Department research and clinical expertise showcased at the
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020

The American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2020 was undoubtedly a unique one. Although physicians, healthcare professionals, and scientists were unable to gather physically together, the virtual platform still served as one of the world's largest forums for the presentation and discussion of clinical innovations and research breakthroughs in cardiovascular medicine. At the 2020 virtual conference, the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery was prominently featured in 11 talks and poster presentations, showcasing a diverse spectrum of the department's clinical expertise and research accomplishments.

Joseph Woo, MD

Chairman & Norman E. Shumway Professor

Dr. Joseph Woo, the Norman E. Shumway Professor and Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, presented a thorough talk on the topic "Transitioning to Independent NIH Funding." In this talk, Dr. Woo explained the foundational components and the pathway to NIH funding.


A. Claire Watkins, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. A. Claire Watkins, Clinical Assistant Professor, spoke on the topic "Arch and Descending Thoracic Aortic Repair: Evolving Concepts" in the session named "Imaging of the Thoracic Aorta: Before and After (Surgery)" and particularly focused on the evolution of endovascular repair.


Hanjay Wang, MD

6th year resident in Stanford's Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Program

Dr. Hanjay Wang, 6th year resident in Stanford's Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Program who completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Dr. Joseph Woo's laboratory, presented a poster presentation on "Impact of Conducting Basic Science versus Clinical Research During Training on Future Academic Productivity Among Cardiothoracic Surgeons."


Terrence Pong, MD, PhD

5th year resident in Stanford's Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Program

Dr. Terrence Pong, 5th year resident in Stanford's Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Program who completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Dr. Anson Lee's laboratory, presented two poster presentations, "High-resolution Spatiotemporal Changes in Dominant Frequency and Structural Organization During Persistent Atrial Fibrillation” and “Three-dimensional Electroanatomic Mapping of Human Ventricular Tachycardia."


Yuanjia Zhu, MD

4th year resident in Stanford’s Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Program

Dr. Yuanjia Zhu, a 4th year resident in Stanford's Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Program, a second year PhD student in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University, and a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Joseph Woo's laboratory, presented her research project titled "A Novel Photon-powered Biologic Gel for Enhanced Wound Healing in a Peripheral Arterial Disease Model" as a poster presentation.


Rohan Shad Arora, MD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Rohan Shad, postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. William Hiesinger's laboratory, presented a research talk entitled "Multi-center Validation of a Novel Echocardiography Artificial Intelligence System to Predict Post-operative Right Ventricular Failure in LVAD Patients" in the Vivien Thomas Early Career Investigator Competition and was awarded as the Finalist. He also presented a poster presentation "Administration of Intramyocardial Chemokine Induce Myocardial Recovery by Modulating the Acute Inflammatory Response to Ischemia."


Annabel Imbrie-Moore

5th year mechanical engineering PhD candidate

Annabel Imbrie-Moore, a 5th year mechanical engineering PhD candidate in Dr. Joseph Woo's laboratory, presented a research poster entitled "Ex vivo Biomechanical Analysis of Elastic Artificial Chordae Implantation for Beating-heart Transapical Mitral Valve Repair."


Matthew Park, BS

3rd year mechanical engineering PhD candidate

Matthew Park, a 3rd year mechanical engineering PhD candidate in Dr. Joseph Woo's laboratory, presented a research poster entitled "Engineering a Novel Ex Vivo Heart Simulator for Biomechanical Analysis of the Aortomitral Junction."


Simar Bajaj

High school student

Simar Bajaj, a high school student, who completed a research rotation with Dr. Jack Boyd, presented his research discoveries entitled "Cardiothoracic Surgeons With a PhD Degree Exhibit Greater Research Productivity" as a poster presentation.