Dr. Joseph W. Turek

I am the chief of pediatric heart surgery at Duke Health. Being a heart surgeon was always a dream of mine as a child. Spending a summer in medical school with legendary pediatric heart surgeon, Aldo Castaneda, cemented my desire to devote my life to this profession. Clinically, I love the creativity, complexity and challenge associated with my work. I am also able to satisfy my investigational curiosities through an active basic and clinical research laboratory focusing on congenital heart disease. I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to fulfill this dream back at Duke, a place that was so influential in my surgical training. Outside the hospital, I most enjoy spending time with my wife of 20+ years and three young children. We are an active family, always on the go… which mirrors my life at work.

Dr. Turek is highly rated in 16 conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Partial Atrioventricular Canal, Coarctation of the Aorta, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Heart Transplant, and Heart Valve Repair.

Dr. Turek is board certified in American Board Of Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic And Cardiac Surgery , American Board Of Thoracic Surgery, Congenital Cardiac Surgery , and American Board Of Surgery, General Surgery. He is actively involved in clinical research, co-authoring 207 peer reviewed articles.