Emile A. Bacha, MD, has been officially appointed as the 106th president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). He took over from David R. Jones, MD, during a ceremony at the AATS 105th annual meeting held in May.
Bacha is a globally recognized expert in both pediatric and adult congenital heart surgery. He is one of the pioneers of the hybrid stage I procedure used to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He also developed a widely used technical competency metric for pediatric heart surgeons. Currently, Bacha serves as a professor of surgery at Columbia University.
He is also the chief of the division of cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. Additionally, he co-directs the Congenital Heart Center at NewYork-Presbyterian.
Over the years, Bacha’s research has focused on making pediatric heart surgery safer and less invasive. His work has been supported by prestigious organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the AATS Foundation, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He has published more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Bacha is also a former associate editor of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He has held several leadership roles within the AATS and its Foundation, including serving as treasurer of both for five years.
In a statement, Bacha said, “My focus will be on the importance of leadership, character, and innovation in cardiothoracic surgery. Our specialty has continuously advanced through bold innovation and dedicated leadership, both clinically and academically, resulting in tremendous benefits for patients. These achievements deserve to be highlighted and celebrated.”
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Bacha earned his medical degree from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. He completed his surgical residency at Emory University and a research fellowship at Hôpital Marie-Lannelongue of Paris-Sud University. He also completed fellowships in cardiothoracic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital.
New Leadership Members Join AATS
Joseph Woo, MD, has joined the AATS Executive Committee as president-elect and will become the 107th president. Woo is the Norman E. Shumway Professor and chair of cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford University. He also holds a courtesy appointment in the department of bioengineering.
Woo manages a busy clinical practice performing over 300 heart pump surgeries annually. His expertise includes complex mitral and aortic valve repairs, thoracic aortic surgery, cardiopulmonary transplantation, and adult congenital heart surgery. The AATS noted that Woo has advanced these fields through the development of several innovative surgical procedures.
Leonard N. Girardi, MD, was elected vice president and is next in line to become the 108th AATS president. Girardi is the O. Wayne Isom Professor and chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. He also serves as cardiothoracic surgeon-in-chief at NewYork Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Girardi oversees all cardiothoracic surgical services at the hospital’s main campus and its regional hospitals in Queens and Brooklyn.
Related topics: