Congenital heart surgeon named president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery
Emile A. Bacha, MD, has officially been named the 106th president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). He succeeded David R. Jones, MD, in a presentation during the AATS 105th annual meeting in May.
Bacha is an internationally recognized leader in both pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery. He is among the pioneers of the hybrid stage I procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome and the principal developer of a widely adopted technical competency metric for pediatric heart surgeons. He currently works as a professor of surgery at Columbia University and chief of the division of cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. In addition, he is co-director of the Congenital Heart Center at NewYork-Presbyterian.
Bacha's research over the years has focused on making pediatric cardiac surgery safer and less invasive, gaining support from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, AATS Foundation and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is a past associate editor of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Bacha also has held numerous leadership roles within the AATS and the AATS Foundation, including serving as the treasurer of both organizations for five years.
“My focus will be on the importance of leadership, character and innovation in cardiothoracic surgery. Our specialty has continuously advanced through bold innovation and dedicated leadership, both clinically and academically, resulting in tremendous benefits for patients. These achievements deserve to be highlighted and celebrated,” Bacha said in a statement.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Bacha earned his medical degree from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. He completed his surgical residency at Emory University, a research fellowship at Hôpital Marie-Lannelongue of Paris-Sud University, and his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Other new physicians joining AATS leadership
New AATS Executive Committee member Joseph Woo, MD, is the organization's new president-elect and will be its 107th president. Woo is the Norman E. Shumway Professor and chair of the department of cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford University. He also holds a courtesy appointment in the department of bioengineering.
Woo currently has an active clinical practice of more than 300 pump cases per year, focusing on complex mitral and aortic valve repair, thoracic aortic surgery, cardiopulmonary transplantation and adult congenital heart surgery. The AATS said he has advanced these fields by developing several innovative operations.
Leonard N. Girardi, MD, was elected the group's new vice president and is in line to become its 108th president. He is the O. Wayne Isom Professor and chairman of the department of cardiothoracic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also cardiothoracic surgeon-in-chief at The NewYork Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and oversees all cardiothoracic surgical services at the hospital’s main campus, as well as the NewYork Presbyterian regional hospitals in Queens and Brooklyn.
Other leadership announcements included:
- Maral Ouzounian, MD, was named secretary-elect of the board.
- Anelechi C. Anyanwu, MD, was named treasurer of the board.
- Bryan M. Burt, MD; Sitaram Emani, MD; and Song Wan, MD, PhD, were all named directors of the board.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]