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Dr. Emile Bacha, a world-renowned leader in both pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery, has been appointed surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and chair of surgery at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, effective January 1, 2026.

“Dr. Bacha is an outstanding surgeon and visionary leader who is dedicated to providing the very best care to patients, including those with the most complex conditions,” said Dr. Brian G. Donley, executive vice president and chief operating officer of NewYork-Presbyterian. “We are delighted he will lead our department of surgery in delivering the highest quality care, pioneering advances in surgery and mentoring the next generation of surgeons.”

“We are very pleased to congratulate Dr. Bacha, an internationally recognized leader and skilled surgeon, on his new role,” said Dr. Katrina Armstrong, dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and chief executive officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “Dr. Bacha’s commitment to delivering exceptional care to patients, training the surgeon-leaders of the future, and driving innovation and research makes him the ideal choice to lead our department of surgery.”

Since 2010, Dr. Bacha has served as chief of the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and director of congenital and pediatric cardiac surgery at the NewYork-Presbyterian Congenital Heart Center. He is also an adjunct professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Bacha succeeds Dr. Craig R. Smith, who will be stepping down following an exceptional 15-year tenure in the role. Under Dr. Smith’s leadership, the department significantly expanded clinical offerings and created innovative programs including neonatal surgery, acute care surgery, abdominal wall reconstruction, and robotics.

“I am honored to lead the world-renowned surgery department at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia and build upon its legacy of excellence,” said Dr. Bacha. “It’s a privilege to work alongside such an extraordinary team of surgeons, clinicians and caregivers to deliver the very best care to our patients, advance innovation and train future leaders in surgery.”

Dr. Bacha has dedicated his distinguished career to expanding therapies and improving outcomes for some of the most complex cardiac conditions, and his research mission is to make pediatric cardiac surgery safer and less invasive. Dr. Bacha has performed more than 8,000 congenital heart surgeries, including those to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and multiple ventricular septal defects, also known as “Swiss cheese heart.” He has trained generations of surgeons, and many of his mentees have become chiefs of congenital heart surgery in other top academic medical centers across the nation and world. Dr. Bacha’s notable clinical accomplishments include pioneering a hybrid stage 1 procedure for HLHS by combining interventional transcatheter procedures with open heart surgery. He also successfully implanted a total artificial heart in one of the youngest patients. He has earned international recognition and numerous honors for his pioneering work.

Dr. Bacha has contributed significant research to the field, authoring more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He is currently serving as the 106th president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). He is a past associate editor of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and received the Education Award from the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, the American Surgical Association, and a founding member of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery.

Before joining Columbia in 2010, Dr. Bacha held leadership roles at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Chicago. Born in Beirut, he earned his medical degree from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, and completed surgical training at Emory University, Paris-Sud University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital.