Videos

The job market for cardiothoracic surgeons is more promising now than it has been in decades. So how can residents and fellows be successful in finding that first job? Vinay Badhwar, MD asks seasoned and early career colleagues for tips on making a good impression during an interview, making sure that the job is a great fit, how to find the best career resources, and how to engage and maintain good mentors. In addition to Dr. Badhwar, the video features John Ikonomidis, MD, PhD, Damien J. LaPar, Gabriel Loor, MD, and Rishinda M. Reddy, MD.

Dr. Andrea Steely, from Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center, received a 2018 International Medical Volunteer Scholarship from The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF). In early 2019, she made a trip to Rwanda, where there are no cardiac surgeons. This video highlights her life-changing volunteer experience, treating and screening under-served patients.

Surgical Outreach Mission Awards are among the programs offered by The Thoracic Surgery Foundation, the charitable arm of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

For the past 10 years, Dr. Chip Bolman (University of Vermont) and his wife have been traveling to Rwanda to perform heart surgery on those in need and train locals to build a sustainable heart program.

Despite mandates that determinants of health and differences in sex be incorporated into clinical trials, some groups—such as minorities, women, and those of lower socioeconomic status—are still underrepresented. Drs. David T. Cooke, Loretta Erhunmwunsee, and Linda W. Martin discuss why diverse groups are important, how to improve clinical trial design, and strategies to enroll more broadly representative groups into clinical trials.

More cardiothoracic surgery programs are incorporating robotics training for residents and fellows. But should robotics be a standard part of the curriculum and have a presence on the in-training and board exams? Dr. Rishinda M. Reddy, from the University of Michigan, moderates a discussion with colleagues about the principles of robotics training, how they obtained funding for their robotics programs, and the importance having expanded minimally invasive skills. This video also features Natalie S. Lui, MD (Stanford University, T.

The STS National Database is known worldwide as the “gold standard” for quality improvement and patient safety in cardiothoracic surgery. Launched in 1989, the Database includes approximately 8 million patient records. In this roundtable discussion, Drs. Dave Shahian, Felix Fernandez, Jeff Jacobs, and Vinod Thourani explain how they’ve used data from the Database for making improvements at their own hospitals, for research projects, to understand the cost-effectiveness of various procedures, and to demonstrate the importance of the care that cardiothoracic surgeons provide.

Endocarditis is one of the most challenging infections to treat for cardiothoracic surgeons, and the opioid epidemic has led to a staggering increase in the number of infective endocarditis cases seen in the United States. Dr. Robbin G. Cohen talks with some of the world’s leading experts in treating valve disease and endocarditis—Drs. Joseph E. Bavaria, Eric E.

Media coverage can be a powerful way for cardiothoracic surgeons to help more patients and their families understand important health care information. But how can you handle a reporter’s tough questions and still get your message across? Todd K. Rosengart, MD leads a panel discussion with cardiothoracic surgeons who have had experience with handling awkward media situations, connecting with a lay audience, and helping to change the course of a conversation when a reporter has incorrect information. Also features John V. Conte, MD, Robert E. Merritt, MD, Mara B. Antonoff, MD, Robbin G.

The Society is offering a new opportunity for self-assessment and quality improvement in cardiothoracic surgery—surgeon-specific outcomes reports from the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD). For those who affirmatively opt in, these feedback reports will be available beginning in fall 2019 and will include data on coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve replacement (AVR), CABG+AVR, mitral valve repair and replacement (MVRR), and CABG+MVRR. Four STS leaders, Drs. Richard Prager, David M. Shahian, Alan M.