News & Media

Parekh Selected as Interim Chair in Iowa Kalpaj Parekh, MBBS, has been appointed interim chair and executive officer of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. He has led the Cardiothoracic Surgery Division within the Department of Surgery since 2016, serves as the surgical director of the lung transplant program, and is professor of cardiothoracic surgery. Dr. Parekh has been an STS member since 2009 and is on the Editorial Board of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Darling Leads Team at Dalhousie University Gail E. Darling, MD, has been named the head of surgery at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and surgeon-in-chief for the Central Zone (Halifax) of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. Most recently, she served as professor of thoracic surgery at the University of Toronto in Canada. An STS member since 1994, Dr. Darling is the senior editor of general thoracic surgery for the STS Cardiothoracic Surgery E-Book. Lytle Presents ACS Gibbon Lecture Bruce W. Lytle, MD, gave the prestigious John H. Gibbon Jr. Lecture at the 2021 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in October, presented in honor of the pioneering cardiothoracic surgeon who invented the heart-lung machine. In his address, titled “Coronary Bypass Surgery: An Operation Like No Other,” Dr. Lytle discussed the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the continued relevance of coronary bypass surgery in the prevention of CAD death. An STS member since 1984, he is the chairman of cardiovascular strategic development and planning for cardiovascular medicine and surgery at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas. Lee Earns JD, Passes Bar Exam Richard Lee, MD, JD, MBA, recently earned his Juris Doctorate (JD) from Saint Louis University School of Law in Missouri, passed the Missouri Bar Exam, and was admitted to the Missouri Bar. He intends to use his law degree to explore the intersection between medicine and law and assist his surgical colleagues with legal matters. Dr. Lee is the chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. An STS member since 2005, he has served on the STS Workforce on Annual Meeting, Tech-Con Task Force, and STS-PAC Board of Advisors. Watson Is System Chief in Detroit Thomas J. Watson, MD, is the new system chief of thoracic surgery for Beaumont Health in Detroit, Michigan. In this role, he will lead the thoracic surgical service line across the system's eight hospitals while overseeing recruitment, expansion, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Previously, Dr. Watson was system chair of surgery and chief of thoracic surgery for MedStar Health in Washington, DC, and Maryland, and professor of surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has been an STS member since 2002. Woo Awarded AHA Clinical Research Prize Joseph Woo, MD, received the 2021 Clinical Research Prize from the American Heart Association. He was recognized for his innovative work that has advanced the field of complex valve repair through new techniques, technologies, and approaches to patient-centered care. An STS member since 2003, Dr. Woo is the chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, professor of cardiothoracic surgery, and associate director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. Miller Begins Position in Georgia Daniel L. Miller, MD, is now the chief of thoracic surgery at the Medical College of Georgia and surgical director of the Georgia Cancer Center, both at Augusta University. Previously, he was chief of thoracic surgery at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Miller also is the 2022 president of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. He has been an STS member since 1994.

STS News, Winter 2022 — “Just gave it a listen. A+ job!”     “What an inspiring story! Totally relatable to me.”     “If you haven’t been listening, do it!” Same Surgeon, Different Light—originally launched in October 2020—truly resonated with listeners, as suggested by this feedback from Season 1. The program focuses on demystifying cardiothoracic surgery and presenting the extraordinary backstories of cardiothoracic surgeons from a variety of backgrounds and in various career stages. So far, the podcast has had more than 16,000 downloads. Hosts David Tom Cooke, MD, and Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, are at it again, helping listeners get to know the guests—the obstacles, success stories, tradeoffs, and pivotal moments that have shaped their personal missions and careers. Season 2 kicked off in December 2021 with cardiothoracic surgery superstar Valerie W. Rusch, MD. Additional guests include Joseph A. Dearani, MD, Susan D. Moffatt-Bruce, MD, PhD, MBA, Jacques Kpodonu, MD, Gail E. Darling, MD, Edward P. Chen, MD, Jennifer C. Romano, MD, MS, Allan Pickens, MD, and many more. Listeners will discover fascinating personal details, like why Dr. Kpodonu considers himself an “international gentleman.” He was born in Paris, France—his mom’s home city, but at 8 years old, moved to his dad’s country of Ghana. Throughout his childhood years, the family moved back and forth between the two countries several times. In Ghana, Dr. Kpodonu’s dad served as the country’s first cardiologist, and today, at 84 years old, he is still practicing. Dr. Rusch shares that powerful lessons from her mom about being a strong woman and a summer job as a surgical scrub tech are what sparked her interest in medicine. While she understood that it wouldn’t be an easy path, she never allowed obstructions to hold her back and went on to become one of the most respected general thoracic surgeons of all time. These are the types of inspirational stories and experiences that are shared during the Same Surgeon, Different Light episodes.  New episodes will be added regularly. Subscribe to Surgical Hot Topics via your favorite podcast app, or find the episodes at sts.org/podcast. Social media postings about the series include the hashtag #TheFaceofCTSurgery.

STS News, Winter 2022 — For only the sixth time in the 56-year history of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the journal is welcoming a new Editor-in-Chief. Cardiac surgeon Joanna Chikwe, MD, FRCS, has been charged with leading the publication and the soon-to-be-launched open access journal, Annals Short Reports, effective January 1. “It’s rather like moving from the passenger seat of a carefully driven Bentley GT to the driver’s seat, seeing a perfect stretch of open road and putting your foot on the gas,” said Dr. Chikwe, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. “This is an exhilarating time to run a journal of this caliber, simply because gentle shifts in editorial and digital strategy can be transformative.” With an impressive vision for The Annals, Dr. Chikwe plans to work toward making the journal a “must-read”—the first choice for “the best research, most thought-provoking editorials, and authoritative content in cardiac and thoracic surgery—a pocket plenary session,” she said. Dr. Chikwe detailed key strategic goals that include streamlining editorial processes and further increasing the impact factor in order to help expand The Annals’ relevance and readership engagement. Also important will be enhancing the journal’s digital footprint. Readers of The Annals are looking for unlimited, 24/7/365 access to robust, relevant articles and other high-quality content, according to Dr. Chikwe. She explained that her senior partners prefer stacks of paper editions, her peers access almost everything online, and her residents stay updated through social media channels. “I believe none of the specialty organizations have fully realized their potential to provide global education and the highest impact science in a 24/7/365 environment across all these platforms, and The Annals, with STS support, is superbly placed to do this,” Dr. Chikwe said. A recognized leader in the fields of robotic mitral valve repair and coronary revascularization, Dr. Chikwe is the founding chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. She also serves as the Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery and professor of cardiac surgery. “Dr. Chikwe is an accomplished cardiac surgeon with an impressive record of academic scholarship, effective leadership, and clinical achievement,” said STS President Sean C. Grondin, MD, MPH, FRCSC. “With significant editorial experience, she has proposed exciting strategies to make The Annals the most impactful and engaging journal in cardiothoracic surgery. We are thrilled to welcome her to the leadership team and are looking forward to continuing our work together to provide a high-quality journal for our specialty.” Dr. Chikwe grew up in Birmingham, England, and after high school, she spent 2 years studying art in Florence, Italy. This experience helped her realize that art was “always going to be a great hobby,” but medicine was her lifetime passion. Dr. Chikwe also credits watching a documentary featuring the pioneering work of Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub, MD, for inspiring her to be a cardiac surgeon. She went on to complete her medical degree at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, cardiothoracic surgery residency at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals in London, and cardiac surgery fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She remained on the Mount Sinai faculty for more than a decade before being recruited to lead the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. For The Annals, Dr. Chikwe previously served as deputy editor for adult cardiac surgery and associate editor for feature articles. In addition, she has published more than 200 peer-reviewed contributions and three surgery textbooks, as well as led six expert consensus writing groups. “When I think of where I find most joy in my work, it’s doing complex surgery beautifully, the astonishing accomplishments that come from developing great teams and collaborations, and those moments when you or your residents recognize a really impactful research idea or finding that will change minds and practice,” said Dr. Chikwe. “I enjoy teaching and writing, and the exciting thing about The Annals is the opportunity to bring the scientific and educational impact of the journal and STS to a new audience and new heights.” Dr. Chikwe’s appointment follows the departure of G. Alexander Patterson, MD, FRCS(C), who served as Editor-in-Chief since 2015. The first issue under Dr. Chikwe’s editorship is expected to publish in mid-2022.