Dustin M. Walters, M.D.
Section Chief of Thoracic Surgery
Vice Chair of Surgery - Leadership, Culture, and Faculty Development
UConn John Dempsey Hospital
Program Director, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Dr. Walters is a board-certified thoracic surgeon who completed his general surgery training at the University of Virginia and his cardiothoracic training at the University of Washington. He specializes in robotic thoracic surgery, including the full spectrum of general thoracic diseases. Dr. Walters also serves as the chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Wellness.
Robert C. Hagberg, M.D.
Chief, Cardiac Surgery
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Site Director, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Assistant Professor of Surgery, UConn Health
Education and Training:
Fellowship: Stanford University, Post-Doctoral Research Scholar in Cardiothoracic Surgery
Residency: Stanford University, Cardiothoracic Surgery (Chief Resident); Massachusetts General Hospital, General Surgery
Sabet W. Hashim, M.D., FACS
Chairman of Cardiac Surgery
Surgeon in Chief, Cardiovascular Institute
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Edwards Sapien Valve, Bad Neuheim, Germany,
Transapical Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
Edwards Sapien Course, Atlanta, Georgia, Transapical Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
Edwards Sapien Course, Vancouver, Canada, Transapical Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
OLV Clinic (Aalst, Belgium) & Lankenau Hospital (Wynnewood, PA), Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair through Right Thoracotomy
St. Joseph’s Hospital (Atlanta, GA) and Good Samaritan Hospital (Cincinnati, OH), Robotic Cardiac Surgery
Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA), University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) and Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital (New York, NY), Heart Transplantation
Broussais University Hospital (Paris, France), Mitral Valve Repair
Ayyaz Ali, M.D., Ph.D.
Cardiac Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: M.D., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Pittsburgh, PA), Cardiopulmonary Transplantation
Duke University Medical Center (Durham, NC), Cardiopulmonary Transplantation
Residency: Papworth Hospital (Cambridge, England)
Daniel Fusco, M.D.
Cardiac Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: Yale University, Yale-New Haven Hospital, Heart Transplantation (New Haven, CT)
Yale University, Yale-New Haven Hospital, Aortic Surgery (New Haven, CT)
Residency: Thoracic Surgery Residency, Medical College of Virginia (Richmond, VA)
Jonathan Hammond, M.D.
Cardiac Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Residency: Resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery,
Medical College of Wisconsin, (Milwaukee, WI)
Resident in General Surgery Hartford Hospital/ University of Connecticut Integrated General Surgery Residency Program, (Hartford, CT)
David W. Yaffee, M.D.
Cardiac Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: New York University School of Medicine (New York, NY)
Residency: New York University School of Medicine (New York, NY)
Sheelagh Pousatis, M.D.
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Residency: University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD), Thoracic Surgery
Mohiuddin Cheema, M.D.
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Cardiovascular and Endovascular Surgery
Hartford HealthCare, Heart and Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: Albany Medical Center (Albany, NY); Vascular Surgery
Cedars Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, CA); Cardiothoracic Surgery
Residency: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, General Surgery
Mario W. Katigbak, M.D.
Chief, Thoracic Surgery
Hartford HealthCare, Hartford Hospital
Top Doctors in Thoracic Surgery in 2011
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: Yale University School of Medicine
Residency: Maimonides Medical Center
Justin Van Backer, M.D.
Thoracic Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital
Residency: Albany Medical Center
Daniel Walker, M.D.
Thoracic Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Residency: UConn School of Medicine
Brian B. Whang, M.D.
Thoracic Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: ICAHN School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital
ICAHN School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Residency: Yale New Haven Hospital
Westchester Medical Center
Jennifer Worth, M.D., M.B.A., FACS
Thoracic Surgeon
Hartford HealthCare, Hartford Hospital
Faculty, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Education and Training:
Fellowship: Ohio State University
Residency: University of Nebraska
Dennis Mello, M.D.
Cardiac Surgeon
Division Head, Cardiovascular Surgery
Co-Director, Cardiovascular Institute
Connecticut Children’s
Site Director, UConn Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
Associate Professor of Surgery, UConn School of Medicine
Education and Training:
Fellowship: University of California at San Francisco
Residency: UConn School of Medicine