Amit Pawale, MD, has been named surgical director of the Heart Transplant, Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Pawale was recruited for this position from the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he was Associate Professor of Surgery, Associate Director of the Heart Transplantation Program and Director of the Acute Mechanical Support Program. He completed his surgical training and started his academic career at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. While at Mount Sinai, Pawale served as Vice Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, and Surgical Director of the hospital’s ECMO program. Pawale brings to Washington University a wealth of experience leading clinically active surgical heart failure programs.
In addition to his clinical experience, Pawale has led several research projects to improve care in heart transplantation, including a trial studying ex-vivo perfusion of donor hearts before cardiac transplantation. He has contributed to advancing the field of cardiothoracic surgery by publishing over 50 journal articles and book chapters.
“After a national search, we have recruited an excellent, highly skilled heart failure surgeon as our new director ,” says Division Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Ralph Damiano Jr., MD, the Evarts A. Graham Professor of Surgery. “We are very excited to have Dr. Pawale join our faculty, and he will be a great addition to our team. With our superb group of surgeons, we will continue to provide expeditious, compassionate and skilled care for patients with heart and lung failure.”
The Heart Transplant, VAD and ECMO Program is part of the cardiology & heart surgery program at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which is nationally ranked among the best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
“Collaboration and teamwork are the hallmarks of providing care to patients with heart failure and cardiogenic shock,” says Faraz Masood, MD, an associate professor of surgery in the Section of Cardiac Surgery. “Dr. Pawale and our team will be able to provide world class care to our critically ill patients.”
As the program’s director, Pawale joins cardiac surgeons Masood and Kunal Kotkar, MD, who together bring over a decade of combined clinical excellence and support to heart transplant, VAD and ECMO patients at the School of Medicine.
“WashU/Barnes-Jewish hospital is amongst the top institutions in United States in the field of cardiac surgery, heart failure therapies including mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation,” says Pawale. “I’m both honored and excited to join the esteemed group of physicians, nurses, staff and leaders, where I can continue to apply my training and experience to provide the best quality of care to our patients, maintain exceptional outcomes, and keep advancing our academic mission.”