Renowned Cardiac Surgeon and Stanford Residency Graduate
Dr. Marc Moon Inspires Colleagues at Annual Shumway Visiting Professorship Lecture

by Roxanna Van Norman
May 2, 2025

Visiting cardiac surgeon Marc Moon, MD, is renowned for his technical surgical skills, vast research experience, and intentional leadership in masterfully teaching the next generation of cardiac surgeons. He recently delivered a presentation titled "Professionalism, Diversity, and the Training of a Surgeon" at the 13th Dr. Norman E. Shumway Visiting Professorship lecture on the Stanford campus.

Dr. Moon is the Denton A. Cooley, MD, Chair in Cardiac Surgery at the Texas Heart Institute and Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center and Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. In his talk, he highlighted key topics, including diversity, resident burnout, and performance in surgical training.

"Dr. Moon is an icon in our field and an incredibly talented surgeon," said Joseph Woo, MD, Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University, and Norman E. Shumway Professor, during opening remarks. Dr. Moon is a Stanford Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Graduate, and several audience members have had the opportunity to work with him firsthand. He is widely recognized for both his surgical expertise and his ability to teach residents to perform complex procedures effectively.

"Dr. Moon has been all around the world operating and teaching surgeons how to perform these complex procedures ," Dr. Woo continued. "As a result, not only has he directly impacted the lives of many patients in this country, but also many cardiac surgeons and patients worldwide."

A graduate of Stanford’s cardiothoracic surgical residency program who trained under Norman E. Shumway, MD, PhD - the namesake for the visiting professorship series - Dr. Moon began his lecture by reflecting on his training under Dr. Shumway, a pioneer in cardiac surgery at Stanford and the "father of heart transplantation."

"He was a man of few words but of great meaning. Everybody in the hospital respected him and trusted him," said Dr. Moon, as he introduced the topic of professionalism and values in surgery, tracing these concepts back to the first Hippocratic Oath and ideals shared by Dr. Shumway.

Dr. Moon credited his exceptional surgical training to Stanford's focus on cultivating extraordinary talent through laboratory research, mentorship, and collaborative environments. Mentorship was a recurring and personal theme throughout his talk. "Great mentors are people who see things in you that you don't see in yourself," said Dr. Moon. In addition to Dr. Shumway, he trained closely with several pioneering figures during his time at Stanford, including Philip E. Oyer, MD, PhD, D. Craig Miller, MD, Edward Stinson, MD, and Robert C. Robbins, MD, among others.

After completing his cardiothoracic surgery training at Stanford in 1998, Dr. Moon joined the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine, where he was later honored as the John M. Shoenberg Chair in Cardiovascular Disease and Chief of Cardiac Surgery. In 2022, he joined Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart Institute as the Denton A. Cooley, MD Chair in Cardiac Surgery and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center. Dr. Moon specializes in aortic and valve surgery, managing some of the most complex cardiac surgery cases. He has also been a leading advocate for diversity in the field of cardiac surgery.

During his talk, Dr. Moon emphasized the critical role of mentorship and representation in expanding diversity within the surgical field. He also explored performance training in surgical residents, noting how professional lapses often stem from unrecognized emotional triggers, rather than workload alone. Drawing on studies related to measuring professional burnout, he discussed how psychological safety and communication in the operating room improve outcomes.

Understanding the pivotal point on the burnout scale is critical, Dr. Moon said, as it can shape one's training, professional growth, and overall well-being. While certain stress levels—what he called "functional overreach"—can lead to growth, if left unmanaged and sustained over the long term, they can also lead to burnout and decline.

"What we need to do throughout the year is...be able to identify that point [when] we are about to deteriorate, and then maybe make an adjustment," said Dr. Moon, whose talk also emphasized the importance of teaching and guiding new surgeons through a career that is both difficult and challenging. “Teaching has to be in a culture of safety. We have to lead with empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence."

Dr. Moon has authored over 325 scientific publications and received NIH/NHLBI funding for research for nearly two decades. He served as the 101st president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery from 2020 to 2021, and is a consultant to the Circulatory System Devices Panel and the Pediatric Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration. He is also a member of numerous national and international scientific organizations, including the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The event took place on April 4, 2025, at the James H. Clark Center.