James Gammie is the surgical lead and co-director for the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute and cardiac surgeon-in-chief for the Johns Hopkins Health System. With over 23 years of experience in cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Gammie joined Johns Hopkins after serving as chief of the division of cardiac surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center from 2012 to 2021. Dr. Gammie graduated from Brown University with a degree in biochemistry, and received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Gammie trained in both general and cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His clinical and research efforts are focused on decreasing the mortality and morbidity of valve disease and improving the surgical treatment of mitral valve and other structural heart diseases. He performs over 225 mitral valve operations and interventions per year, and leads a cardiac surgery team that performs more than 1,200 cardiac operations annually. He is recognized by the Mitral Foundation and the American Heart Association as one of less than 25 reference surgeons in the U.S. for his experience in mitral valve repair and excellent patient outcomes. Dr. Gammie has a strong interest in all aspects of heart valve disease, and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed contributions in leading specialty journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Circulation. He has served as a deputy editor for The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and as chair of the Access and Publications Committee of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. He serves on the steering committee of the NHLBI-sponsored Cardiothoracic Surgery Trials Network, and led the protocol development committee of a worldwide randomized tricuspid valve surgery trial. He is a member of the Halsted Society and the 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society. In 2011, Dr. Gammie was awarded the Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland Alliance for Science and Technology Development BioMaryland LIFE Prize, and he was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the University of Maryland Baltimore in 2014. He is the inventor of a novel transseptal catheter designed to simplify transcatheter cardiac procedures, and founded a commercial company to commercialize the device. With 20 issued or submitted patents, he continues to innovate in the mitral valve space, and recently published the world’s first clinical experience with a novel surgical repair for secondary mitral valve regurgitation, which was developed in his laboratory: mitral valve translocation. From 2016–2021, Dr. Gammie was consistently named a Top Doctor by Baltimore magazine, and in 2018 he received the Golden Apple Teacher of the Year award. Dr. Gammie is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Tricuspid Regurgitation, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Embolectomy, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Sean Gloth is a Cardiologist in Columbia, Maryland. Dr. Gloth is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Heart Murmurs, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Ectopic Heartbeat, and Aortic Regurgitation.

Hitesh Patel is a Cardiologist in Frederick, Maryland. Dr. Patel is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Adenosine Deaminase 2 Deficiency, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Necrosis, and Hypertension.

Robert Benitez is a Cardiologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Benitez is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Necrosis, Cardiogenic Shock, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), and Aortic Valve Replacement.

Mark Vesely is a Cardiologist in Westminster,, Maryland. Dr. Vesely is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Necrosis, Apoplexy, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Angioplasty.

Joseph Cinderella is a Cardiologist in Salisbury, Maryland. Dr. Cinderella is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Angina, Coronary Heart Disease, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), and Aortic Valve Replacement.

Daniel Griffen is a Cardiologist in Rockville,, Maryland. Dr. Griffen is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Regurgitation, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Necrosis, and Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT).

Thomas Odar is a Cardiologist in Rockville,, Maryland. Dr. Odar is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Atrial Fibrillation, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Regurgitation, and Mitral Valve Prolapse.

Brian Barr is a Cardiologist in Westminster, Maryland. Dr. Barr is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Familial Ventricular Tachycardia, Necrosis, Arrhythmias, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), and Aortic Valve Replacement.

Steven Hearne is a Cardiologist in Salisbury,, Maryland. Dr. Hearne is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Coronary Heart Disease, Atrial Fibrillation, Angina, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Susie Hong is a Cardiologist in Baltimore,, Maryland. Dr. Hong is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. Her top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Familial Ventricular Tachycardia, Necrosis, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Samir Ahuja is a Cardiologist in Frederick,, Maryland. Dr. Ahuja is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Adenosine Deaminase 2 Deficiency, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Coronary Heart Disease, and Atherosclerosis.

Robert Hood is a Cardiologist in Baltimore,, Maryland. Dr. Hood is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Familial Ventricular Tachycardia, Necrosis, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), and Aortic Valve Replacement.

Thomas Wang is a Cardiologist in Rockville,, Maryland. Dr. Wang is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are High Cholesterol, Sitosterolemia, Heart Attack, and Glucocorticoid-Remediable Aldosteronism.

Chetan Pasrija, M.D. is a cardiothoracic surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. He is an assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Pasrija specializes in heart and lung transplantation, aortic surgery, and the surgical treatment of ischemic heart disease. He also has a particular interest in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. He has published extensively on the topics of heart and lung transplant, massive pulmonary embolism, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and minimally invasive left ventricular assist device implantation. As a trainee, Dr. Pasrija was heavily involved with the surgical implantation and postoperative management of the first cardiac xenotransplant performed in the world at the University of Maryland. During his time as faculty at Vanderbilt University, he was a part of one of the largest heart and lung transplant programs in the United States. This included significant involvement with cutting-edge technologies to expand the donor pool, including normothermic regional perfusion and the Transmedics Organ Care System. Dr. Pasrija was co-surgeon in a combined heart-lung transplant with a groundbreaking 9.5 hour period of time without any blood flow using a novel 10⁰C cooler. He has also performed heart transplants with travel as far as Puerto Rico. Outside of transplantation, Dr. Pasrija is a high-volume cardiac surgeon, with an interest in complex open and endovascular aortic surgery. He performed the first ascending stent in the state of Tennessee, as well as the first total arch replacement without cooling the patient’s body in Tennessee using the Thoraflex device. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Bioengineering at the University of Maryland and his Medical Degree at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed an Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery residency at the University of Maryland. During his training, he spent time at Vanderbilt University to learn advanced heart failure techniques as well as time at the University of Toronto to learn advanced lung transplant and pulmonary thromboendartectomy techniques. Additionally, he has a Masters in Clinical Research from the University of Maryland. Outside of his clinical interests, Dr. Pasrija is an accomplished investigator. During his post-doctoral research fellowship, he received a competitive American Heart Association post-doctoral fellowship award in addition to institutional awards for excellence in research. His research efforts focus on improving donor preservation with novel perfusion and temperature techniques, improving donor evaluation methods, and establishing novel immunologic therapies for transplant tolerance. Dr. Pasrija is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Dissection, Embolectomy, and Heart Transplant.

Stephen Gottlieb is a Cardiologist in Baltimore,, Maryland. Dr. Gottlieb is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, Apoplexy, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Currently the practice's Managing Physician, Dr. Michael Silverman joined Cardiovascular Specialists in 1994 after completing a cardiology fellowship at Temple University in Philadelphia. He has special interests in echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Silverman also has a strong interest in cardiovascular disease in athletes, especially those who participate in endurance sports. Under his direction, our echocardiography program achieved accreditation by IAC, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. He is presently Medical Director of the practice's nuclear cardiology department, which is also accredited by IAC. A member of the Active physician admitting staff at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center, he is past president of the HCGH Professional Staff and past Chairman of the Department of Medicine at HCGH. His community involvement includes past membership on the Board of Directors of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults and the Columbia Association Medical Advisory Board. Currently, he is a member of the American College of Cardiology Maryland Chapter Board of Governors. Dr. Silverman is an instructor in Medicine-Cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine. A Baltimore native, he went to Duke University and now resides in Ellicott City with his wife. He has two daughters and two grandsons. Dr. Silverman's personal interests include cycling and triathlons. He has completed three Ironman triathlons (including KONA) and numerous other athletic endurance events. Videos Heart Attack Symptoms and Prevention (Q&A) The Importance of Calling 9-1-1 for Heart Attack Symptoms. Dr. Silverman is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, High Cholesterol, Atherosclerosis, and Coronary Heart Disease.

Dr. Eric Schwartz joined Cardiovascular Specialists in July 2012. In addition to training in nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, and vascular ultrasound, Dr. Schwartz is trained in the implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators. A Howard County native, Dr. Schwartz and his wife have two sons. In his spare time, he is an avid Peloton cyclist and enjoys strength training. A member of the Active physician admitting staff at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center, he currently serves as the Chairman, Department of Medicine, Chair of the Medical Staff Credentials Committee, Co-Chair of the Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center STEMI Committee, and Medical Director of the Interventional Radiology Cardiovascular Lab. Dr. Shwartz is a member of the Electrophysiology Clinical Community of the JHHS. He is a past recipient of the HCGH Physician of the Year award, and two-time winner of the Johns Hopkins Innovations in Clinical Care Excellence Award. Videos Implantable Heart Monitor - Loop Recorder (Q&A) Implantable Devices for People with Heart Conditions (Q&A) 2018 Physician of the Year. Dr. Schwartz is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Arrhythmias, Familial Ventricular Tachycardia, Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, Ventricular Tachycardia, and Pacemaker Implantation.

Brian Bethea is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Bethea is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Mitral Stenosis, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Hafeez Syed is a Cardiologist in Owings Mills, Maryland. Dr. Syed is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Mitral Valve Regurgitation. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Necrosis, Hypertensive Heart Disease, Pacemaker Implantation, and Hip Replacement. Dr. Syed is currently accepting new patients.