Dr. Alexis E. Shafii

Richard Smalling is a Cardiologist in Houston,, Texas. Dr. Smalling is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Patent Foramen Ovale Repair. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Patent Foramen Ovale, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Dr. Kenneth K. Liao is a cardiothoracic surgeon in Houston with expertise in minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery as well as heart transplantation. Board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Liao joined Baylor College of Medicine from the University of Minnesota, where he served as the director of the Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Program and surgical director of the Heart Transplant Program.Dr. Liao completed his general surgery residency at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and trained in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Minnesota. There he started the Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Programs and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program. He specializes in adult cardiac surgery with an expertise in robotic and minimally invasive mitral repair, robotic coronary artery bypass and mitral valve repair/replacement, Heart transplantation, Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implantation and complex redo cardiac surgeries.Dr. Liao is the chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Circulatory Support atBaylor College of Medicine and chief of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. He is the program director of Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Heart Institute Cardiothoracic Transplantation Fellowship and Baylor College of Medicine Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Fellowship. He is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Liao has given numerous presentations both nationally and internationally. He has participated in over 30 clinical trials as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. His work in the field of valve surgery, heart transplantation and ventricular assist device has been extensively published. Dr. Liao is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Patent Foramen Ovale Repair. His top areas of expertise are Heart Tumor, Atrial Myxoma, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Heart Transplant, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Dr. Marc Moon, an expert and pioneer in the most advanced forms of cardiac surgery, is chief of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, chief of the adult cardiac surgery section at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and chief of adult cardiac surgery at Texas Heart Institute.Moon comes to Houston from Washington University School of Medicine, where he served as chief of cardiac surgery, director of the Center for Diseases of the Thoracic Aorta, co-director of the heart and vascular center and surgical lead of the Center for Women’s Heart Disease. He has been in practice in St. Louis for more than 20 years.Moon specializes in aortic and valve surgery and sees some of the most complex cardiac surgery cases, including performing cardiac procedures in pregnant women. He also has been a leading advocate for diversity in the field of cardiac surgery.A native of Detroit, Moon completed his medical training at Wayne State University School of Medicine and went on to train at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Stanford University School of Medicine and University of Oxford.Moon served as president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, considered the world’s most prestigious professional society for cardiothoracic surgery, in 2020 and also is a member of numerous national and international scientific organizations, including the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.PositionsChief, Division of Cardiothoracic SurgeryBaylor College of MedicineChief, Adult Cardiac SurgeryTexas Heart InstituteChief, Adult Cardiac Surgery SectionBaylor St. Luke's Medical CenterDenton A. Cooley, MD Chair in Cardiac SurgerySt. Luke's FoundationEducationResidency at Stanford University School of MedicineStanford, CACardiothoracic SurgeryResearch Fellowship at Stanford University School of MedicineStanford, CACardiovascular SurgeryResidency at Medical College of WisconsinMilwaukee, WIGeneral SurgeryMD from Wayne State University School of MedicineDetroit, MIBS from University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MICertificationsAmerican Board of SurgeryAmerican Board of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Moon is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Patent Foramen Ovale Repair. His top areas of expertise are Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Cystic Medial Necrosis of Aorta, Aortic Dissection, Heart Valve Repair, and Aneurysm Repair.