Dr. James Kirklin is Director, Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes (KIRSO), Professor of Surgery, former Director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and holds the James Kirklin Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Kirklin served as Director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery from 2006 - 2016, with clinical interests focusing on surgery for pediatric and adult congenital heart disease, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. His many research interests involve cardiac transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and outcomes research in pediatric cardiac surgery. Dr. Kirklin is past President of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and President-elect of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery. He served as Editor of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation from 2000 - 2009. He was first author on the premier textbook on Heart Transplantation and co-author of the 4th Edition of the Cardiac Surgery textbook. In 2020, he received the ISHLT Lifetime Achievement Award. He has authored over 500 scientific publications Eugene Blackstone, MD, is full-time head of Clinical Investigations at the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic, and staff member of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Quantitative Health Sciences and Transplant Center. Dr. Blackstone is board-certified as Diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners and as a Fellow, American College of Cardiology. At Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Blackstone heads a multidisciplinary clinical research team focused on ischemic and valvar heart diseases, heart rhythm disturbances, heart failure (including transplantation, ventricular assist devices and alternatives to transplantation), and benign and malignant diseases of the esophagus and lungs. Since 1987, Dr. Blackstone has been Associate Editor of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. In 2005, he became an editorial consultant for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. He has published more than 500 articles and has received numerous awards Dr. Christo I. Tchervenkov is the Director of Cardiovascular Surgery, the Montreal Children's Hospital and senior surgeon at the Royal Victoria and the Montreal General Hospitals of the McGill University Health Centre. He is the Tony Dobell Chair of Pediatric Surgery and a Tenured Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery of the McGill University Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Tchervenkov has been the Director of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital since 1991 and a senior surgeon at the Royal Victoria and Montreal General Hospitals. He is a past President of the Society of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery "Aldo R. Castañeda and a Past President of the International Society for Nomenclature of Paediatric and Congenital Heart Disease that has established the International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC). Dr. Tchervenkov has practiced both Pediatric and Adult Cardiac Surgery in Montreal for 35 years and has authored approximately 200 scientific publications. Bio: Francis D. Pagani, MD PhD is the Otto Gago, MD Endowed Professor of Cardiac Surgery in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Pagani is currently the Surgical Director for the Michigan Medicine, Frankel Cardiovascular Center's, Center for Circulatory Support. Dr. Pagani's clinical focus includes surgical therapies for advanced heart failure including heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support as well as complex re-operative valvular surgical, surgery for adult congenital heart disease, and surgery (i.e., surgical myectomy) for inherited cardiomyopathies including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Dr. Pagani's research interests include translational investigations of stem cells for treatment of advanced heart failure, clinical and translational investigations of mechanical circulatory support devices, health outcomes research, and human factors research in patient safety in the operating room environment. Dr. Pagani now serves as the Chair of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Intermacs Task Force. Dr. Pagani also serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Dr. Pagani has authored 300 scientific publications.
