Ralph Damiano, Jr., MD FACC

Ralph J. Damiano, Jr., M.D., earned a B.S. in biology and graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College. He was awarded an M. D. degree from Duke University and went on to complete both his General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery training at Duke University Medical Center. From 1996 until 2000, Dr. Damiano was Professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University. He joined the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine as the John M. Shoenberg Professor of Surgery and Chief of Cardiac Surgery in April, 2000. In 2005, he was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery.

His clinical interests include all aspects of adult cardiothoracic surgery, with particular emphasis on coronary artery revascularization, atrial fibrillation surgery, valve repair and minimally invasive surgery. He was one of the pioneers of robotically assisted cardiac surgery and performed the first robotically-assisted surgery in North America in 1998. His group has also been the world leader in the research and development of surgery for atrial fibrillation.

Dr. Damiano has over 250 publications and has given over 300 invited lectureships around the world. He was Associate Editor of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery from December 1998 through January 2008 and is presently Editor of the journal Innovations: Technology and Techniques in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. He has been President of the Cardiac Surgery Biology Club, is President-elect of the Society of Clinical Surgery, and also President-elect of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Clinical Teacher of the Year Award at Washington University School of Medicine. He was named the 2008 Physician Health Care Hero of the Year by the St. Louis Business Journal.

Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

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CABG vs. PCI for Left Main and Three-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease: The Great Debate

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