The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine offers multiple fellowship pathways for surgeons specializing in cardiothoracic surgery. Fellows benefit from working alongside world-renowned cardiac and thoracic surgeons at WashU Medicine, where they see a high volume of cases ranging from common to rare and complex.
Fellows graduating in 2025 take a look back at their training as they prepare for the next steps in their careers.
Meghan Kelly
Education: Undergraduate: Tulane University; medical degree: University of Missouri
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Honors or awards while in the program: Thoracic Surgery Foundation International Medical Volunteer Scholarship
Publications in the program: 9
Where you are going after fellowship: University of Michigan
Acknowledgements/thanks: Thank you to all the faculty of the division, particularly Dr. Pasque and Dr. Patterson. Thank you to Dr. Mackinnon for being my coach and champion. Thanks to all the office and admin staff for making this place work. Thanks to the OR and ICU nurses and staff for getting me through this and making sure I ate. Thank you to my family, friends and fiancé, Justin, for making sure I stayed me. Thank you to the fellows for being my Barnes family.
Anecdotes: So many! Some of my favorite cases were when I got to scrub with my mom. Sitting on a cooler chatting with Dr. Pasque before procurements was some of the most formative and educational experiences I’ve had. I could often be found sitting outside our patients’ rooms keeping an eye on them when I was on call. Having a recliner with my name on it placed outside the sickest ICU patient’s room by the charge nurse one night was a highlight. Meeting my fiancé in 5600 ICU because he was planning a trip to Patagonia (one of my favorite travel destinations) is one of my favorite memories.
Mike Napolitano
Education: Undergrad at Cornell, medical school New York Medical College, general surgery residency at George Washington University
Hometown: Manhasset, NY
Honors or awards while in the program: Nominated for Fellow Teaching Award
Publications in the program: 1
Where you are going after fellowship: Kaiser Permanente, Irvine, CA
Acknowledgements/thanks: To every attending and NP in the department, the residents, the students, OR staff, and most importantly my cofellows: you’ve all helped form me to be the thoracic surgeon that I am today, and made it a pleasurable experience along the way. Thank you.
Takuya Wada
Takuya Wada was born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan, by his parents, Hiroshi and Sachiko Wada. As a student, he was an avid athlete and represented his prefecture in baseball and handball. After graduating from Asahikawa Higashi High School, he attended Asahikawa Medical University, where he developed a strong interest in cardiac surgery during clinical rotations. The chief of cardiac surgery at the time had trained in Germany, which inspired him to consider pursuing surgical training abroad.
Following medical school, he completed a general surgery residency at Teine Keijinkai Hospital. Surrounded by peers who were also aiming for international careers, he successfully completed the USMLE exams. During this period, he met and married his beautiful wife, Marie. He then entered a cardiovascular surgery fellowship at Akita University, known for its excellence in aortic surgery. Under the mentorship of Drs. Takagi and Yamamoto, he gained experience in operative care and earned board certification in cardiovascular surgery. He also conducted clinical research on aortic dissection during his training.
Motivated to deepen his expertise in heart failure and transplant surgery, he joined the Heart Failure Surgery Fellowship at WashU Medicine. Over the past two years, he has felt deeply honored to train under exceptional cardiac and heart failure surgery mentors and to be part of a world-class program.
Takuya will join the Division of Cardiac Surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as a faculty member. He looks forward to reuniting with his wife Marie and their 5-year-old son, Rei, and starting the next chapter of their lives together in Columbus, Ohio.
Rodrigo Zea Vera
Education: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Hometown: Lima, Peru
Honors or awards while in the program: AATS Foundation Honoring Our Cleveland Clinic Mentors travel scholarship
Publications in the program: 1
Where you are going after fellowship: Congenital cardiac surgery fellowship, Texas Children’s Hospital
Acknowledgements/thanks: My wife, Katty, my family and all the mentors and teachers that got me here.
Anecdote: Planning a wedding in Peru during my first year was lots of fun.
Please join us in congratulating Zea Vera, Napolitano, Wada and Kelly!