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An international leader in pediatric cardiology, Dr. Christopher J. Petit has been named chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and chief of the pediatric cardiology service at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, effective March 1.

“Our pediatric cardiology program is one of the premier programs in the world and provides groundbreaking cardiac care to all children with heart disease and their families,” said Dr. Jordan S. Orange, the Reuben S. Carpentier Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and physician-in-chief of NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. “Dr. Petit is internationally recognized for his clinical innovation and excellence in interventional cardiology and is an excellent choice to lead the division and grow its mission and impact even further.

“Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian are institutions that have transformed the field of pediatric cardiology. As one of the brightest stars in pediatric cardiology, Dr. Petit will undoubtedly help us continue to lead the way to the benefit of all children with heart disease.”

Dr. Petit served as professor of pediatrics at Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and was the Director of the Pulmonary Vein Program. He is a pediatric cardiologist with expertise in minimally invasive techniques to replace diseased heart valves, close cardiac defects, and implant stents. He treats some of the most severe cases of pulmonary vein stenosis, a rare and life-threatening condition that impedes the delivery of oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. In 2017, he established one of the nation’s first pulmonary vein stenosis programs to improve the care of the growing population of young infants with this life-threatening disease.

Committed to providing the best care available anywhere to the children of the region, Dr. Petit will uphold and enhance excellence in pediatric cardiology at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. The Division of Pediatric Cardiology includes the Program for Pediatric Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure and Transplantation, a leader in pediatric heart transplants. The program provides comprehensive care for patients and their families with complex congenital heart disease and severe heart disorders, such as cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.

“NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia share in my commitment to providing the very best, most compassionate heart care to our youngest patients and their families,” said Dr. Petit. “Our Heart Center is dedicated to caring for every patient of our region, from those requiring routine care to those requiring the most advanced innovative care available anywhere. I’m excited to lead this renowned team to further excellence in clinical care and research.”

Dr. Petit’s research focuses on assessing the short- and long-term outcomes of children with complex congenital heart disease — particularly outcomes following catheter-based cardiac interventions — and predictors of survival for children with single ventricle heart disease. He is also involved in the development of new cardiac devices to treat heart disease in children, including a new transcatheter mitral valve to help children avoid open-heart surgery.

Dr. Petit is internationally recognized for his innovation in clinical research. He is co-founder and president of the Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative (CCRC), a group of leading researchers from large congenital heart programs across the country whose goal is to improve outcomes for children and adults living with congenital heart disease. Studies from the CCRC have helped identify the best interventions for specific conditions.

He has received numerous clinical, research, and teaching awards, including the Young Leadership Award from the international Pediatric and Adult Interventional Cardiac Symposium, and several Annual Excellence in Teaching in Pediatric Cardiology awards during his tenure at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Petit received the prestigious Dr. Dan McNamara Teaching Award at Texas Children’s Hospital in 2010. He has been recognized as a gifted fellow and faculty mentor, receiving the Research Mentorship Award at Emory in 2017, and he chaired the Faculty Mentorship Committee of the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

After earning his MD at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Petit completed his pediatrics residency at Northwestern University and Children’s Memorial in Chicago. He pursued training as a fellow in pediatric cardiology and advanced fellow in interventional cardiology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, where he performed cardiac catheterizations and directed the single ventricle program. He had been at Emory and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta since 2012.