Mayo Clinic - Rochester
Congenital Heart Disease
Member Since: 2025
Biography:
Growing up as the younger sister of a child prodigy in math, I have always been very driven. I was encouraged by my parents to pursue gymnastics, in part so I could shine aside from my brother's many successes, but I still took all the AP courses and some courses at our local college while in high-school. Our family has a lot of PhDs in the family, most in physics, and I assumed I would become a professor in Physics, but my dad noticed that Chemistry seemed to come more naturally, so I entered college as a Chemistry major. Early on in college I was fortunate to do biomaterials research in inertial fusion energy that was quite successful, and I was sent to conferences to present. That’s how my love for research and investigation started. At the same time, I was volunteering in a cardiology ICU. There I saw the many patients with very immediate, real needs. While biomaterials and fusion research was fascinating, the impact felt distant. That led me to medical-related research and I then applied to MD/PhD programs. When I entered the MD/PhD program at Baylor/Rice, I had planned to become a pediatric cardiologist, but Dr. Charles Fraser gave a talk in our embryology class and I fell in love with congenital cardiac surgery. We do not have any physicians in the family and I had never met a surgeon prior to medical school, but this exposure to congenital cardiac surgery and Dr. Fraser with his mentorship lit a passion that has continued to this day. My PhD was then in Bioengineering investigating the mechanobiology of heart valves including age-related aspects, which at the time was a nascent field. I then completed a post-doc with Dr. Craig Miller at Stanford and then an i6 cardiothoracic residency at Columbia. My congenital fellowship was at Lurie Children’s hospital and then I took a job at Mayo Clinic. While my research currently does not involve benchwork, I have enjoyed clinical outcomes research, which is much more doable as a congenital cardiac surgeon.
What Does the AATS Mean To You:
To me it is the pinnacle of the academic practice of cardiothoracic surgery
My First Experience with AATS:
I was awarded an AATS summer internship in 2009, during which time I worked with Dr. Craig Miller at Stanford and this sealed my decision to pursue cardiothoracic surgery.
Why I became an AATS member:
This has been a goal of mine since I learned about the AATS. To me it reflects obtaining a level of clinical excellence and scholarship that is at the top of our field. Becoming a member is a reflection of that, and enables me to join the many surgeons aiming to move the field forward both clinically and through research.
The first presentation I gave is:
I was an intern on the vascular service (I had to get permission to be gone) and I was giving a presentation at a plenary session of the AATS on valve-sparing aortic root surgery under the mentorship of Dr. Craig Miller, but importantly I was directly following a talk by the famous Tirone David, without a break so no one had left the massive auditorium. It was one of the most stressful talks I've ever had to give...but all went well and Dr. David kindly commented on my presentation to boot.
The first paper I had published is:
A biomaterials paper in Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) as an undergraduate
I plan on becoming more involved in the organization through:
I've already volunteered to join some additional committees and am currently on the Resident Education committee, which has been fantastic.
Advice for Trainees:
I kept a quote on my desk throughout training: "the road to our calling is specifically designed for the weight of it." When the road is hard, and may be harder than what it appears for those around you, choose to be grateful for the opportunity to develop the grit and resilience that you will be needing as a surgeon."
My career in CT Surgery was inspired by:
Dr. Charles Fraser came to give a talk in our Embryology class the fall of the first year of medical school. I went up to meet him after the talk and he graciously allowed me to shadow him over the ensuing years. I have many other amazing mentors over the years, such as Dr. Craig Miller, Dr. Emile Bacha, and Dr. Carl Backer, who all have shaped my path and encouraged me along the way.
A significant case/patient interaction that impacted my career is:
So many aspects its hard to pinpoint, but one particular aspect that comes to mind is how Dr. Backer believed and saw my ability before I did. My first arterial switch I had no idea that I would do the entire case - I started on the surgeon's side and assumed I would just open and get some things dissected out. Step by step Dr. Backer helped me through and I remained as the surgeon, before I could realize it (or become super nervous) I was suturing the coronaries. He saw that I had the ability to do the switch before it ever occurred to me. These are the great mentors - they see and encourage things in you that you don't see.
The topic most important to advancing the field of CT Surgery is:
In my opinion, there is not one aspect. Clinical quality, research, innovation, education and many other aspects all interact synergistically and are critical to advancing the field.
Advice for Trainees:
I kept a quote on my desk throughout training: "the road to our calling is specifically designed for the weight of it." When the road is hard, and may be harder than what it appears for those around you, choose to be grateful for the opportunity to develop the grit and resilience that you will be needing as a surgeon.