My philosophy of care is to treat patients as if they were my own family members. Growing up, I spent countless hours with my father learning how to fix just about anything. To be able to carry that over to people through surgery is very rewarding to me.|Why I Love My Work|While in college, I worked as a nursing assistant. This allowed me to help and care for patients. I found that the feeling you get from being a care provider is truly amazing. I enjoy interacting with patients and their families and helping them through a difficult situation.|Getting to Know Me|I am a native of Minnesota and I wanted to return after my medical training. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, snowmobiling, hockey, classic cars and cooking. Dr. Martinson is highly rated in 6 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Gallbladder Disease, Retroperitoneal Inflammation, Gallstones, Hernia Surgery, and Bladder Reconstruction.

Daren Danielson is a Thoracic Surgeon in St Cloud, Minnesota. Dr. Danielson is highly rated in 6 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Heart Tumor, Atrial Myxoma, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Heart Valve Repair.

My clinical interest is in surgical treatment of acquired adult heart disease, including coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, diseases of the great vessels and arrhythmias.|Safety and quality of life guide my treatment plan with every patient. Defining those things for each patient requires a healthy exchange of information. By providing each patient and family with easily understandable information about their medical problems and details on potential solutions, I can learn about their specific needs and concerns and ultimately tailor the approach to treatment for each individual. Through our discussions, we can ensure that reality and expectations are balanced, leading to the highest levels of satisfaction during recovery and beyond.|Why I Love My Work|Medicine provides me with a continuous flow of new and different problems to solve and it allows me to positively impact people’s lives by solving these problems. Seeing my patients resume the things they love to do and getting back with friends and family is very rewarding to me.|I chose CentraCare because it offered me the opportunity to practice state-of-the-art cardiac surgery in a great environment, with a great team and in a great community.|Getting to Know Me|As a freshman in college, I started working in heart surgery at a research lab at the University of Minnesota. I was exposed early on to many wonderful role models and mentors who encouraged me and supported me in pursuing not only a career in medicine but to ultimately become a heart surgeon.|Outside of work, I enjoy hockey, golf, boating and cooking. St. Cloud is close to everything — lakes, woods and the Twin Cities — making it a convenient location. Also, I’m a big hockey fan so being right in the middle of the state of hockey works out pretty nicely!. Dr. Mellinger is highly rated in 4 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Regurgitation, Aortic Dissection, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), and Aortic Valve Replacement.

John Teskey is a Thoracic Surgeon in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Dr. Teskey is highly rated in 3 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Regurgitation, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Heart Valve Repair.

Daniel Pickett is a Thoracic Surgeon in St Cloud, Minnesota. Dr. Pickett is highly rated in 2 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Retroperitoneal Inflammation, Gastrointestinal Perforation, Gallstones, Colostomy, and Hernia Surgery.

I believe in forming friendly relationships with my patients and helping them on their path to better health and wellness. My clinical interest is in cardiovascular surgery.|I have practiced and experienced medicine in an array of different fields, including family practice, hospital medicine, and cardiology/cardiovascular surgery for more than a decade. I look forward to many more years helping patients!|Why I Love My Work|I enjoy working with a variety of patients and working with great colleagues. The heart and human body as a whole have always fascinated me. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn something new every day.|I chose to join CentraCare because of its long history of greatly caring for patients and having a renowned cardiology practice.|Getting to Know Me|Outside of work, I enjoy watching local Minnesota sports teams, participating in softball and other sports, and spending time with my three children. I am looking forward to helping them with their extracurricular activities as they get older.|I was born and raised in Minnesota, graduated from the University of Minnesota, and hope to stay in Minnesota through the rest of my days. His top area of expertise is Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF).

Edgar Pineda is a Thoracic Surgeon in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.

I have the privilege of working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to deliver cardiovascular surgical care to the folks of Central Minnesota. My clinical interests include cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular surgical care, critical care and postoperative recovery and rehabilitation.|Why I Love My Work|The time spent and the relationships formed with our truly remarkable and diverse patient population is the most rewarding part of my job.|Getting to Know Me|Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, playing ice hockey, hunting, fishing and camping.

As a physician assistant, I believe in providing safe, high quality, patient-centered care that is equitable, ethical and accessible. I strive to be an advocate for my patients and their loved ones in a manner that not only supports individual patient choices and values, but respects human dignity, individuality and diversity among groups.|Why I Love My Work|I love health care because I possess a desire for lifelong learning and a willingness to represent others in need. In doing so, I can make a difference in the lives of my patients and their families.

I have worked in health care since the age of 16. I believe that my extensive experience in this field makes me a great advocate for and communicator with patients and their families. I partner with them so that they can understand their current disease state and the best treatment options to meet their goals. My clinical interests include endoscopic vein harvesting, “no-touch” technique vein harvesting, first assisting and chronic disease management.|Why I Love My Work|It is an absolute privilege to be a part of a patient’s care during and after open heart surgery. I love meeting patients in their initial consultations and then seeing their progress at their post operative visit a few months later. Cardiac surgery is an evolving field where I can constantly learn new techniques and skills to provide the best possible care.|Getting to Know Me|I enjoy living in Minnesota because of the wide array of outdoor activities. I also like traveling to any beach or adventurous location. Spending quality time with my family, practicing yoga, cooking and baking, reading and brewing the perfect cup of coffee and espresso are also top on my list of activities.

Ryan Symanietz is a Thoracic Surgeon in St Cloud, Minnesota. He is board certified in National Commission On Certification Of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) - Physician Assistant.