National Leadership

Current Leadership

American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)

Joseph Woo, MD

107th AATS President (2026 - 2027)
President-Elect (2025-2026)
Vice President (2024 - 2025) – Read more about Dr. Woo’s VP appointment

American Heart Association (AHA)

Joseph Woo, MD

American Heart Association Board of Directors (2025 - 2026)

William Hiesinger, MD

Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Committees, CVSA Leadership Committee, Member at Large (2020 - Present)

Maria Currie, MD, PhD

EPI Statistics Committee (2022 - Present)
Heart Failure and Transplantation Science Committee (2023 - Present)

Yasuhiro Shudo, MD, PhD

CVSA Membership & Communications Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, Member (2019 - Present)

Ngan Huang, PhD

Communications Committee, Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease (7/2024 - Present)
Vice Chair, Diversity Committee, Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (7/2023 - Present)

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Board of Directors, Director-at-Large (2019 - Present)

Natalie Lui, MD

Member and Vice Chair (2023 - 2025), Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Technology and Innovation
Member, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Annual Meeting / Program Task Force

Joseph Shrager, MD

Chair of the Workforce on General Thoracic Surgery of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (2023 - Present)

Western Thoracic Surgical Association (WTSA)

Michael Fischbein, MD, PhD

President (2023 - Present)

Natalie Lui, MD

Member, Western Thoracic Surgery Association New Member Committee (2018 - 2022)

Joseph Woo, MD

Secretary (2023 - Present)

Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Board of Directors, Director-at-Large (2023 - 2025)
WTS Vice President (2025 - 2027)

A. Claire Watkins, MD

Member-at-Large (2025 - 2027)

Elan Burton, MD, MHA

Member-at-Large (2023 - 2025)

International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Society of Clinical Surgery

Past Leadership

American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)

Leo Eloesser, MD

(1936 - 1937)
19th President

Frank L.A. Gerbode, MD

(1972 - 1973)
53rd President

Presidential Address

D. Craig Miller, MD

(2007 - 2008)
88th President

Presidential Address

Emile Holman, MD

(1953 - 1954)
33rd President
(Emile Holman was Chair of Surgery at the time)

Norman E. Shumway Jr., MD, PhD

(1986 - 1987)
67th President

Presidential Address

Joseph Woo, MD

(2019 - 2023)

AATS Board Director

American Heart Association (AHA)

Michael Fischbein, MD, PhD

Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Committees, CVSA Leadership Committee:
- CVSA Vice Chair (2017 - 2019)
- CVSA Chair (2019 - 2021)
- Liaison, and Nominating Committee Chair
CVSA Education and Publication Committee, Member-at-large (2011 - )

Elan Burton, MD, MHA

Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Committees:
- CVSA Leadership Committee, Member at Large (2021 - 2023)
- Fellows in Training Committee (2021 - 2023)

Ngan Huang, PhD

Women’s Leadership Committee, Council on Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (2020 - 2024)

Joseph Woo, MD

Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Committees, CVSA Leadership Committee, Liaison (2004 - )

JW MacArthur, MD

Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Committees, CVSA Leadership Committee, CVSA Education and Publication Committee, Member (2022 - 2023)