Interviews with Leading Figures in Congenital Cardiac Care

In August 2010 many of the leading figures in congenital cardiac care including some of the outstanding pioneers in the field such as Dr Aldo Castaneda and Dr William Norwood, gathered in Antigua, Guatemala to honor Aldo Castaneda on the occasion of his 80th birthday. This was also a regional satellite meeting of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery. Recognizing that this gathering represented a unique opportunity, Mr John Walsh, previously of Project Hope and currently at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC as well as Dr Richard Jonas, also from Children’s National Medical Center, invited a video production company including Thalia Assuras and Shelby Scarbrough to interview these surgeons, cardiologists and intensivists to record a unique oral history for posterity. Dr Marshall Jacobs, editor of the World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery kindly agreed to undertake most of the interviews. These videos provide a glimpse into the thoughts and motivations of many of the founding figures in congenital cardiac care.

Interview with Dr. Jane Somerville (Intro)

Posted in Interviews with Leading Figures in Congenital Cardiac Care

Dr. Jane SomervilleDr. Somerville was educated at Queen’s College and Guy’s Hospital Medical School in London. She was a consultant physician and pediatric cardiologist at the Royal Brompton and National Heart Hospital in London until her retirement. For many years she worked closely with Mr Donald Ross. She was instrumental in developing the field of adult congenital cardiac care or as she preferred to call it “GUCH” or “grown-up congenital heart care”. She was also the founder of the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology which subsequently became the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery.

Interview with Dr. Richard Jonas (Intro)

Posted in Interviews with Leading Figures in Congenital Cardiac Care

Dr. Jonas attended the University of Adelaide Medical School in Adelaide South Australia. He undertook his general surgical training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne Australia and subsequently his cardiothoracic surgical training at Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne and Green Lane Hospital in Auckland New Zealand. After fellowships at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston he was appointed to the Department of Surgery at Harvard Medical School in 1984. In 1994 Dr. Jonas was appointed to the William E Ladd Chair of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and became the Cardiovascular Surgeon in Chief at Children's Hospital Boston. In 2004 he joined the staff of Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC as the CoDirector of the Children's Heart Institute and Cohen Funger Professor of Cardiac Surgery. In 2005/6 Dr Jonas was the President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and in 2009/10 was President of the Congenital Heart Surgeon's Society of North America. He is currently vice-President of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery.

Interview with Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub (Intro)

Posted in Interviews with Leading Figures in Congenital Cardiac Care

Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub is a British-Egyptian cardiothoracic surgeon. He is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London.

Yacoub's major achievements may be summarised:

  • establishing heart transplantation in UK and becoming the world's leading transplant surgeon
  • establishing and becoming a master of the 'Ross Procedure' or pulmonary autograft, including a randomised control trial
  • pioneering the modern arterial switch operation
  • promoting the use of left ventricular assist devices for the 'Bridge to Recovery' and establishing the largest experience in the world
  • establishing the Heart Science Centre, Magdi Yacoub Institute for research into the causes and treatment of cardiac disease
  • establishing the Chain of Hope Charity which provides cardiothoracic surgical care to the developing world
  • championing academic medicine, humanitarian surgery and becoming an example of a minority surgeon who has flourished in an institution-dominated field.

Interview with Dr. Aldo Castaneda (Intro)

Posted in Interviews with Leading Figures in Congenital Cardiac Care

Aldo R. Castañeda is a pioneer in pediatric cardiac surgery. He has been a vigorous supporter of early correction of complex cardiac malformations in infants and newborns. These efforts culminated in the successful repair of transposition in neonates, giving rise to the modern era of neonatal cardiac surgery. Under his mentorship William Norwood developed the Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Interview with Dr. Aldo Castaneda (Full)

Posted in Interviews with Leading Figures in Congenital Cardiac Care

Aldo R. Castañeda is a pioneer in pediatric cardiac surgery. He has been a vigorous supporter of early correction of complex cardiac malformations in infants and newborns. These efforts culminated in the successful repair of transposition in neonates, giving rise to the modern era of neonatal cardiac surgery. Under his mentorship William Norwood developed the Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Dr. Castañeda received his training at the University of Guatemala and the University of Minnesota. Upon completion, he remained at Minnesota as a faculty member. In 1972 he accepted an appointment as Cardiac Surgeon-in-Chief at The Children’s Hospital in Boston and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. From 1981 to 1994 he served as Surgeon-in-Chief at The Children’s Hospital. Dr. Castañeda’s many contributions to pediatric cardiac surgery are remarkable and well documented in his more than 400 scientific articles and two books.

Dr. Castañeda’s work has spanned the globe. Upon retirement he returned to Guatemala and developed one of the most successful programs for pediatric cardiac surgery in Central America. More than forty of Dr. Castañeda’s trainees have served as chiefs of Pediatric Cardiac Units at institutions across the globe. In 2006 he was appointed to the Pediatric Cardiology Hall of Fame.

Part 1

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