In this episode, Dr. Michael Maddaus interviews accomplished self-reinvention expert and communication coach Dorie Clark. Listeners learn why we “say yes to everything”—a habit that often results in constant busyness and overwhelm. Dorie explains that while saying yes is often “easy,” saying no—even to good things—is important and can be life-changing. Use a checklist to evaluate an opportunity and help you decide when to say no, s...

“The Resilient Surgeon” is a new program from the Society designed to inspire cardiothoracic surgeons to be their best selves, in and out of the OR, using scientifically proven tools and recovery strategies of the world’s top performers. Host Dr. Michael Maddaus will talk to game changers in the high-performance and wellness space who can share real-world strategies for building and maintaining resiliency.

In this inaugural episod...

Following the market removal of the HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) system, surgeons and industry representatives from the US and Europe discuss patient care implications, including new data from the Intermacs Database on survival benefits from a device exchange. The latest episode of the STS Webinar Series is presented in conjunction with the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Participants include...

In this episode of the STS Webinar Series, Society President Sean C. Grondin, MD, MPH, FRCSC, moderates an interactive Q&A session about issues facing the Society and the cardiothoracic surgery specialty. Dr. Grondin and a number of STS surgeon leaders respond to member questions on a variety of topics, including: efforts to meet the educational needs of members during and after the pandemic; new awards and traveling fellowship...

Hosted by Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, the “Beyond the Abstract” program explores the “whys” behind articles in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and discusses next steps with authors and thought leaders. In the latest episode, Alan M. Speir, MD, joins Dr. Varghese to discuss “easily one of the biggest issues that impacts the care of cardiothoracic surgical patients today”—the Medicare reimbursement cuts. In December 2020, Congress...

In this episode of the STS Webinar Series, Michael A. Maddaus MD, moderates a panel of game changers in the high-performance and wellness space, including a cardiothoracic surgeon, a former Navy Seal, and a clinical psychologist. Topics include: the crucial habits that make up the “resilience bank account,” the role of meaning, wonderment, and relationships in countering despair, and the myth of a balanced life. Panelists include: ...

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) strategies during COVID are discussed in this spirited and fast-paced episode of the STS Webinar Series. J.W. Awori Hayanga, MD, MPH, and an esteemed panel consider sedation or cannulation when placing a COVID patient on ECMO. They do so while addressing lessons learned during the pandemic, amidst multiple COVID surges and evolving therapeutic modalities. Topics include: the relationship b...

Hosted by Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, the “Beyond the Abstract” program explores the “whys” behind articles in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and discusses next steps with authors and thought leaders. In the latest episode—which was recorded approximately 400 days into the COVID-19 global pandemic—Mara B. Antonoff, MD, joins Dr. Varghese to discuss how the pandemic has disrupted every aspect of personal and professional life, i...

In this episode of the STS Webinar Series, Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, and an expert panel engage in a lively and robust debate on takeaways from three recent and very prominent adult cardiac surgery manuscripts. Topics include findings from the ISCHEMIA trial, 2-year outcomes in low-risk transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients, and a new guideline on the timing and intervention for patients with valvular heart disease. Panelist...

In this episode, Dr. David Tom Cooke interviews accomplished thoracic surgical oncologist and clinical researcher Dr. Loretta Erhunmwunsee from City of Hope in Duarte, California. This episode explores her journey from an early childhood in the Bronx, New York, to growing up in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Erhunmwunsee’s experience as a “southern black Christian girl who grew up in a Nigerian home” opened her eyes to the importance of ...

In this episode, Dr. David Tom Cooke interviews Dr. Elaine Tseng from the University of California San Francisco. When it comes to the triple threat in academic surgery, Dr. Tseng “walks the walk.” A surgeon, scientist, and professor, she credits encouraging words from mentors and a near-death personal experience with helping her decide on a career in cardiothoracic surgery. Listeners will hear the details of Dr. Tseng growing up i...

New codes and code changes are now in effect related to office/outpatient visits. This podcast episode provides the audio from a webinar in which Aaron M. Cheng, MD, Francis C. Nichols III, MD, and Julie R. Painter, MBA, CCVTC, CPMA, gave cardiothoracic surgeons an overview of 2021 evaluation and management (E/M) codes, including changes to history, physical exam, medical decision-making and time, and how documentation and code-lev...

In this episode, Dr. David Tom Cooke interviews Dr. Tom Nguyen from the University of California San Francisco. Listeners will learn the details of Dr. Nguyen’s “classic immigrant story.” In 1975, when he and his family came to the US as political refugees from their native Vietnam, they were among the first Vietnamese to put their “feet in the soil” of this country. Dr. Nguyen shares that the difficult journey was full of “serendi...

In this episode, Dr. Tom Varghese interviews Dr. Ourania Preventza, from Baylor College of Medicine. The awe-inspiring journey of Dr. Preventza—an internationally known expert in aortic surgery—started in Athens, Greece, where she grew up and later attended medical school. Her father, who was a judge, always wanted her to go to law school, but Dr. Preventza thought that medical school would be “more challenging and competitive.” Li...

In this episode, Dr. Tom Varghese interviews Dr. Sidhu Gangadharan from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. Listeners will discover fascinating personal details about this surgeon leader, including how his experience working for a “rough and tumble” boss at a New Jersey gas station inspired him to become a surgeon. Dr. Gangadharan also shares that before starting medical school he spent some time “traip...

Quinn Capers IV, MD, presented the Vivien T. Thomas Lecture during the STS Annual Meeting. In his lecture, “The Long Shadow of Racism and Racial Bias in the Lack of Diversity,” Dr. Capers discussed the factors that contribute to racial disparities in the medical field. He also outlined specific points when “gatekeepers” such as school counselors and admissions faculty, as well as mentors and role models, can hold the keys to life-c...

Paul G. Yock, MD, MA, presented the C. Walton Lillehei Lecture during the STS Annual Meeting. In his lecture, “The (Radically) Changing Landscape of Medical Technology Innovation,” Dr. Yock encouraged participants to view innovation as a discipline—one that can be taught, practiced, and recreated. He acknowledged, though, that comprehensive innovation can be difficult in the health care setting because it involves multiple stakehol...

Three prestigious surgeons on three continents provided their “Personal Reflections from COVID-19” during the STS Annual Meeting Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture. The surgeons shared their experiences and thoughts about the pandemic and how it has affected them, their families, institutions, colleagues, and their patients. Craig R. Smith Jr., MD, offered his view from Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City...

In this episode, Dr. David Tom Cooke interviews Dr. Melanie Edwards from Integrated Health Associates in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Listeners will learn about Dr. Edwards’s experiences as a woman of Jamaican descent who spent many of her formative years in Canada. Her family eventually moved back to Jamaica where she finished high school at 16 years old. An ambitious Dr. Edwards went to college shortly thereafter, eager to start her unde...