MINIMALLY INVASIVE VALVE SURGERY

Dr. Nguyen is an internationally recognized minimally invasive heart surgeon, Chief Medical Executive of the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Barry Katzen Endowed Chair, and Director of Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery.  He believes that small incisions make a big difference.  His outcomes score in the top 98.7% in the national STS database.  Dr. Nguyen recently came from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where he was the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Charles Schwab Distinguished Professor.  While at UCSF, Dr. Nguyen helped transform cardiothoracic surgery, while setting milestones in quality, outcomes, and research. 

 

Dr. Nguyen graduated from Rice University and then worked in Switzerland at the World Health Organization.  Although he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, he decided to pursue medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  There’s much poetry and music written about the heart, but when he witnessed the panache of a heartbeat, he was hooked.  Since then, he has dedicated the past 30 years in becoming the best doctor he can be.  Dr. Nguyen completed his surgery training at Stanford where he received the Outstanding ICU award and the Intern of the Year Award.  He then completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University as well as a TAVR fellowship at Emory.  Teaching and mentorship are Dr. Nguyen’s passion, and he has received teaching awards from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, American College of Surgeons and Benjy Brooks Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award.  He has volunteered as a surgeon across the globe and lived in Africa (Asmara, Eritrea) to share experiences with others. 

 

Dr. Nguyen is active in research at a regional, national, and international level.  He has published nearly 300 peer-reviewed articles, serves on the editorial board for four academic journals and is editor of several textbooks.  Before turning 40, he received the Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award.  Dr. Nguyen leads research trials on treatments for valve disease.  He has been principal investigator on landmark trials exploring transcatheter technologies.  He recently served as President of the 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgery Society and is a Director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS).  He also serves on the Board of Directors for the STS Thoracic Surgery Foundation, CTSNet, and the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS).

 

As an immigrant growing up in America, Dr. Nguyen learned more than English by watching Saturday morning cartoons.  He learned about dreams, mentorship, and serendipity.  He appreciates that healthcare revolves not around models and formulas, but around people.  He appreciates that success is not his own, but reflections from countless mentors and serendipity.  Recognizing his fortune, he vows to pay it forward.  He strives every day to deserve the privilege of practicing medicine and is committed to treating patients like family. 

 

Dr. Nguyen is married to Dr. Gina Landinez an interventional radiologist and is the proud dad of two beautiful daughters.