinical practice, and he’ll now have the time to not only make memories with his kids and grandkids but also to pick up a research project for which he completed pilot data before the pandemic. He and John are working collaboratively. “We are transplanting genetically modified pig hearts into infant baboons with the intention to translate this to clinical care of neonates and infants as a bridge to cardiac allotransplant,” Dr. John Cleveland said. “The current technology used to bridge this fragile patient population is fraught with complications and risk. We believe xenotransplant will prove to be safer and a more appropriately tailored option for these small children.”  The research is funded, Dr. Cleveland said, and it’s slated to kick off this month. If you know of a unique member experience that should be featured in STS News, contact stsnews@sts.org.

Imam Takes Over as Lagonne Chair Mohammed N. “Mo” Imam, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Long Island School of Medicine. From 2016 to 2022, Dr. Imam was chair of cardiothoracic surgery and executive director of The Heart Institute in Staten Island, New York. His areas of expertise include coronary bypass grafting, minimally invasive valve surgery, transcatheter aortic valve procedures, surgery for arrythmia, mitral valve repairs, minimally invasive aneurysm repair, and lung cancer surgery. He has been an STS Member since 2003. Wilder Joins Staff at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Fatima G. Wilder, MD, has joined the Thoracic Surgery Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Wilder was a cardiothoracic surgery fellow at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. An STS Member since 2016, she serves on the STS Workforce on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.   Guy Brings Robotic Expertise to Georgia T. Sloane Guy, MD, MBA, is the new director of Minimally Invasive & Robotic Cardiac Surgery at Gainesville’s Northeast Georgia Physicians Group and Georgia Heart Institute. Dr. Guy will be the first-ever robotic heart surgeon to perform procedures at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville. Previously, he served as vice chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery, clinical director of cariac surgery, and director of minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has chaired the STS Task Force on Robotic Surgery, and he has been an STS Member since 2006. Szeto Assumes Endowed Chair at Penn Wilson Y. Szeto, MD, has been selected for the Julian Johnson II endowed chair at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Szeto joined the Penn faculty in 2015, and in 2017 he was appointed vice chief of clinical operations and quality in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery. Currently serving as secretary of the STS Board of Directors, he has been an STS Member since 2007. Send news about yourself or a colleague to stsnews@sts.org. Submissions will be printed based on content, membership status, and space available.

After 2 years of virtual-only programming, The Society’s 59th Annual Meeting, January 21 – 23 in San Diego, California, promises an in-person experience that’s better than ever—with late-breaking abstracts, challenging case presentations, immersive experiences, and never-before-seen scientific discoveries and surgical techniques.  “The ability for colleagues and friends to gather in person for the first time in several years will be a palpable opportunity to not only share intellectual knowledge but also—perhaps more importantly—reconnect on a personal level,” said S. Adil Husain, MD, chair of the STS Workforce on Annual Meeting. “We have each experienced many unique challenges since our last in-person meeting and this reunion of sorts will be a valuable elixir for us all.”  The program planning committee received a record number of exciting abstract submissions in all subspecialty areas, Dr. Husain said. They designed the program with a focus on blending top-scoring science with highly respected invited speakers, with an emphasis on interaction and discussion time.  Adult Cardiac Offerings Target Optimal Outcomes  Parallel sessions in adult cardiac surgical topics explore why cardiac surgeons should be involved in pulmonary embolism response teams, the management of severe aortic stenosis in young adult patients, optimizing care for infective endocarditis, the heart team approach to complex tricuspid valve disease, and much more.   Hands-on courses cover annular enlargement and mitral valve repair, while “In the OR with” videos take attendees on an immersive journey as world-class surgeons demonstrate complex aortic arch reconstruction, minimally invasive mitral valve repair, and the Ross procedure. The J. Maxwell Chamberlain Memorial Paper and Richard E. Clark Memorial Paper will unveil outcomes data in large patient groups—the former on coronary artery bypass grafting versus multivessel percutaneous intervention, and the latter on the effect of surgical strategy in isolated tricuspid valve procedures.  Congenital Program Is Dynamic with Data  Data-driven outcomes, evidence-based guidelines, and optimizing the landscape for the current and future congenital surgery workforces feature prominently in the congenital surgery curriculum. “To Train or Not to Train?” will include a debate on the regulation of fellowship positions, and “Leveling the Playing Field” will explore whether it’s useful for lower-volume centers to partner with high-volume centers to deliver best results.  Engaging video and abstract presentations will demonstrate single leaflet neocuspidization with autologous pericardium, position of the autograft and homograft in the Ross-Konno procedure, neonatal palliation for high-risk single ventricle heterotaxy, and a novel hybrid palliation technique for a premature newborn prior to Norwood single ventricle palliation. The inaugural James S. Tweddell Paper investigates the creation of an STS adult congenital heart surgery risk model, and the Clark paper analyzes the STS National Database for patterns in the management of tetralogy of Fallot.   General Thoracic Sessions Showcase Next-Gen Techniques  Parallel sessions in the general thoracic program highlight topics including controversies in transplant practices, immunotherapy and targeted molecular therapy, and challenging esophageal consults, while an Ask the Experts session titled “Elegant Solutions to Lung Disasters” will show attendees how to salvage pulmonary resections gone wrong. Attendees will gain hands-on expertise in complex central airway reconstruction, and an “In the OR with” video demonstrates uniport segmentectomy and left lower lobectomy.  Among the abstracts are a 20-year experience with salvage esophageal reconstruction with colon interposition, a one-step classifier for molecular differential diagnosis between multiple primary lung cancer and intrapulmonary metastasis, the evolution of pain control for adult pectus excavatum repair, and how the number of involved structures affects outcomes in thymic epithelial tumors. The Chamberlain Paper examines racial disparities in patients awaiting lung transplant, and the Clark Paper pinpoints how urgent paraesophageal hernia repair in elderly patients is associated with worse outcomes. Perioperative, Critical Care Topics Bring Results into Practice  An array of offerings in perioperative and critical care includes controversies in perioperative blood management, building an ERAS cardiac program without added cost, contemporary approaches to pain management, phenotypes and unique characteristics of cardiogenic and postcardiotomy shock, and new regulatory standards for resuscitation. A hands-on course covers the V3 exam—volume status, venous access, ventricular function—for CT surgery.   The Clark Paper, “The Price of Delay: RV Failure and Biventricular Support” utilizes relevant findings from the Intermacs database, and the Chamberlain Paper demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased mortality, failure to rescue, and cost across all socioeconomic statuses.   Equity Is Paramount in Wellness, Education, Quality  Surgeon wellness and career advancement take center stage at STS 2023. A “Surgical Families” session explores unique situations including adoptive parents, parents of children with special needs, surgical trainees and parents, two-surgeon households, and single-parent surgeons. A session on ergonomics helps surgeons avoid injuries that can curtail a career, and Annals Academy provides tips on publishing impactful research.   In the quality and education realms are sessions on the preoperative assessment of frailty beyond the “eyeball test” and making sense of hospital star ratings, while intriguing abstracts investigate how communication patterns in the OR are affected by task difficulty, how male versus female candidates regard diversity in selecting jobs and training programs, and harnessing natural language processing to evaluate gender bias in letters of recommendation for cardiothoracic surgery applicants. “The plenary session invited speakers will offer a unique opportunity for attendees to self-reflect both personally and professionally,” added Dr. Husain. The Vivien T. Thomas Lecture will be delivered by Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD, who directs the transplant center at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Bestselling author Max Lucado will present the Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture, and Peter K. Smith, MD, principal investigator for the Duke University site in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinical Trials Network, is this year’s C. Walton Lillehei Lecturer.   The Presidents Reception—at a bayfront restaurant and cocktail venue featuring a floating reception hall and a skyline lounge—will celebrate not only the term of current STS President John H. Calhoon, MD, but also the legacies of Past Presidents Sean C. Grondin, MD, MPH, FRCSC and Joseph A. Dearani, MD, who oversaw the Society’s governance with innovation and grace during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Space is limited for the reception, and attendees must add it to their cart during registration.   “We have lost several admired colleagues in recent times, Dr. Tweddell and Dr. Grondin in particular,” said Dr. Husain. “We will value our ability to celebrate their contributions to our subspecialty as well as to acknowledge the loss of other cherished members within our Society.”  STS 2023 also heralds the return of live product demonstrations, with 150 exhibitors showcasing the latest tools and technologies for surgical practice. Industry symposia—both offsite and at the convention center this year—afford rare opportunities to practice new techniques, and product theaters let attendees experience devices and software hands-on.  For those who can’t travel to San Diego—or for those who want to do more with their in-person registration—a new option, Plenary Livestream-Plus, will allow registrants to livestream the President’s Address and named lectures from anywhere onsite or across the globe.   STS Members enjoy significant discounts on STS 2023 registration, and Resident/Fellow and Medical Student Members register for free. There’s still time to register at sts.org/annualmeeting.

STS News, Fall 2022 — Thoracic surgeon Taryne Imai, MD, is the recipient of the 2022 STS/ACS Health Policy Scholarship, an award that enables a member surgeon to attend the intensive course “Leadership Program in Health Policy Management” at Brandeis University’s Heller School in Waltham, Massachusetts. With the award, sponsored jointly by STS and the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Imai took the next step in realizing her vision to elevate thoracic oncology care in her native Hawaii and the entire Pacific Basin. "The learning experience was extraordinary and exactly what I needed to prepare me for my new leadership position," said Dr. Imai. "Setting an intention-to not just react, but to make a change, in one of the most disparate regions of the world-really resonated with me and drives my vision for Hawaii and the Pacific." Hawaii currently ranks “at the bottom” for detection of early lung cancer, Dr. Imai said, and has one of the longest delays—8 to 10 weeks—from detection to treatment. In addition, exposures unique to the region, including radiation exposure from bomb testing and the effects of volcanic ash, leave Hawaiian residents at particular cancer risk. Dr. Imai, from the Queen's Health System in Honolulu, Hawaii, aims to tackle these challenges with the help of the skills she gained at the leadership course. As director of the thoracic surgery program encompassing the state of Hawaii and the 14 countries in the Pacific Island Countries Network, Dr. Imai said that she feels confident in her clinical, education, and leadership experience, but that she perceived a gap in her foundational understanding of health policy. This is where the Health Policy Scholarship and the leadership course will prepare her for her colossal undertaking. Dr. Imai is the director of the thoracic surgery program for the Queen's Health System in Honolulu, Hawaii.  "In order to maximize impact, reaching as many patients as possible, our programs need to extend beyond the walls of the hospital institution," said Dr. Imai. "Partnering with our community non-profit groups, the Department of Health, and the State legislature to develop outreach programs will enable us to increase awareness and bring lung cancer care to everyone in the region." The Pacific Basin needs screening and outreach programs that not only align with the cultural values of the region, but that also have a far reach, given its vast geography, said Dr. Imai. She also wants to expand the availability of robotic navigational bronchoscopy, which will increase access to biopsy. She envisions a system that, rather than requiring patients to fly multiple times to Honolulu for their lung cancer workups, allows them to undergo biopsy for suspicious nodules, mediastinal staging, and robotic resection under one round of anesthesia. "Strategic thinking in developing programs within the challenging landscape of the Pacific is a skill that I needed to apply immediately," said Dr. Imai. "I am grateful for the scholarship and the opportunity to attend the course." As a scholarship recipient, Dr. Imai will be appointed to serve a 3-year term on the STS Workforce on Health Policy, Reform, and Advocacy, starting in January 2023. Applications for the 2023 scholarship will be accepted early next year. Applicants must be members of both STS and ACS and between the ages of 30 and 55. The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF) also offers the Alley-Sheridan Scholarship, which partially covers the cost of attending the health policy course; these applications will open in early 2023 as well. For more information, visit sts.org/healthpolicyscholarship. To learn about the Alley-Sheridan and other TSF scholarships, visit thoracicsurgeryfoundation.org/awards.

STS News, Fall 2022 — Whether they were called to the specialty by heritage or by destiny, these parent-child duos represent the evolving arena of cardiothoracic surgery in real time. Surender Reddy Neravetla, MD, and Soumya Reddy Neravetla, MD  At Springfield Regional Medical Center in Ohio, Surender Reddy Neravetla, MD, has earned accolades for his more than 10,000 valve repairs, beating-heart surgeries, and minimally invasive lung resections, as well as a most distinctive trophy: King of Dad Jokes. Dr. Surender Neravetla’s daughter, Dr. Soumya Neravetla, shares her father’s passion for preventative education and community outreach. Despite Dr. Neravetla encouraging his daughter, Soumya Reddy Neravetla, MD, to try out different career paths, Soumya found herself gravitating time and again toward cardiothoracic surgery. And when veteran surgeon Lofton N. Misick, MD, left the Springfield center for a position in Texas in 2016, Soumya stepped in to take on some of the workload. The plan was to stay “for a little while.” She’s still there. “I’ve been busy!” she said. “Launched a TAVR program and a lung screening program in Springfield. Met with the governor of Ohio about lung cancer. Served in multiple board positions with the Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Association of Telugu Medical Graduates of USA.” She served as president of AAPI’s physician’s section from 2021–2022, and she is currently the chair of the hospital’s Cancer Committee and Department of Surgery. The Drs. Neravetla may be the first father-daughter cardiothoracic surgeon pair to have operated as a team. Soumya referred to heart transplant pioneers, the late Norman E. Shumway, MD, PhD, and his daughter Sara J. Shumway, MD, who now serves as professor and vice chief of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. “It’s my understanding that the Shumways never worked together, but I believe she’s the first daughter to follow her young father in this path. Dr. (Vinod) Thourani once pointed out to me that we may be the first father-daughter duo to actually work together,” Soumya said. Clearly, a passion for preventative medicine and public health also runs in the family. The senior Dr. Neravetla is a longtime champion of bringing health education to underserved communities. He’s the author of the 2012 book Salt Kills and its 2014 follow-up, Salt: Black America’s Silent Killer, and he maintains a public blog on prevention issues, explaining current medical literature in plain language. Dr. Soumya Neravetla says that she and her father are both calm but fun to work with in the OR. “My father, however, is the king of dad jokes—he has a trophy to prove it—resulting in my appropriate eye rolls.” A grassroots advocate for the American Heart Association’s positions on disease prevention, Dr. Surender Neravetla works with local health fairs and culture festivals, churches and social clubs, schools and city halls, lecturing and initiating vital conversations with the community. “Cardiac surgery is going through a tough transition, largely due to the rapid growth of technology,” the senior Dr. Neravetla said. “The patients under our care are at a later stage in the disease process; the surgeries and post-op care are increasingly complex. All the while, cardiac surgeons are facing increasing scrutiny. This poses significant difficulty for the younger surgeons—especially women—to get established and be respected in their field.” Dr. Soumya Neravetla says that she was surprised at just how deep the disparities run. “Even though you know about it, it’s still surprising to see how dramatic the difference is for female surgeons in the real world.” She’s also startled by the lack of awareness surrounding lung cancer, despite it being the number one cancer killer in men and women. While she and her dad are both relatively quick-handed, “my father is one of the fastest surgeons you’ll ever see,” said Soumya. “On the other hand, I’m known for my small incisions, and though we both do a broad range of open and robotic surgeries, the endovascular space is my playground.” As she monitors technologies in cardiac, vascular, and thoracic applications, Dr. Soumya Neravetla spearheads lung cancer screening and awareness in Dayton, serving on the Ohio Partners for Cancer Control lung committee. Her team also is preparing to launch another TAVR program at Kettering Health Dayton in Ohio. “It’s always exciting to develop a program from infancy and watch it mature,” she said.  Undoubtedly, her dad feels that, to a superb degree, about his daughter. Richard M. Engelman, MD, and Daniel T. Engelman, MD In 1968, when Richard M. Engelman, MD, was a resident at New York University, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was in its infancy. Patients remained intubated for at least a day, were on mandatory bedrest for a minimum of 48 hours, and didn’t begin rehabilitation—which involved only limited ambulation—until 72 hours later. The senior Dr. Engelman (right) pioneered “Fast-Track” recovery after surgery, and his son Daniel continued to advance perioperative care through the ERAS Cardiac Society. “Discharge was routinely 1 to 2 weeks after surgery, and patients were encouraged to remain sedentary for the next 4 to 6 weeks,” Dr. Engelman said. “These practices remained the standard for cardiac surgical perioperative care for decades, and morbidity following surgery was not inconsequential.” With increased evidence supporting the success of mindful perioperative care, Dr. Engelman formed a team to introduce the “Fast-Track” approach to cardiac recovery in the early 1990s. This method involved a coordinator-led multidisciplinary team, who paid close attention to intravenous fluid intake, controlling atrial arrythmias, normalizing gut function, and getting patients quickly up and walking. Fast-Track dramatically reduced extubation times, ICU stays, and overall time in the hospital, all with improved outcomes for the patient. Richard’s son, Daniel T. Engelman, MD, picked up the torch in 1999, when he became a Board-certified surgeon after graduating from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. “As my career progressed, I noticed waning interest in the Fast-Track protocols popularized by my father, coincident with increasing provider concern about patient-reported outcomes and the costs associated with care,” the younger Dr. Engelman said. Since stepping down from his role as head of cardiac surgery, the elder Dr. Engelman continues to serve as chief of cardiac surgical research—and as his son’s colleague—at Baystate. Changes in cardiac and surgical training and practice patterns—as well as improvements in percutaneous techniques—led to increased emphasis on reducing delays between patient evaluation and surgical procedures, explained Dr. Daniel Engelman. “Perioperative optimization was at odds with this new urgency.” Enter enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). After examining the successful outcomes surgeons and patients were enjoying in other specialties, Dr. Engelman put it to use within cardiac surgery. In 2017, he and a group of likeminded surgeons founded the nonprofit ERAS Cardiac Society. “The national and international interest was tremendous,” he said. “A few early studies were simultaneously being conducted outlining enhanced recovery protocols demonstrating improved outcomes within our specialty. What was old was new again.” Both Drs. Engelman served as authors of the 2019 Guidelines for Perioperative Care in Cardiac Surgery, which are the first of their kind. They’ve been downloaded more than 260,000 times. “The field continues to evolve throughout the years in ways we couldn’t even imagine when I started my career, and I’m thrilled to be able to witness it through Dan’s achievements,” said the elder Dr. Engelman. Meanwhile, although he’s retired from operating, he continues to work each day at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, as chief of cardiac surgical research. “I also continue to enjoy time with my wife, Jane, of 62 years, and spend time on the golf course with kids and grandkids!”   If you know of a unique member experience that should be featured in STS News, contact stsnews@sts.org.