Departmental Highlights Archive
D. Craig Miller receives J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award
The Stanford School of Medicine Alumni Association awarded D. Craig Miller, MD, the J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional service to Stanford Medicine and outstanding lifetime contributions to medicine.
December 16, 2021
Stanford Children’s Health celebrates its 500th pediatric heart transplant
Stanford Children’s Health celebrated its 500th pediatric heart transplant, a special significance since Norman Shumway, MD, PhD, performed the first successful human heart transplant in the U.S. at Stanford in 1968.
December 13, 2021
Stanford Researchers Set Out to Save Discarded Donor Hearts
Stanford Medicine cardiologist Kiran Kaur Khush, MD, set out to discover why so many donor hearts were going unused. She and fellow researchers spearheaded the groundbreaking Donor Heart Study, the largest study ever conducted on donor heart acceptance for transplantation. The results of this research could significantly increase the number of successful heart transplants performed, saving countless lives.
December 10, 2021
Michael Ma and team perform Stanford Children’s Health 500th pediatric heart transplant
Michael Ma, MD, and a multidisciplinary team of pediatric heart surgeons, transplant cardiologists, nurses, anesthesiologists, surgical technicians, transport, and transplant specialists, performed the 500th heart transplant on Mackenzie Collin, who was diagnosed with a progressive form of heart disease.
December 9, 2021
Designing clinically translatable artificial intelligence systems for high-dimensional medical imaging
Recent advances in computing power, deep learning machines, and sophisticated datasets have spurred the development of medical imaging artificial intelligence (AI) systems but translating them into practical clinical decision-making processes remains challenging. That is the latest review conducted by a team of researchers from the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery who examined the challenges unique to high-dimensional clinical imaging.
December 8, 2021
Stanford Health Care named top teaching hospital by Leapfrog Group
Stanford Health Care has been named a top teaching hospital by the Leapfrog Group, a leading watchdog organization focused on the quality and safety of U.S. hospitals. The designation, awarded to 72 teaching hospitals in 2021, is based on measures such as the efficiency of the hospital’s medication-ordering system, infection rates, staffing levels and performance on high-risk procedures.
December 7, 2021
Machine-learning to predict right ventricular heart failure in LVAD patients
A study led by researchers at the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery found that analyzing real-time videos of the heart with artificial intelligence could predict right ventricular (RV) failure after heart surgery more accurately than a team of human experts conducting the same evaluation.
December 2, 2021
Joseph Wu, Leah Backhus, and other Stanford and UCSF faculty to receive grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative recently announced grant recipients of the Ancestry Networks for the Human Cell Atlas, a collection of projects to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges in human cells and diseases. Among the projects is the Human Heart Atlas of Diverse Ancestry, led by a team of investigators from Stanford University (including Drs. Leah Backhus and Joseph Wu) and UCSF.
November 19, 2021
Social Disparities in Lung Cancer
Drs. Irmina Elliott, Cayo Gonzalez, Leah Backhus, and Natalie Lui reviewed literature and data on racial, sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in lung cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. In examining these sources, it is evident that social disparities in lung cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes still persist.
November 19, 2021
Department research and prestigious awards presented at the American Heart Association’s 2021 Scientific Sessions
The American Heart Association hosted its 2021 Scientific Sessions from November 13 to 15, convening together leading physicians, scientists, cardiologists, advanced practice nurses, and allied health care professionals from around the world to participate in scientific presentations and discussions that can shape the future of cardiovascular science and medicine.
November 18, 2021
Stanford Medicine earns top ranking for quality, safety from Vizient
Stanford Medicine has again been recognized as a top performer in both inpatient and ambulatory care by Vizient, a leading health care performance improvement organization. In Vizient’s 2021 Quality and Accountability Rankings — considered by many as the gold standard for assessing quality and safety — Stanford Medicine ranked #10 among 101 peer academic medical centers around the country for inpatient care and #5 out of 53 centers for ambulatory care.
November 17, 2021
For severe heart disease, bypass surgery slightly better than stenting — with caveats, study finds.
Among heart-disease patients in a study who received stents, the incidence of a major complication — death, heart attack, stroke or the need for a repeat procedure — was 10.6% after a year. Among bypass patients, the rate was 6.9%.
New England Journal of Medicine: Fractional Flow Reserve–Guided PCI as Compared with Coronary Bypass Surgery
November 17, 2021
Tech News: Innovations in 3D Printing for Thoracic Surgery
The use of three-dimensional (3D) printing is expanding in cardiothoracic surgery. It can facilitate surgical planning and intraoperative guidance, be used to develop customized, implantable prostheses, and aid in patient and trainee education.
November 17, 2021
Philip E. Oyer, honored cardiothoracic surgeon and pioneer in artificial heart assist device development, retires after 45 years
World-renowned for his technical expertise in clinical cardiovascular surgery, Dr. Oyer’s accomplishments include developing an artificial heart assist device, research on heart and heart-lung transplantations, and innovative approaches to complex surgeries.
November 15, 2021
Stanford hosts Society of Clinical Surgery’s 177th Annual Meeting, Nov. 4-6
The Departments of Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford School of Medicine recently hosted the 177th Annual Meeting of the Society of Clinical Surgery (SCS) on November 4-6, 2021, welcoming more than 40 distinguished surgeons from around the world to share ideas, insights, and inspiration on the future of surgical care. SCS has a long-standing history of convening nationally recognized surgeons to a stimulating forum and provides members the opportunities to learn about innovative surgical techniques and processes at the host institution.
November 15, 2021
American Heart Association awards 2021 Clinical Research Prize to Dr. Joseph Woo
The American Heart Association (AHA) recently announced the 2021 Clinical Research Award to Dr. Joseph Woo, the Chair of the Department. The Clinical Research Prize is awarded annually to recognize an individual making outstanding contributions to the advancement of clinical science relevant to the AHA's mission
November 3, 2021
Esteemed cardiothoracic surgeon and long-time mentor for rising scientists, D. Craig Miller retires after 43 years of service at Stanford
Dr. Miller has built his reputable career as a cardiothoracic surgeon, developing his expertise in aortic disease, heart valve disease, mitral valve prolapses, Marfan Syndrome, and vascular diseases to name a few. During his years at Stanford, he improved surgical approaches for patients with acute aortic dissections, pioneering the use of thoracic aortic endovascular stent-grafts, and refining valve-sparing aortic root replacement techniques.
November 8, 2021
James Longoria fixes patient’s atrial fibrillation using TT maze procedure he invented at Stanford Health Care - Valley Care
A patient at Stanford Health Care - Valley Care finds relief from atrial fibrillation, a common heart-rhythm disorder, after undergoing a heart procedure invented by James Longoria, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery. The procedure called total thoracoscopic maze, or TT maze, is now used in hospitals across the nation.
October 5, 2021
Department research and clinical expertise showcased at the 2021 WTSA Annual Meeting
The Western Thoracic Surgical Association (WTSA) hosted its 48th Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, from September 29 to October 2, 2021. This scientific meeting convened together scientists and surgeons to present and discuss topics in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. The symposium featured several scientific presentations, including three abstracts from the Department’s faculty and residents.
October 11, 2021
Stanford Health Care Best in the West for Mitral Valve Repair Surgery
The American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation have recognized Stanford Health Care as one of the top ten U.S. hospitals for mitral valve repair surgery. Stanford Health Care is the only hospital in the West to receive the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center award, a collaborative recognition program of the AHA and Mitral Foundation.
August 19, 2021
Stanford leads in the Top: Stand among the Stanford TOP 10
Join Stanford and stand tall among the TOP 10. Stanford University ranks #3 for "Best Global University" and #6 for "Best National University" rankings. Heart Surgery is ranked #8, leading the way as "Highest-ranked in all of Stanford Healthcare." Rankings are according to performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence, set by U.S. News and World Report.
September 1, 2021
Graeme Rosenberg and Ioana Baiu receive General Surgery Resident Teaching Award
The General Surgery Resident Teaching Award recipients are chosen by Stanford medical students who vote for the best teaching resident in surgery over the past year.
September 1, 2021
Cardiac Muscle Launching to Space Station Aboard Cygnus Spacecraft
In an experiment funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), researchers from the Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research and Stanford University are leveraging microgravity to develop a tissue-engineered model of sarcopenia, the age-related deterioration of skeletal muscle. If validated, the model could be used to study the progression of muscle deterioration and serve as a valuable platform for testing potential treatments for sarcopenia and related muscle disease.
August 9, 2021
Yuanjia Zhu receives Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship and Thoracic Surgery Foundation Resident Research Fellowship
Dr. Zhu proposes to study the ex vivo biomechanics of mitral valve repair operations for mitral valve prolapse followed by in vivo validation using large animal cardiac surgery models. Yuanjia was also awarded the Thoracic Surgery Foundation Resident Research Fellowship for her project titled "Bioengineered Autologous Cytokine-eluting Arterialized Conduits using Tri-Layered Cell Sheet Technology."
July 2021
Stanford Health Care ranked among top hospitals nationwide by U.S. News & World Report
For the seventh year running, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Stanford Health Care one of the nation’s finest hospitals.
July 27, 2021
Brandon Guenthart receives Kelley M. Skeff Professional Award
The Office of Graduate Medical Education is pleased to announce the Kelley M. Skeff Professionalism Award to honor outstanding residents and fellows who exemplify the qualities of respect, collegiality, compassion, and collaboration in their work with all members of the health care team.
July 2021
Mateo Marin-Cuartas receives German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Grant
Dr. Mateo Marin-Cuartas conducted his research at Stanford while applying for the this grant. His grant aids in his research regarding the bioengineering analysis of mitral valve pathologies and mitral valve surgical repair techniques to improve and optimize the surgical treatment of mitral valve diseases. Among the most relevant projects, one of his research projects analyzed the rupture force of diverse types of mitral neochordae.
June 2021
Jack Boyd awarded Stanford-Coulter Translational Research Grant
The Stanford-Coulter Translational Research Grant Program has agreed to fund the project entitled, "In vivo testing of a 3D printed bioabsorbable external scaffold for vein graft failure prevention," led by PIs, Alison Marsden, PhD, and Jack Boyd, MD, for the period covering May 16, 2021, through December 15, 2021. The principal aim of this funding is to help the PIs progress toward completing meaningful milestones which will position the project on a clear translational path.
June 2021
Dr. Anson Lee achieves high recognition for work with Atrial Fibrillation
Dr. Lee was recognized for "Intrinsically stretchable electrode array enabled in vivo electrophysiological mapping of atrial fibrillation at cellular resolution," describing novel "Elastronic" stretchable bioelectronic sensors capable of performing high-resolution electrophysiological heart measurements, and "Screening and Prophylactic Amiodarone Reduces Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation in At-Risk Patients" identifying that "a subset of patients undergoing cardiac surgery who derive maximal benefit from prophylactic amiodarone treatment, resulting in reduced rates of POAF and likely hospital read-missions."
June 11, 2021
Compensating for a Defective Gene: A New Potential Treatment for Heart Failure
Postdoctoral fellows Dries Feyen, PhD, and Isaac Perea-Gil, PhD, (Mark Mercola and Ioannis Karakikes labs) led a study recently published in Circulation that shed light on how the phosopholamban mutation causes heart disease.
June 9, 2021
Heart surgery by Frank Hanley averts transplant and turns teen from blue to pink
To improve blood flow, Frank Hanley, MD, performed pulmonary artery reconstruction on Naomi Debello, who was born with Ebstein’s anomaly, a rare and serious heart condition.
May 24, 2021
Yuanjia Zhu receives TSDA Benson R. Wilcox award
Dr. Zhu presented her study titled "Bilateral versus Single Internal Mammary Artery Grafts for Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery in the United States – A Study of Over One Million Patients" as an oral presentation at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons 56th Annual Meeting in New Orleans in 2020 and received the highly prestigious Thoracic Surgery Directors Association Benson R. Wilcox Award from the President of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Dr. Robert Higgins, and the President of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association, Dr. Ara Vaporciyan, in recognition of her outstanding research endeavors and presentation on this study.
May 2021
Are You Smarter Than Your Attending?
The AATS-sponsored contest, "Smarter Than Your Attending?" concluded in February after challenging participants' knowledge of cardiothoracic surgery. This iOS and Android smartphone game app created by Edward Bender, MD—clinical professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery—provided five questions every week for six weeks covering topics in Adult and Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Lung and Chest Wall Surgery, Diaphragm and Mediastinal Surgery, and Critical Care. Contestants answered multiple choice questions, and the question and answer sessions were timed to provide some fun and drama.
May 20, 2021
Ngan Huang granted courtesy appointment in chemical engineering
Ngan F. Huang, PhD, has been granted a courtesy appointment in the chemical engineering department. This will help foster interdisciplinary research between the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chemical Engineering.
May 12, 2021
Department research and clinical expertise showcased at the 2021 AATS Annual Meeting
The virtual AATS 101st Annual Meeting, held April 30 - May 2, 2021, featured the Aortic Symposium and Mitral Conclave, where experts spoke about how they optimize and even revolutionize exceptional treatment. Surgeons are the creators and disseminators of new knowledge—and with their leadership and medical teams have the tools they need to advance patient care.
May 2021
Tomi Obafemi featured in Black Resident Spotlight
Born in Nigeria, Tomi has had the privilege of splitting his childhood between New Zealand and the USA. He has desired to be a Cardiothoracic Surgeon for as long as he can remember and his time in medical school at UTMB only confirmed this. During the residency application process, Stanford Health Care became his dream program. It is where he envisioned receiving the best training to become a CT surgeon and has not been disappointed.
May 2021
Bad News Made Better: How an App Helps Explain Lung Cancer Surgery
To test whether an educational intervention could help with lung cancer patient care, the Leah Backhus & Mark Berry Lab developed a multimedia education app to help explain the resection procedure to patients. Their app had three features: a 3D model of the lungs and associated structures, video walkthroughs of lung surgeries, and the ability for the surgeon to upload and annotate CT and PET images in real-time. Surgeons and nursing staff were trained in how to use the app and they then either did or did not use the app as part of their pre-surgery discussion with patients.
May 3, 2021
Jump in cancer diagnoses at 65 implies patients wait for Medicare, according to Stanford study
“Essentially we showed there is a big jump in cancer diagnoses as people turn 65 and are thus Medicare-eligible,” said Shrager, the senior author of the study. The study’s lead author is Deven Patel, MD, a surgical resident at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who spent a year as a research fellow at Stanford. “This suggests that many people are delaying their care for financial reasons until they get health insurance through Medicare.”
March 30, 2021
Stanford Health Care recognized for mitral valve repair
Stanford Health Care, a designated a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center, is one of only eight in the country, and the only one in the West. The designation, made by the American Heart Association and Mitral Foundation, recognizes best practices in repairing mitral valves. The designation was established to encourage more patients with severe mitral valve prolapse to get the valve repaired rather than replaced.
March 25, 2021
Double transplant at Stanford saves life of critically ill COVID-19 patient
Surgeons describe the patient’s 24-year-old son as a hero for his persistent and dedicated advocacy on behalf of his father.
March 15, 2021
Stanford Health Care delivers innovative treatments and exceptional outcomes for structural heart conditions
At Stanford Health Care, we're advancing the standard of care for patients with structural heart disease, offering leading-edge diagnostics and interventional treatment options. Our expert faculty members are experienced to handle the most complex cases. We provide personalized, multidisciplinary care, offering the safest, least invasive approach possible.
March 5, 2021
Stanford CT Surgery Celebrates Women in Surgery
We’re grateful to have all our extraordinary female practitioners bringing their knowledge, skill, and perspective to our department!
March 2021
Stanford CT Surgery celebrates Black history
We’re fortunate to have Dr. Leah Backhus and Dr. Elan Burton as part of our full time faculty. They are talented surgeons, thoughtful researchers, and dedicated mentors. Dr. Backhus is the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Palo Alto VA and Dr. Burton is a clinical assistant professor based at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Black surgeons and researchers have been integral to the development of cardiothoracic surgery.
February 2021
Department research and clinical expertise showcased at the 2021 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting
The STS Annual Meeting was an immersive digital experience that combined a tradition of excellence with the innovation of tomorrow. STS 2021 was a fully virtual annual meeting that was designed for all members of the cardiothoracic surgery team. Whether you’re an experienced surgeon, just starting your career, still in training, or an allied health professional, there was an immense amount of content designed to keep you up to date in the rapidly evolving field of cardiothoracic surgery.
February 2021
More, better, faster: A standout year for Stanford Health Care’s heart transplant program
While the COVID-19 pandemic forced some transplant centers to temporarily slow or even shut down, Stanford Medicine’s program continued apace, as the medical center maintained enough beds for patients, who were housed in an isolated unit, and established a rigorous testing program to ensure patient safety.
Leah Backhus and CT Surgery "Cardinal Chest Cutters" win Team Spirit Award at TSF Virtual Fun Run & Walk
Participants ran or walked this virtual 5K during the week of January 22-31, 2021. All proceeds benefitted TSF cardiothoracic surgery research programs.
January 2021