Faculty National Leadership and Society Appointments

Current Leadership

American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)

Joseph Woo, MD

107th AATS President (2026 - 2027)

William Hiesinger, MD

AATS Planning Committee (2025-2026, 106th Annual Meeting)
AATS Adult Cardiac Program Co-Chair for the AATS 107^th Annual Meeting (2026-2027)

Anson Lee, MD

AATS Planning Committee (2025-2026, 106th Annual Meeting)
AATS Structural Heart Program Co-Chair for the AATS 107^th Annual Meeting (2026-2027)

Michael Fischbein, MD, PhD

AATS Program Director / Committee - Member (2026-2027)
AATS Membership Committee - Adult Cardiac Sub-Group Lead (2026-2027)
AATS Cardiac Education Committee - Chair (2026-2027)

JW MacArthur, MD

Program Committee, Adult Cardiac, Valvular Disease for the AATS 107^th Annual Meeting (2026-2027)

Natalie Lui, MD

Member, AATS Thoracic Clinical Practice Standards Committee (2025-2027)
Member, AATS Thoracic Surgical Robotics Scholarship Committee (2025-2027)
Member, AATS 107th Annual Meeting Program Committee, Thoracic Surgery, Lung Cancer (2026-2027)

Mark Berry, MD

AATS Planning Committee (2025-2026, 106th Annual Meeting)
AATS Thoracic Program Co-Chair for the AATS 107th Annual Meeting (2026-2027)

Yasuhiro Shudo, MD, PhD

Program Committee, Adult Cardiac, LVAD/Transplant for the AATS 107^th Annual Meeting (2025-present)

Billie-Jean Martin, MD

AATS Program Committee, Perioperative Care for the AATS 107^th Annual Meeting (2026-2027)

Jack Boyd, MD

Program Committee, Adult Cardiac, Coronary Artery Disease for the AATS 107^th Annual Meeting (2026-2027)

Michael Ma, MD

AATS Congenital Program Co-Chair for the AATS 107th Annual Meeting (2026-2027)
Co-Chair of the AATS Congenital Clinical Practice Standards Committee (Congenital CPSC) (2026-2028)
AATS Leadership Academy Committee (2026-2029)

American Heart Association (AHA)

Joseph Woo, MD

American Heart Association Board of Directors (2025 - 2026)
Member, Leadership Committee, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, American Heart Association (2004-Present)

William Hiesinger, MD

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

Ngan Huang, PhD

Communications Committee, Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease (7/2024 - Present 07/2025-06/2027)
Member, Bioengineering Committee of the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences, American Heart Association
Member, PVD Scientific & Clinical Education Lifelong Learning Committee (SCILL) of the Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease, American Heart Association (7/2026-6/2028)

Yasuhiro Shudo, MD, PhD

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

Maria Currie, MD, PhD

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

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

General Thoracic Strategic Advisory Board, Council on Member Engagement, of the STS (2026-2027)
General Thoracic Strategic Advisory Panel (2026-2027)
Nina Starr Braunwald Workforce (2025-2028)

Natalie Lui, MD

Member, Workforce on Career Development and Task Force on Mid-Career Surgeons (2025-2028)

Joseph Shrager, MD

Chair of the Workforce on General Thoracic Surgery of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (2023 - Present)
General Thoracic Strategic Advisory Board
Associate Editor of the STS Pearson's Thoracic Surgery EBook

Western Thoracic Surgical Association (WTSA)

Michael Fischbein, MD, PhD

Nomination Committee

Natalie Lui, MD

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

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Executive Board Member: Secretary (2026-2027)

European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Patient-Centered Working Group (2022-present)
Women in General Thoracic Surgery (2021-present)

Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

WTS Vice President (2026 - 2027)

Society of Clinical Surgery

Past Leadership

American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)

Leo Eloesser, MD

19th President (1936 - 1937)

Frank L.A. Gerbode, MD

53rd President (1972 - 1973)

Presidential Address

D. Craig Miller, MD

88th President (2007 - 2008)

Presidential Address

Michael Fischbein, MD, PhD

AATS Planning Committee (2025-2026, 106th Annual Meeting)

Joseph Woo, MD

AATS Board Director
Program Chair, AATS Cardiac Surgery Biology Club (2016-2019)
AATS Foundation Advisory Council (2017-2019)
Member, AATS 2025 Annual Meeting Program Committee (2024-2025)
Vice-President, AATS (2024-2025)
President-Elect, AATS (2025-2026)

Emile Holman, MD

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

Norman E. Shumway Jr., MD, PhD

67th President (1986 - 1987)

Presidential Address

Yasuhiro Shudo, MD, PhD

Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA), Membership & Communications Committee, Member (2019–2021)
Member of the International Committee of the AHA (2022-2024)

Michael Ma, MD

AATS Planning Committee (2025-2026, 106th Annual Meeting)

International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Member

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Board of Directors, Director-at-Large (2019 - 2026)

Natalie Lui, MD

Member and Vice Chair, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Technology and Innovation (2019 - 2025)
Member, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Annual Meeting / Program Task Force (2018-2021)

American Heart Association (AHA)

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 - )
Chair, Leadership Committee, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, American Heart Association (2013-2015)
President, American Heart Association Silicon Valley Board of Directors (2016-2018)
Member, Joint ACC/AHA Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines (2018-2024)
Member, Research Committee (2024-2026)

JW MacArthur, MD

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

Yasuhiro Shudo, MD, PhD

Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA), Membership & Communications Committee, Member (2019–2021)
Member of the International Committee of the AHA (2022-2024)

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 - )