Membership Overview
To ensure that the AATS builds upon its core values, aspiring members must be nominated by Active, Honorary, or Senior members of the Association to complete the application process and be evaluated by the Membership Committee.
Founded in 1917, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), is comprised of more than 1,500 of the world’s foremost cardiothoracic surgeons from 46 countries.
AATS members have a proven record of distinction within the specialty and have made significant contributions to the care and treatment of cardiothoracic disease throughout the world.
New Member Spotlight
What inspired you to pursue a career in academic cardiothoracic surgery? - “It is inspired by my mentor in pediatric cardiac surgery, Prof. Miguel L. Barbero Marcial at Heart Institute, University of Sao Paulo Medical School. I was fascinated with the complexity of congenital heart defects and the surgical repair.”
Carla Tanamati, MD, New Member 2022
What was your first experience with the AATS? - “My first experience was I did my first presentation while I was still a resident. I presented my PhD work on heart valve tissue engineering. Fantastic memory."
David Kalfa, MD, New Member 2021
What is your number one piece of advice for trainees? - “Balance between career and family”
V. Seenu Reddy, MD, New Member 2020
What does the AATS mean to you? - “An opportunity to interact with the leaders in cardiothoracic surgery and learn to become one.”
Sunil Prasad, MD, New Member 2020
What does the AATS mean to you? - “This is validation of all my years of hard work as an Academic Cardiac Surgeon. The persistence and late nights were worth it.”
Anthony Lemarie, MD, New Member 2022
What does the AATS mean to you? - “I consider that AATS represents the highest level of Scientific Societies in the field of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Becoming a member of this Society represents a tremendous honor for me.”
Tomasa Centella, MD, New Member 2021
What was your first experience with the AATS? - ”My first experience was a conference in Boston called Advanced Oncologic Thoracic Surgery. I gained a lot of knowledge which I applied to my practice.”
Fadil Gradica, MD, New Member 2020
Describe a significant case/patient interaction that impacted your career. - “Initially I planned to be a cardiologist, I remember spending hours as a medical intern titrating the meds and GGT's of one particular heart failure patient. One morning I came in to find my patient gone. I asked where was he? They said he was transplanted last night and was now in the Surgical ICU. When I visited him, he was transformed. I knew then that CT surgery was what I really wanted to do.”
Bill Brinkman, New Member 2022
How do you plan on becoming involved in the organization? - “By bringing a perspective from Australia and New Zealand who have a rich history of clinical excellence and innovation in Cardiothoracic Surgery”
Julian Smith, MD, New Member 2021
Why did you want to become an AATS member? - “To be part of the family”
Thomas Modine, MD, New Member 2020
How did your mentor(s) impact your career? - ”I had several mentors, all were excellent surgeons. They had a strong focus and commitment to clinical care, innovation, empathy and to program building. All of these characteristics have had a lasting impact on my career.”
John Nigro, MD, New Member 2022
How did your mentor(s) impact your career? - “Robert Cerfolio was critical in taking me under his wing and helping me develop as a fledgling junior attending. He helped me instill confidence in my skills and develop advanced robotic techniques.”
Benjamin Wei, MD, New Member 2021
What was the first presentation you gave at an AATS Meeting? - “Minimally invasive mitral valve repair of Barlow’s disease”
Gloria Färber, MD, New Member 2020
Why did you want to become an AATS member? - “I wanted to participate in the AATS' numerous missions in the advancement of cardiothoracic surgery.”
Keshava Rajagopal, MD, New Member 2022
Why did you want to become an AATS member? - “To get more opportunity to communicate with top thoracic surgeons, to improve our academic level”
Hecheng Li, MD, New Member 2021
Describe a significant case/patient interaction that impacted your career. - “Saving life of a young mother patient of acute aortic dissection who suffered from rupture in the transportation helicopter.”
Kazuo Tanemoto, MD, New Member 2020
What was the first presentation you gave at an AATS Meeting? - “Current surgical therapy for Ebstein anomaly in neonates”
Brian L. Reemtsen, MD, New Member 2022
Why did you want to become an AATS member? - “I think it is a great honor but also the opportunity to spread AATS teachings and values among Latin American colleagues.”
Stella Martinez, MD, New Member 2022
Describe a significant case/patient interaction that impacted your career: - “It was impactful to realize, through many of my female children and teenagers, that me being a woman congenital cardiac surgeon and "their" surgeon meant the world to them. That by me going into an area of surgery that I am passionate about, but isn't common for women to go into, I would have an impact beyond the surgeries I do on many young women's lives. I would also be a role model, an inspiration and this impacted my career in a positive way.”
Laura Kane, MD, New Member 2021
What inspired you to pursue a career in academic cardiothoracic surgery? - “Mentors played a major role in selecting my career. I want to be a similar inspiration to other young surgeons.”
Allan Pickens, MD, New Member 2022
What inspired you to pursue a career in academic cardiothoracic surgery? - “When I was a medical student, I happened to have an opportunity to observe the first heart transplant of the country in Japan.”
Iki Adachi, MD, New Member 2021
What was your first experience with the AATS? - “Attending AATS meetings as a cardiothoracic resident. I was in awe of how many leaders in our field were attending the meeting.”
Nabil Munfakh, MD, New Member 2022
Describe a significant case/patient interaction that impacted your career. - “I operated on a teenage girl who presented after a cardiac arrest at swim practice and was placed onto ECMO. She was found to have an intramural LMCA, so I repaired her coronary artery and supported her on a temporary LVAD for a month and was able to explant the VAD. She developed worsening LV function over the next year, and I was able to transplant her. She is now swimming again on the varsity team preparing to go to college.”
Aaron Eckhauser, MD, New Member 2022
What are the most pressing issues within cardiothoracic surgery that you are most interested in monitoring? - “Making research stronger among cardio-thoracic surgeons, more impacting the scientific initiatives and contributions to cardiovascular medicine”
Roberto Lorusso, MD, New Member 2021
What does the AATS mean to you? - “It is my great honor to be an AATS member, and it means the responsibility to promote the core values of the AATS in my everyday practice.”
Shuiyun Wang, MD, New Member 2022
What was the most impactful presentation you saw at an AATS Annual Meeting? - “One of the most impactful presentations that I observed was Dr Irving Kron's presidential address where he emphasized that it is up to us to train and educate our students and residents. Be committed to your trainees and let them know, by example, what a privilege it is to be a cardiothoracic surgeon.”
Peter Kouretas, MD, New Member 2022
Senior Membership
Members are moved to Senior Membership at the age of 70. For those who are not 70, but have retired, you can request Senior Membership status. Senior members do not pay annual dues and can subscribe to Journals at member discount rates.
To request Senior Membership please download the request form below and send it to AATS Membership Specialist, Cole Garrison, at cgarrison@aats.org
Core Values
- Leadership: Demonstrating citizenship, integrity, and professionalism
- Excellence in Patient Care: Dedicating ourselves to the care of thoracic and cardiovascular patients
- Research and Innovation: Advancing the field through the creation and application of new knowledge
- Education: Disseminating knowledge and commitment to lifelong learning
- Mentoring: Fostering the next generation of healthcare specialists for thoracic and cardiovascular patients