Keki R. Balsara, MD
Newswise — Washington, D.C., October 12, 2022 – Keki R. Balsara, MD, MBA, has been appointed surgical director of Heart Failure and Transplantation at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute. Dr. Balsara, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, will lead the heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support programs based at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Dr. Balsara joins MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he served as associate professor of surgery and vice chair of Network Surgical Strategy and Development. Dr. Balsara is a nationally recognized leader in the field of heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. He has been actively involved in several innovative strategies for extending the number of heart transplant organs available to patients suffering from end-stage heart disease. He and his colleagues have pioneered the adoption of donation after cardiac death (DCD) and the use of organ preservation techniques, such as ex-vivo organ perfusion and normothermic regional perfusion. With these “cutting edge” innovations, the number of available organs has dramatically increased for patients afflicted with end-stage heart failure on the transplant waitlist.
“With Dr. Balsara’s experience, leadership, talent, and passion for innovation, the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute will continue to grow as a nationally recognized leader in the care of patients with advanced heart failure,” said Stuart F. Seides, MD, physician executive director, MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute. “We are elated to have Dr. Balsara join our dedicated team of experts in this dynamic and rapidly evolving field.”
Dr. Balsara earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his internship and residency in surgery at Duke University Medical Center, he stayed at Duke to finish a surgical critical care fellowship. He completed another residency in cardiac and thoracic surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Balsara is widely published and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters, and has been an invited lecturer, discussant, and/or moderator for numerous national and international meetings.
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MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, founded at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., is a national leader in the research, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease, and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons as one of the top cardiovascular programs in the nation. It is comprised of a network of 10 hospitals and 175 cardiovascular physicians located throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington, D.C., region. MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute’s cardiac surgery program is one of the busiest and best regarded in the mid-Atlantic region with more than 2,200 surgeries performed annually. It is among the top five centers in the country for Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) implantation, and 29 heart transplants were performed in 2020, making it one of the most active circulatory support centers in the nation.
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