Parekh Selected as Interim Chair in Iowa
Kalpaj Parekh, MBBS, has been appointed interim chair and executive officer of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. He has led the Cardiothoracic Surgery Division within the Department of Surgery since 2016, serves as the surgical director of the lung transplant program, and is professor of cardiothoracic surgery. Dr. Parekh has been an STS member since 2009 and is on the Editorial Board of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Darling Leads Team at Dalhousie University
Gail E. Darling, MD, has been named the head of surgery at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and surgeon-in-chief for the Central Zone (Halifax) of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. Most recently, she served as professor of thoracic surgery at the University of Toronto in Canada. An STS member since 1994, Dr. Darling is the senior editor of general thoracic surgery for the STS Cardiothoracic Surgery E-Book.
Lytle Presents ACS Gibbon Lecture
Bruce W. Lytle, MD, gave the prestigious John H. Gibbon Jr. Lecture at the 2021 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in October, presented in honor of the pioneering cardiothoracic surgeon who invented the heart-lung machine. In his address, titled “Coronary Bypass Surgery: An Operation Like No Other,” Dr. Lytle discussed the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the continued relevance of coronary bypass surgery in the prevention of CAD death. An STS member since 1984, he is the chairman of cardiovascular strategic development and planning for cardiovascular medicine and surgery at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas.
Lee Earns JD, Passes Bar Exam
Richard Lee, MD, JD, MBA, recently earned his Juris Doctorate (JD) from Saint Louis University School of Law in Missouri, passed the Missouri Bar Exam, and was admitted to the Missouri Bar. He intends to use his law degree to explore the intersection between medicine and law and assist his surgical colleagues with legal matters. Dr. Lee is the chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. An STS member since 2005, he has served on the STS Workforce on Annual Meeting, Tech-Con Task Force, and STS-PAC Board of Advisors.
Watson Is System Chief in Detroit
Thomas J. Watson, MD, is the new system chief of thoracic surgery for Beaumont Health in Detroit, Michigan. In this role, he will lead the thoracic surgical service line across the system's eight hospitals while overseeing recruitment, expansion, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Previously, Dr. Watson was system chair of surgery and chief of thoracic surgery for MedStar Health in Washington, DC, and Maryland, and professor of surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has been an STS member since 2002.
Woo Awarded AHA Clinical Research Prize
Joseph Woo, MD, received the 2021 Clinical Research Prize from the American Heart Association. He was recognized for his innovative work that has advanced the field of complex valve repair through new techniques, technologies, and approaches to patient-centered care. An STS member since 2003, Dr. Woo is the chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, professor of cardiothoracic surgery, and associate director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute.
Miller Begins Position in Georgia
Daniel L. Miller, MD, is now the chief of thoracic surgery at the Medical College of Georgia and surgical director of the Georgia Cancer Center, both at Augusta University. Previously, he was chief of thoracic surgery at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Miller also is the 2022 president of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. He has been an STS member since 1994.