Sameer Hirji, MD MPH

Cardiac surgeon and advanced fellow in structural, endovascular and aortic surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston  

Dr. Hirji’s research at Harvard Medical School has measurably changed clinical practice. His landmark comparison of valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) versus reoperative surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) , published in the European Heart Journal, has been cited more than 120 times and incorporated into major international guidelines. This is a rare milestone for a surgeon still in training. His subsequent studies, including the national benchmark study for surgical AVR in bicuspid aortic valve patients in Annals of Thoracic Surgery has become a reference standard for centers, clinical trial design and guideline committees worldwide. 

With more than 300 peer-reviewed publications already to his credit and an h-index of 35, Sameer earned the prestigious J. Maxwell Chamberlain Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the C. Walton Lillehei Award from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in the same year—an extraordinary distinction reflecting top-ranked scholarship as recognized by the most competitive juries in the specialty. 

Beyond the operating room, Dr. Hirji has served as president of the North American Thoracic Surgery Residents Association, has mentored more than 40 trainees (across Harvard Medical School and T. H. Chan School of Public Health) and has founded a nonprofit that supports education initiatives for blind students in Tanzania.  

A 2025 recipient of the prestigious Michael J. Davidson Structural Heart Fellowship, Sameer represents the Millennial Generation’s bright future in cardiovascular surgery. He is an exemplary physician-scientist, providing unsurpassed patient care while building evidence, training successors and leading with purpose.