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Emile Bacha, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia, has been named 106th president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), an international professional organization dedicated to advancing innovation in the care and treatment of cardiothoracic disease.

The announcement was officially made during a presentation at the association’s annual meeting, which took place in May in Seattle.

Dr. Bacha, who is also director of congenital and pediatric cardiac surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of Children’s Hospital of New York, has spent his career treating some of the most complex cardiac conditions, from hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) to multiple ventricular septal defects, also known as “Swiss cheese heart,” and has focused his research on making cardiac surgery safer for children.

Dr. Bacha officially stepped into his role as AATS president at the organization’s annual meeting in Seattle.

He also successfully implanted a total artificial heart in one of the youngest patients in the world to receive one, and is a pioneer of the hybrid stage 1 procedure, a treatment for HLHS that combines open heart surgery with interventional transcatheter procedures.

“I went into cardiothoracic surgery because of the immediate impact you can have on the life of a patient,” says Dr. Bacha, who has performed roughly 8,000 pediatric cardiac surgeries over the course of his career. “The advancements we push forward ultimately result in better quality of care for patients. I am humbled to have been elected and look forward to engaging on behalf of my colleagues in the many issues that define the field.”

During his tenure as president, Dr. Bacha says he plans to “focus on the importance of leadership, character, and innovation in cardiothoracic surgery. Our specialty has continuously advanced through bold innovation and dedicated leadership, both clinically and academically, and these achievements deserve to be highlighted and celebrated.”