Medical Director, Pediatric Cardiac Interventional Services

I am a pediatric interventional cardiologist and medical director of Pediatric Cardiac Interventional Services at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Heart Institute. Our interventional congenital cardiology team treats patients of all ages with congenital heart disease, from premature newborns to older adults.

Our team cares for patients before and after congenital heart surgery and provides primary transcatheter treatment for congenital heart lesions such as atrial septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus or vascular stenosis (e.g., pulmonary arterial stenosis and coarctation of the aorta). We also perform transcatheter pulmonary and tricuspid valve replacements where placement is possible without surgery.

I became interested in medicine as a child. During my first year in medical school, I was introduced to congenital interventional cardiology and was fascinated that many patients could be treated for heart conditions without surgery. Throughout the past few decades, technological and procedural advancements have increased the therapeutic options within the catheterization laboratory.

Congenital heart disease can be very complicated requiring patients and their families to make many important decisions. At Joe DiMaggio, we work closely with each child’s entire cardiac team which includes the primary cardiologist, cardiothoracic surgeon, cardiac imaging specialist as well as the patient and their family. We discuss all medical options as a team and determine the best approach. I frequently use medical imaging to describe heart conditions and treatment to my patients and their families.

I love interacting with patients and families throughout their cardiology care. It’s truly an honor to be a part of a patient’s cardiac journey.

In addition to providing patient care, I am also president of the Pediatric and Congenital Interventional Cardiology Early Career Society (PICES), which supports congenital interventional cardiologists within their first 10 years out of training. In 2021, I was honored to receive the Young Leadership Award at the international PICS meeting.

I also enjoy mentoring and training young physicians and medical students and reviewing articles and abstracts for several publications including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, and Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.

Hospital Affiliations

• Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
• Memorial Regional Hospital

Gender

• Male

Education

University of South Florida College of Medicine, 2009

Internships

Mcgaw Medical Center, Northwestern University, 2010, Pediatrics

Residency

Mcgaw Medical Center, Northwestern University, 2012, Pediatrics

Fellowships

C.S. Mott Children�s Hospital, 2015, Pediatric Cardiology
Nationwide Children's Hospital, 2016, Interventional Cardiology
Nationwide Children's Hospital, 2016, Interventional Cardiology

Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine-Adult Congenital Heart Disease
American Board of Pediatrics-Pediatric Cardiology
American Board of Pediatrics-Pediatrics

Publications

Research

I am involved in work to explore, advance and enhance devices and care for patients with congenital heart disease. I have been involved in many FDA trials for devices used in transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement, atrial septal defect (ASD) closure and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) occlusion. I am also working with an international group to define and evaluate interventional procedural performance to improve patient care.

Recent research projects include:

• Medium- and Long-Term Outcomes of Stent Implantation for Coarctation in Patients <20 kg
  
  
• Effect of Leaflet Morphology on Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Performance and Outcome
  
  
• Percutaneous Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) Closure Among Infants Weighing <6 kg
  
  
• Acute Success of Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty

Professional Organizations

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American College of Cardiology
• The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions

Presentations

• “Challenge of Detection and Management: Primary Pulmonary Vein Stenosis in the Preterm Infant” 2022 Argentinean Pediatric Association Congress. May 19, 2022
  
  
• “Transcatheter Interventions for d-Transposition of the Great Arteries” The Fetal Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital Annual Conference. Columbus, OH. April 8, 2022
  
  
• “Updates on Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement” CardioEgypt 2022. February 22, 2022
  
  
• “Lymphatic Disorders in Congenital Heart Disease” Grand Rounds, The Heart Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Columbus, OH. January 20, 2022
  
  "Percutaneous Treatment of Right-Sided Heart Lesions in the Patient with Adult Congenital Heart Disease” Ohio-American College of Cardiology Virtual Annual Meeting. October 16, 2021
  
  
• “Clinical Utility of Cardiac MRI for Prediction of Balloon Expandable Percutaneous Pulmonary Valve Implantation in Patients with a Non-Conduit Right Ventricular Outflow Tract” Pediatric and Adult Interventional Cardiac Symposium (PICS-AICS). September 11-13, 2020
  
  
• “Transradial Access in the Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory” Pediatric and Adult Interventional Cardiac Symposium (PICS-AICS), San Diego, CA. September 3-7, 2019
  
  
• “Comparison of Echocardiographic and Angiographic Measurements used for Guiding Occlusion of the Ductus Arteriosus: Focus on Preterm Infants” Pediatric and Adult Interventional Cardiac Symposium (PICS-AICS), San Diego, CA. September 3-7, 2019
  
  
• Using MRI and CT Assessment of the Pulsatile RVOT for TPVR International Symposium on 3D Imaging for Interventional Catheterization in CHD (3DI3 Conference) Columbus, OH. October 19-21, 2019
  
  
• The Role of Stents and the Hybrid Procedure: Is there any role for the delayed Norwood? 8th Annual Joint Conference on Advances in Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease Management New York City, NY. October 11-13, 2019
  
  
• The Lost Art of Right Heart Catheterization and When to Close Atrial Septal Defects and Patent Foramen Ovales 6th Annual Structural Heart Disease Conference: Valvular, Nonvalvular and Congenital Interventions Columbus, OH. June 1, 2018
  
  
• Implantation of Melody TPV in Left Ventricle to Aorta Conduit CASPIAN Meeting in Collaboration with CSI Mashhad, Iran. November 2-4, 2017
  
  
• Use of CardioMEMS Device in Congenital Heart Disease CASPIAN Meeting in Collaboration with CSI Mashhad, Iran. November 2-4, 2017

Awards

• Young Leadership Award, Pediatric and Congenital Interventional Cardiology Early Career Society (PICES), 2021
  
  
• The Hugh D. Allen, MD Fellowship Teaching Award, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, 2016-2017
  
  
• Florida Pediatric Society Medical Student Award, The University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 2009