The 20 Best Heart Transplant Doctors in Maryland, US

Ahmet Kilic is a cardiac surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. He is an associate professor of surgery at the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He also serves as director of heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. Dr. Kilic's areas of clinical expertise include adult cardiac surgery with a special interest in heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kilic served as associate professor of surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and was the director of the heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support programs. He was co-director of the advanced heart failure program as well as the vice director of clinical and academic affairs in the division of cardiac surgery. Although a recognized leader in the field of heart failure, Dr. Kilic’s expertise runs the spectrum of cardiac surgery. Dr. Kilic is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Heart Tumor, Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM), Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis, Heart Transplant, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Jaideep Patel is a Cardiologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Patel is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Atherosclerosis, Cardiac Amyloidosis, Heart Failure, Heart Transplant, and Endoscopy.

Glenn Whitman, M.D., joined the Johns Hopkins Division of Cardiac Surgery in 2009 as associate professor of surgery. His training began at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a resident in surgery from 1979 to 1984. He then finished his general surgery training and then completed his training as a cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Colorado. Thereafter, Dr. Whitman became an assistant professor at the University of Colorado and chief of cardiothoracic surgery at the Denver Veteran’s Administration Hospital, where he remained for two years. In 1990, he returned to his home city of Philadelphia, where he became chief of cardiac surgery at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, formerly Women’s Medical College, the first medical school in the United States to accept women. Dr. Whitman remained there for eight years before moving to the University of Maryland as chief of cardiac surgery. He has served as the director of transplantation and United Network for Organ Sharing representative at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, as well as its director of perioperative services, managing preadmission testing, the operating room, and the post-anesthesia care unit. In 2007, he left Temple for Thomas Jefferson Hospital, taking over the responsibilities of running the cardiac surgery intensive care unit. In summer 2009, he was returned to Baltimore to run the cardiac surgery intensive care unit and oversee the performance improvement/quality assurance program for cardiac surgery at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Whitman’s initial research interests were in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury and P31 nuclear magnetic resonance of cardiac bioenergetics, for which he received both National Institutes of Health and Department of Veterans Affairs funding. He has since become involved with quality outcome, and has presented at the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons on the difficulties associated with performance improvement and quality assurance in the field of health care, particularly in the ICU. This past year, Dr. Whitman has stepped down from his role as the Chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgery Workforce on Critical Care, a role he had held since 2014. He continues to participate in the content of the Annual Meetings for the Society of Thoracic Surgery, The American Association of Thoracic Surgery, and The STS Fall Critical Care meetings as the Programmatic Co-Chair for Perioperative Care. This past year he has participated in two major consensus statements on postcardiotomy shock (see below) and low ejection fraction CABG patients (awaiting review). 2020 EACTS/ELSO/STS/AATS ExpertConsensus on Post-CardiotomyExtracorporeal Life Support in Adult Patients Ann Thorac Surg 2012;111:327-69. Dr. Whitman is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Cardiogenic Shock, Compartment Syndrome, Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM), Heart Bypass Surgery, and Heart Transplant.

Samer Najjar is a Cardiologist in Baltimore,, Maryland. Dr. Najjar is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, Cardiogenic Shock, Heart Transplant, and Cardiac Ablation.

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 Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Dissection, Embolectomy, and Heart Transplant.

Steven Hsu, M.D., is a member of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Division of Cardiology, specializing in heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and cardiac transplantation. Dr. Hsu received his undergraduate degree from Yale College followed by his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed intern and residency training in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he also served as an Assistant Chief of Service for the Osler Medical Service. He then completed a clinical fellowship in cardiology and a post-doctoral fellowship in advanced heart failure/transplant at Hopkins. He is a faculty member of the American College of Cardiology. He sees patients with heart failure, mechanical circulatory support devices such as left ventricular assist devices, and cardiac transplants. In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Hsu runs an NIH R01-funded research lab studying the hemodynamic and cellular changes related to right ventricular failure in the setting of pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Dr. Hsu is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Pulmonary Hypertension, Heart Failure, Hypertension, Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), and Heart Transplant.

Dr. Ari Cedars is a cardiologist in Baltimore, Maryland. He also serves as director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center at both the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute and the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center. Dr. Cedars is an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Cedars specializes in adult congenital heart disease. He is a member of the leadership committee for the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION), an organization focused on the improvement of outcomes for pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) patients. He is an administrative board member of the Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology (AARCC), a multi-institutional academic research network devoted to producing new research in adult congenital heart disease. He is also a member of the medical advisory board for the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA). Dr. Cedars’ research focuses on patient-centered outcomes, mechanical circulatory support and ventricular assist devices, and the biological mechanisms underlying clinical disease progression in congenital heart disease. Dr. Cedars is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), Tetralogy of Fallot, Heart Attack, Apoplexy, and Heart Transplant.

Dr. Nisha A. Gilotra is a cardiologist in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Division of Cardiology with expertise in advanced heart failure, including the care of heart transplant and ventricular assist device patients. Dr. Gilotra specializes in inflammatory cardiomyopathies, including sarcoidosis, myocarditis and inherited causes of cardiomyopathy. Dr. Gilotra received her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. She completed her medical residency, general cardiology fellowship and advanced heart failure fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Between fellowships, she served as an Assistant Chief of Service for the Department of Medicine. Dr. Gilotra is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Sarcoidosis, Myocarditis, Cardiomyopathy, Heart Transplant, and Endoscopy.

Kavita Sharma MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant Cardiology in the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Program. She sees patients at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, downtown campus. A cardiologist specializing in advanced heart failure, her clinical interests include advanced heart failure diagnosis and management, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support including left ventricular assist devices. She has a specialized interest in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and directs one of the largest programs in the country dedicated to caring for patients with this condition. She is the principal investigator of numerous clinical and translational trials in HFpEF and leads a team of nurses, research coordinators, and fellows-in-training in this multi-faceted program. She is an invited speaker at national meetings in topic areas covering advanced heart failure and HFpEF. Dr. Sharma is a member of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the Heart Failure Society of America, and the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Dr. Sharma is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), Heart Failure, Cardiac Amyloidosis, Heart Transplant, and Fasciotomy.

Errol L. Bush, M.D., FACS, is a thoracic surgeon and surgical director of the Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Program for the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center. He also serves as director of the Ex vivo Lung Perfusion Program (EVLP). Dr. Bush specializes in the surgical treatment of chronic and end stage lung diseases, as well as benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) diseases and lesions of the chest. He is skilled in minimally invasive operations such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a type of thoracic surgery performed using a small video camera that is introduced into the patient's chest via a scope to treat lung and esophageal cancers. Dr. Bush also has experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support oxygen to patients whose heart and lungs can no longer serve their function. His research interests include investigations of outcomes and health disparities related to lung cancer, lung transplant and ECMO patients. Dr. Bush is currently leading several open clinical trials. Dr. Bush is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Fibrosing Mediastinitis, Lung Transplant, and Heart Transplant.

Howard Massey is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Massey is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Dissection, Cystic Medial Necrosis of Aorta, Cardiogenic Shock, Heart Transplant, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Dorry Segev is a General Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Segev is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), Liver Failure, Hyperparathyroidism, Kidney Transplant, and Liver Transplant.

Bartley Griffith is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Griffith is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Hemolysis, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Regurgitation, Embolectomy, and Aortic Valve Replacement.

Shelby Kutty is a Pediatric Cardiologist in Baltimore,, Maryland. Dr. Kutty is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Tetralogy of Fallot, Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), Heart Transplant, and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).

Sabra Lewsey is a cardiologist specializing in heart failure in Baltimore, Maryland. Additionally, she is an assistant professor at the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Lewsey earned her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and a master of public health degree from Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her residency in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she also completed fellowships in cardiology and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. Dr. Lewsey is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), Cardiomyopathy, Heart Attack, and Heart Transplant.

Joseph Marine, MD, MBA, FACC, FHRS, is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist who practices primarily at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He is a Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and holds appointments as Vice-Director of Operations for the Division of Cardiology and Section Chief of Cardiology for Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. He trained at UC San Francisco Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston University Medical Center, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Marine has lectured widely on a variety of arrhythmia topics and has served as a co-director of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Cardiovascular Overview and Board Review Course for 10 years. He currently serves on the ACC Board of Governors and is co-editor of the ACC/HRS EP Self-Assessment Program. He also serves on other committees for the ACC, the Heart Rhythm Society, and MedChi. He is co-author of more than 130 original research and review articles and has served on writing committees for several national cardiology practice and training guidelines. As a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist, Dr. Marine specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias, which are heart rhythm disorders that cause the heart to beat too rapidly, too slowly, or irregularly. His research focuses on further improving the safety and effectiveness of catheter ablation and other treatments for atrial fibrillation and other atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Dr. Marine is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Atrial Fibrillation, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia (AVNRT), Arrhythmias, Cardiac Ablation, and Heart Transplant.

Joban Vaishnav is a cardiologist specializing in heart failure in Baltimore, Maryland. Additionally, she is an assistant professor at the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She has special interest in amyloidosis. Dr. Vaishnav earned her medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine. She completed a residency in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she also completed fellowships in cardiology and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. Dr. Vaishnav is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Cardiac Amyloidosis, Heart Failure, Primary Localized Cutaneous Amyloidosis, Heart Transplant, and Tissue Biopsy.

Dr. Erin D. Michos is a Professor of Medicine within the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is the Director of Women's Cardiovascular Health and the Associate Director of Preventive Cardiology within the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Michos is an internationally known expert in Preventive Cardiology and Women’s Health, having authored >700 publications and 11 book chapters. Her research involves (1) Women’s Cardiovascular Health; (2) Lipids and Lipid management; (3) Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic and Obesity disease management (4) Coronary artery calcium, inflammation and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. She is the co-Editor-in-Chief for the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. She is Co-Director of the IMPACT Center (Improving Participation Among Diverse Populations in Cardiovascular Clinical Trials) at Johns Hopkins, funded by the American Heart Association (AHA). She is a co-investigator in several NIH-funded studies including the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohorts. She has served as the Training Director for four AHA Strategic Focused Research Networks. She has mentored over 60 individuals and the recipient of 2 mentoring awards. Additionally, she was the recipient of the Nanette Wegner Award for Women’s Health Medical Leadership by the Women Heart Organization and the Donna Vogel Women’s Health Champion Award by Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Michos completed medical school at Northwestern University, Internal Medicine residency and Cardiology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a Masters of Health Science degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Michos is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Atherosclerosis, Vitamin D Deficiency, Heart Failure, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), and Thrombectomy.

Jennifer S. Lawton, M.D., is the Richard Bennett Darnall Professor of Surgery and chief of the Johns Hopkins Division of Cardiac Surgery, as well as director of the Cardiac Surgery Research Laboratory. Dr. Lawton’s clinical area of focus is adult cardiac surgery. She also leads the division’s residency education program, and conduct research in myocyte volume regulation and ATP-sensitive K channels. She has held important leadership roles in several organizations, including chair of the surgery study section of the American Heart Association, vice-chair of the ACGME residency review committee, and president of the Women in Thoracic Surgery. Lawton’s achievements also include 81 peer-review publications, 7 book chapters, and 18 abstracts. She has delivered over 50 invited lectures. Dr. Lawton is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Heart Tumor, Aortic Dissection, Atrial Myxoma, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG).

Paul Scheel, M.D., is a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland with an expertise in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Scheel provides clinical care to patients with heart failure, treating a wide range of conditions. He is an integral part of the Advanced Heart Failure and CCU inpatient services, and also provides service in the Cath Lab. Dr. Scheel earned his B.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and minoring in Bioengineering. He obtained his M.D. degree from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, where he was elected Alpha Omega Alpha. Following his medical degree, Dr. Scheel embarked on his training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed his internship in Internal Medicine in 2017, followed by residency in Internal Medicine from 2017 to 2019. Driven by his passion for cardiovascular disease, he then pursued a fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease from 2019 to 2022. Building upon this foundation, he continued his training with a fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, further honing his expertise in managing complex heart failure cases. He has been involved in research within the ARVC and LVAD Programs at Johns Hopkins and has a wider interest in genetic cardiomyopathies and durable mechanical support. Dr. Scheel is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Heart Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Cardiomyopathy, Myocarditis, Heart Failure, Tissue Biopsy, and Heart Transplant.