Faculty

Dustin M. Walters, M.D.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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