Ralph J. Damiano, Jr., M.D.
Ralph J. Damiano, Jr., M.D., is the John M. Shoenberg Professor of Surgery and chief of cardiac surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Duke University where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He went on to complete both his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery training at Duke University Medical Center. During this time, Damiano received a National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his work on the surgical treatment of arrhythmias.

Damiano’s first faculty appointment was at the Medical College of Virginia from 1989 to 1996. During his tenure, he rose to associate professor of surgery and was named director of the Surgical Electrophysiology and Cardiothoracic Surgical Research Laboratories. He also was medical director of the Medical College of Virginia/Richmond Memorial Hospital Heart Program.

In 1996, Damiano was appointed professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University. At Penn State, he also was co-director of the Cardiovascular Center and was appointed professor of cellular and molecular physiology. In 2000, Damiano was appointed chief of cardiac surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.

Damiano has authored more than 250 scientific publications. His major contributions have been in the area of myocardial preservation during heart surgery, surgical electrophysiology and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. He has been associate editor of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and is on nine other editorial boards. He has been a member of the Surgery and Biomedical Engineering Study Section at the NIH.

Damiano is a pioneer in the area of minimally invasive cardiac surgery. His developmental work on robotically assisted microsurgery for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) earned him a ComputerWorld Smithsonian Award in June 1997. Damiano performed the first robotically assisted CABG procedure in North America in December 1998. He completed the first prospective clinical trial in the world on robotically assisted CABG.

He also has remained active in the surgical treatment of arrhythmias. His team at Washington University is world renowned for its clinical and basic research on the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. The team recently developed a less invasive procedure for atrial fibrillation that is more widely applicable to patients with this arrhythmia.

Damiano was listed in Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors, Inc.) in 2010.
Dr. Damiano’s CV

William A. Gay, Jr., M.D.
William A. Gay, Jr., M.D., is an emeritus professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.

Gay received his medical degree from Duke University in 1961. After completing two years of his surgical residency at Duke University Medical Center, he spent two years at the Clinic of Surgery, National Heart Institute (now National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute), as a clinical associate. He then returned to Duke where he completed his residency in general and cardiothoracic surgery, culminating in a year as a teaching scholar in cardiothoracic surgery from 1970 to 1971. He was certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery in 1971.

After completing his residency, Gay joined the faculty at Cornell University Medical College in New York in July 1971 and achieved full professorship in 1978. In 1984, he was appointed professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine and remained in that position until 1992.

From 1990 to 1992, Gay also served as vice president for health sciences at the University of Utah and chairman of the board of University Hospitals and Clinics. From 1993 to 1995, he was professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY. In 1995, Gay was named professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. From 1997 to 2000, he was the John M. Shoenberg Professor of Surgery and chief of cardiac surgery. Upon his retirement from clinical practice in 2000, Gay was succeeded by Ralph J. Damiano, Jr., M.D.

Gay was a director of the American Board of Surgery from 1989 to 1995 and a director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery from 1988 to 1993, serving as vice chairman from 1993 to 1995 and chairman from 1995 to 1997. He now serves the Board as executive director.

Dr. Gay’s CV

Marc R. Moon, M.D.
Marc R. Moon, M.D., is the Joseph C. Bancroft Professor of Surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.

Moon received his medical degree from Wayne State University in 1988 and completed his residency in general surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 1988-1995. His residency included training in vascular surgery at Oxford University in England with Professor Peter Morris (1994), and he spent two years (1991-1993) in the cardiovascular physiology laboratory at Stanford University with D. Craig Miller, M.D. Moon’s investigative efforts focused on the pathophysiology of mitral regurgitation and its surgical treatment, the effects of mechanical left ventricular (LV) support and the development of endovascular stent technology for the treatment of thoracic aortic disease. He returned to Stanford University from 1995-1998 to complete his clinical cardiothoracic surgery residency under Bruce Reitz, M.D., with specialized training in thoracic organ transplantation.

In 1998, Moon joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine. He was promoted to associate professor in 2002 and to professor in 2005 and was honored as the third Joseph C. Bancroft Professor of Surgery in 2008. He has an active laboratory examining right-heart physiology in chronic pulmonary hypertension. His goals are to develop a mathematical model of right atrial (RA)-right ventricular (RV) function that can be used to predict the consequences of isolated right-sided pathology and surgical procedures that rely heavily on normal right-heart function for success (such as heart transplantation, Maze procedure and Fontan operation).

In recognition of his academic excellence, Moon was awarded a Thoracic Surgery Foundation Research Grant to study the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic pulmonary hypertension. He also is a recipient of an NIH R01 grant entitled "Right Heart Function in Pulmonary Hypertension with Beta-Antagonist and Atrial Shunt."

Moon was named director of the Center for Diseases of the Thoracic Aorta in December 2000 and program director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program in June 2004.

Moon was listed in Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors, Inc.) in 2011.

Dr. Moon’s CV

Michael K. Pasque, M.D.
Michael K. Pasque, M.D., is a professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.

Pasque received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma. He completed a residency in general surgery at the University of California-Los Angeles and a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Toronto. He also completed a two-year research fellowship at Duke University. He is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Pasque has been the principal investigator on NIH-funded grants for over 20 consecutive years. During this period of uninterrupted NIH funding, his laboratory effort has developed and validated a methodology to apply advanced mathematical and engineering analyses to MRI-based cardiac geometrical datasets acquired from patients in the clinical setting. These advanced MRI-based multiparametric strain analyses have been clinically applied in patient subsets with a wide range of cardiovascular disease states including ischemic, valvular and dilated cardiomyopathies. Parallel to his primary area of research, Pasque has been active in the design, development and testing of innovative ventricular assist devices with a wide range of industry partners.

He also takes an active role in the education and mentoring of cardiothoracic fellows. His primary clinical role is now centered in donor organ procurement for heart and lung transplantation.

Pasque was listed in Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors, Inc.) in 2011.

Dr. Pasque’s CV

Jennifer S. Lawton, M.D.
Jennifer S. Lawton, M.D., is an associate professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and an attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Lawton earned her medical degree from Hahnemann University where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honorary society. She completed a general surgery residency at the Medical College of Virginia (Virginia Commonwealth University) and a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in July 2001.

Lawton is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Her investigative interests include intraoperative myocardial protection (specifically, the use of ATP-sensitive potassium channel openers), myocyte volume regulation, cardiac electrophysiology and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Clinically, she is involved in adult cardiac surgery including coronary revascularization (on or off cardiopulmonary bypass), valvular heart disease and the surgical treatment of cardiac dysrhythmias (including the implantation of pacemakers and of automatic cardioverter-defibrillators).

Lawton has 59 published manuscripts and has made numerous presentations at national surgical meetings. She was listed in Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors, Inc.) in 2011.

Dr. Lawton’s CV

Scott C. Silvestry, M.D.

Scott C. Silvestry, M.D., is an associate professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and an attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Silvestry received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He completed a research fellowship with the National Institutes of Health, a general surgery residency at Duke University Medical Center and fellowships in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, and in transplantation and ventricular assistance, at Duke University.

Silvestry is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in 2010 where he specializes in heart transplants, heart failure, mechanical circulatory assist device implants and other surgical treatment of heart disease at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Dr. Silvestry's CV

Hersh S. Maniar M.D.

Hersh S. Maniar, M.D,. is an assistant professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He also is an attending cardiac surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Maniar received his medical degree from the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago, Ill.. He completed his general surgery residency at The New-York Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell-Weill Medical Center, in New York and fellowship training in cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His specialties include adult cardiac surgery, procedures to correct cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery bypass, treatment of valvular heart disease, and aortic surgery.

Dr. Maniar’s CV

Nabil A. Munfakh, M.D.
Nabil Munfakh, M.D., is a professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and an attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Christian Hospital.

Munfakh earned his medical degree at the University of Michigan School of Medicine where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honorary society. He completed a general surgery residency at University of Kentucky Hospital, taking a year to participate in cardiac research at Massachusetts General Hospital. He then completed a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at the Medical College of Virginia (Virginia Commonwealth University).

Munfakh is certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. After spending seven years on the faculty at Louisiana State University School of Medicine, he joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in 2001. His clinical interests encompass all aspects of adult cardiac surgery, with particular interest in mitral valve repair

Munfakh was listed in Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors, Inc.) in 2011.

Dr. Munfakh’s CV

Sunil M. Prasad, M.D.

Sunil Prasad, M.D., is an assistant professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and an attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Christian Hospital.

Prasad earned his medical degree at the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. He completed his general surgery residency and a post-graduate research fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

He is board certified in thoracic surgery, and his specialties include adult cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass, heart failure, heart transplantation, artificial heart devices, and research in advancing artificial heart technology.

Dr. Prasad's CV

Stefano Schena, M.D., Ph.D.

Stefano Schena, M.D., Ph.D., is an assistant professor of surgery in the Cardiac Surgery Section of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and an attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Christian Hospital.

Schena earned his medical degree at the University of Bari Medical School, in Bari, Italy. He completed a residency in cardiovascular surgery at the University of Bari, a surgical residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.

He is board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery and specializes in minimally invasive coronary and valve surgery; thoracic and cardiovascular trauma; endovascular surgery; surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation; and video-assisted and robotic thoracic surgery.

Dr. Schena's CV

Pirooz Eghtesady, M.D., Ph.D.
Pirooz Eghtesady, M.D., Ph.D., is chief of the Section of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and cardiothoracic surgeon-in-chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital. He received his medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. He was a general surgery resident at Stanford University Hospital and completed his cardiothoracic surgery residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. While completing his cardiothoracic surgery residency, he was the Professor Alain Carpentier Service-Fellow in Cardiovascular Surgery at Broussais Hospital, and the Professor Claude Planché Service-Fellow in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Marie Lannelongue Hospital, in Paris, France, in 1999. He also completed a pediatric cardiac surgery fellowship at U.C.S.F./Stanford University Hospital in 2001-2002.

Along with his clinical interests, Eghtesady runs a research laboratory funded by NIH and other extramural agencies that studies potential therapeutic fetal cardiac interventions, with particular emphasis on novel uses of extracorporeal circulation, as well as mechanisms of disease pathogenesis in aortic stenosis and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. His internationally recognized investigative work in fetal cardiopulmonary bypass led to recent appointment of Eghtesady to the FDA Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee.

Dr. Eghtesady's CV

Washington University physicians are the medical staff of
Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital