Stay up to date on your colleagues’ professional achievements and find opportunities for connection, collaboration, mentorship, and more.
Vinay Badhwar, MD, executive chair of the West Virginia University Heart and Vascular Institute and the second vice president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, led a groundbreaking surgical achievement by performing the world’s first combined robotic aortic valve replacement (AVR) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) through a single small incision. The procedure was performed on a 73-year-old female patient with a complex medical history, including a stroke, brain surgery, and significant weight loss. Read the full story. [link]
Marc Ruel, MD, has been named chief of the division of adult cardiothoracic surgery in the department of surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. In his new role, Dr. Ruel will hold the Helen and Charles Schwab Distinguished Professorship in Surgery at UCSF. Dr. Ruel also will serve as medical director of adult cardiothoracic surgery and co-director of the UCSF Health Heart and Vascular Center.
Marc Pelletier, MD, has been appointed division chief of cardiac surgery for the department of surgery and section chief of cardiac surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital. He also will serve as physician-in-chief of cardiac surgery for Health and the Yale School of Medicine’s Heart and Vascular Center. He will step into his role March 1, 2025.
Dr. Pelletier previously served as chief of cardiac surgery and director of the Cleveland-based Heart Surgery Center at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, director of the TAVR program at Boston-based Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and division head of cardiac surgery at New Brunswick Heart Centre in Canada.
Thomas Varghese Jr., MD, chief of the section of general thoracic surgery at the University of Utah Health and professor in the department of surgery at the University of Utah Health, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. He has previously served in editorial-related roles, including editorial board member and deputy editor, digital media and scholarship, for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and board member for CTSNet, in addition to ad hoc reviewer for numerous other journals.
Gavin Leon Henry, MD, was elevated to chair of thoracic surgery at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center. Dr. Henry joined the University of Maryland Medical System in 2017 as the director of clinical operations for the division of thoracic surgery. He also is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and serves as the chief of thoracic surgery at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore.
Paul DiGiorgi, MD, has joined Ascension Sacred Heart's cardiovascular team in Pensacola, Fla. A graduate of the New York University School of Medicine, he completed residencies at NYU School of Medicine, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, and the University of Connecticut Health Center.
Tirone David, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon at University Health Network Peter Munk Cardiac Center in Toronto, Canada, has been selected as a 2025 Canada Walk of Fame Inductee in the science, technology, and innovation category by the UHN Foundation. Dr. David is being recognized for developing 15 life-saving surgical procedures to treat heart disease, publishing 450 scientific papers, and more.
Jonathan Daniel, MD, has joined Tampa General Hospital (TGH) as part of its Center for Lung Cancer within the TGH Cancer Institute. Dr. Daniel completed his general surgery residency training at the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and conducted cancer research trials during a fellowship with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, also in Houston. He completed his thoracic surgical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
James A. Obney, MD, has been selected as a 2024 A.N. Marquis Who's Who in America®, which recognizes noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence of individuals in their respective fields. Dr. Obney earned a Doctor of Medicine at the Medical College of Ohio and then enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he refined his skills at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Over the course of his 13-year service in the U.S. Army, Dr. Obney was sent to the frontlines during Operation Iraqi Freedom, having been deployed alongside the 874th forward surgical team in Kirkuk, Iraq in 2004.
Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, a City of Hope thoracic surgeon, has been named a Cancer Moonshot Scholar by the Biden Cancer Moonshot for her research linking social and environmental factors to the development of lung cancer in African Americans. Dr. Erhunmwunsee’s research received further distinction by obtaining the Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award, which provides up to seven years of funding instead of the typical five years.
Dr. Erhunmwunsee, who specializes in minimally invasive lung and esophageal surgery with a focus on robotic-assisted resections, received her medical doctorate from Harvard Medical School, graduating magna cum laude. She continued her postgraduate training at Duke University Medical Center, completing a general surgery internship, followed by a residency in general surgery and a residency in cardiothoracic surgery.
Roosevelt Bryant III, MD, has been named chief of pediatric and congenital heart surgery at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital. In addition, Bryant will be a faculty member in cardiovascular surgery with the Cincinnati Children's Heart Institute. He also will be a clinical professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Previously, Bryant was surgical director for heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where he also served as surgical director of quality for its Heart Center and solid organ transplantation.
In Memoriam
David A. Fullerton, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon and former president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons from 2014-15, died on December 15, 2024. Dr. Fullerton served as chief of cardiothoracic surgery and director of the thoracic surgery residency program at Northwestern University in Chicago. He went on to serve as cardiac surgeon-in-chief and co-medical director of the cardiothoracic surgical intensive care unit for the University of Colorado Hospital. Throughout his career, Dr. Fullerton received numerous honors and awards, including recognitions as America’s Top Doctor and Best Doctors in America.
In Memoriam
Albert Starr, MD, 21st President of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, passed away on December 12, 2024. Dr. Starr served as head of the heart surgery program at the University of Oregon Medical School, now the Oregon Health & Science University Heart Institute. Throughout his career, Dr. Starr remained a tireless advocate for the improvement of heart valve surgery. He collaborated with engineer Lowell Edwards to develop the Starr-Edwards heart valve—one of the first successful artificial heart valves used in humans. His pioneering work not only advanced surgical techniques but also laid the groundwork for the development of future generations of heart valves. Read his full story.
In Memoriam
David Clarke, MD, a long-time member of the STS, died on October 26, 2024, after a long illness. David was a pediatric cardiac surgeon who served as the surgeon-in-chief at The Children's Hospital Colorado. He was highly recognized for his work with aortic homografts, the Ross operation, and neonatal cardiac surgery.