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 highly rated in 12 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Tricuspid Regurgitation, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Embolectomy, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Dr. Stephen C. Yang is a professor of surgery and medical oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In October 2008 he was named the first recipient of The Arthur B. and Patricia B. Modell Professor in Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Yang is an extreme supporter of medical students, being the only surgeon (amongst 20 chosen from the School of Medicine) for the medical student advisory Colleges system, and is the faculty sponsor for the Surgery Interest Group and the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association. Dr. Yang graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Chemistry and received his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and finished his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia. He also completed a 3 year thoracic surgical oncology research fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. He currently serves on the Postgraduate Affairs, Medical School Admissions, Educational Policy, and Curriculum Reform Committees in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He served on numerous national and international committees for these organizations, and is the Taskforce Chair on the Looking to the Future Residency Scholarships for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons He is Editor of Practical Reviews in Chest Medicine and guest editor/ reviewer for numerous peer review journals. He is co-editor of the book Current Therapy in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, edited the esophageal surgical section in the 2nd edition of Atlas of Gastrointestinal Surgery with John Cameron, M.D., and series editor-in-chief of The Early Diagnosis of Cancer also editing the book volume of The Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer. In 2001, he and his lung transplant team were featured in the ABC series 24/7 and is currently also being followed in the sequel to that series focusing in on resident and medical student teaching. This series as well as other experiences are still shown on the Discovery Channel. The extensive work in preparing an esophageal cancer patient for surgery on the BBC and the Discovery Channel. Dr. Yang's laboratory research interests include using molecular techniques for lung cancer screening and for molecular staging of micrometastasis to predict recurrence following surgical resection. His clinical practice and research covers the breath of general thoracic surgery in pulmonary and esophageal surgery, video-assisted and robotics thoracic surgery, mediastinal and pleural work, lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema, and work in geriatric thoracic surgery. Dr. Yang is highly rated in 30 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Endoscopy, and Thymectomy.

Rawn Salenger is a Thoracic Surgeon in Towson, Maryland. Dr. Salenger is highly rated in 16 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Coronary Heart Disease, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG).

Shelby Stewart is a Thoracic Surgeon in Bel Air, Maryland. Dr. Stewart is highly rated in 13 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Lung Nodules, Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Endoscopy, and Gastrostomy.

Richard Battafarano, M.D., Ph.D., joins the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery as director of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery and the first regional director of general thoracic surgery. He comes to Johns Hopkins from University of Maryland Medical System, where he was chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Battafarano specializes in the treatment of benign and malignant diseases and lesions of the chest, including minimally invasive operations such as video-assisted thoracscopic surgery (VATS) for lung and esophageal cancers. He also has a special interest in treating Barretts esophagus, emphysema, mesothelioma and paraesophageal hernias. The focus of Dr. Battafaranos basic and translational research includes outcomes in the surgical management of early stage lung cancer patients with neuroendocrine histology, optimal management of lung cancer patients with mediastinal lymph node metastases, and the effect of survivin overexpression in the development of esophageal cancer. Dr. Battafarano sees patients at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Centers at Green Spring Station and at White Marsh. Dr. Battafarano is highly rated in 12 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Thymic Epithelial Tumor, Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Gastrectomy, and Endoscopy.

Ziv Gamliel is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Gamliel is highly rated in 11 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Lung Cancer, ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Squamous Cell Lung Carcinoma, and Thymectomy.

Bartley Griffith is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Griffith is highly rated in 11 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Hemolysis, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Regurgitation, Embolectomy, and Aortic Valve Replacement.

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 highly rated in 9 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Heart Tumor, Aortic Dissection, Atrial Myxoma, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG).

Daniel Harley is a Thoracic Surgeon in Rosedale, Maryland. Dr. Harley is highly rated in 8 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Lung Nodules, Lung Cancer, Squamous Cell Lung Carcinoma, and Vagotomy.

Dr. Ghoreishi is an internationally recognized expert. He brings exceptional skill in open and endovascular aortic repair, including aortic valve repair, Ross operation, valve sparing aortic root repair, innovation in minimally invasive techniques for aortic aneurysm repair, endovascular repair of high risk patients with acute type A or type B aortic dissection, and first-in-human procedures such as the Endo-Bentall repair for aortic dissection. His clinical leadership and innovation have drawn national and international referrals and advanced standards of care in this challenging field. Dr. Ghoreishi has served as Principal Investigator on several federally funded studies through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and is a frequent contributor to national guidelines and surgical education symposia. Dr. Ghoreishi is highly rated in 5 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Dissection, Cystic Medial Necrosis of Aorta, Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Embolectomy, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

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 highly rated in 4 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Dissection, Embolectomy, and Heart Transplant.

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 highly rated in 3 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Fibrosing Mediastinitis, Lung Transplant, and Heart Transplant.

Brian Bethea is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Bethea is highly rated in 11 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Mitral Stenosis, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

R C Stewart Finney is a Thoracic Surgeon in Towson, Maryland. Dr. C Stewart Finney is highly rated in 8 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Regurgitation, Rheumatic Fever, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

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 highly rated in 6 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Cardiogenic Shock, Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM), Hemolysis, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Heart Transplant.

Charles Evans is a Thoracic Surgeon in Towson, Maryland. Dr. Evans is highly rated in 5 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Regurgitation, Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Jinny Ha is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Ha is highly rated in 4 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Lung Nodules, Esophageal Cancer, Fibrosing Mediastinitis, Lung Transplant, and Osteotomy.

Howard Massey is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Massey is highly rated in 4 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Cystic Medial Necrosis of Aorta, Aortic Dissection, Cardiogenic Shock, Heart Transplant, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Malcolm V. Brock, M.D., a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins general surgical residency program and the Johns Hopkins fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery, is a specialist in thoracic oncology, and is a Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In additional to clinical thoracic oncology, his clinical interests include surgery for palmar, axillary and pedal hyperhidrosis. Dr. Brock is a surgeon who conducts cancer research at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, specializing in applying innovative basic science research to patient care. His main research interests are in developing novel molecular biomarkers for solid tumors that can help clinicians diagnose cancer earlier and treat it more effectively. He has studied using DNA-based methods to predict which patients will develop recurrent lung cancer, even after successful surgery, and to predict patients with esophageal cancer who will be sensitive to certain chemotherapy. Dr. Brock has published over 70 original research papers, book chapters and review articles, and has presented often at national and international conferences. He has been the recipient of research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research Excellence, the American College of Surgery Oncology Group and the Society of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Brock is highly rated in 3 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Esophageal Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Tissue Biopsy, and Endoscopy.

Neri Cohen is a Thoracic Surgeon in Towson, Maryland. Dr. Cohen is highly rated in 3 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Pleurisy, Lung Cancer, Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, and Lymphofollicular Hyperplasia.

Avraam Karas is a Thoracic Surgeon in Parkville, Maryland. Dr. Karas is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top area of expertise is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

Duane Monteith is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Monteith is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Collapsed Lung, Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Lung Cancer, and Lung Nodules.

Keith Horvath is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Horvath is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Heart Tumor, Endocardial Fibroelastosis, Aortic Regurgitation, Transmyocardial Revascularization, and Heart Transplant.

Alfred Casillan is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Casillan is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis, Lung Transplant, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Gregory Bittle is a Thoracic Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Bittle is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Embolectomy, and Heart Bypass Surgery.