Heart Health Program

Alfred Culliford, M.D.

Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU Medical School

Board Certification: American Board of Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery), American Board of Surgery (Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Aortic Valve Replacement, Cardiovascular Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), Heart Valve Diseases

Education/Training: MD from New York Medical College, Residency and Clinical Fellowships in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at NYU Medical Center.

Leora Balsam, M.D.

Director of Cardiovascular Surgery, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine

Board Certification: American Board of Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery), American Board of Surgery (Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Pulmonary Embolism, Congenital Heart Disease in Children, Aortic Dissection, Mitral Valve Stenosis, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Pericardial Disease, Aortic Valve Replacement, Aortic Valve Insufficiency, Aortic Dissection, Lung Embolism, Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart Failure, Heart Valve Diseases

Education/Training: MD from Harvard Medical School, Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University Hospital, Residency in General Surgery at Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA

Costas Bizekis, MD

Director of General Thoracic Surgery and Esophageal Surgery Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine

Board Certification: American Board of Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery), American Board of Surgery (Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Thoracic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Cancer Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Esophageal Cancer, Tumor of Mediastinum, Lung Cancer, Lung Metastasis, Esophageal Disorders

Education/Training: MD from New York University School of Medicine, Residency and Fellowship in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at NYU Medical Center, Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Foregut Surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Jessica Donington, MD

Director of Thoracic Surgery, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine

Associate Director, NYU Thoracic Surgery Residency Program

Board Certification: American Board of Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Thoracic Surgery, Achalasia, Esophageal Cancer, Esophageal Disorders, Esophageal Surgery, Mesothelioma, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Lung Metastasis, Tumor of Mediastinum, Lung Biopsy

Education/Training: MD from Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, Residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Fellowship in Surgical Oncology at National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD

Sunil P. Malhotra, MD, MD

Attending Physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Assistant Professor, NYU School of Medicine Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Board Certification: American Board of Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery), American Board of Surgery (Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Patent Ductus Arteriosus Repair (PDA), Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), Congenital Heart Defect

Education/Training: MD from New York University, Residencies in Cardiothoracic Surgery at University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO and Surgery at NYU Medical Center, Fellowships in Cardiothoracic Surgery at University of California, San Francisco and Pediatric Cardiology at Stanford University Hospital

Deane E. Smith, MD

Attending Physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine

Board Certification: American Board of Surgery (Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Cardiac Surgery, Lung Embolism, Aortic Valve Insufficiency, Pericardial Disease, Heart Valve Diseases, Heart Failure, Aortic Valve Replacement, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), Cardiovascular Surgery, Left Ventricular Assist Device, Aortic Valve Disease

Education/Training: MD from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, Residency in Surgery at Allegheny University Hospitals, Pittsburgh, PA and Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Medical Center

Mathew R. Williams, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Attending Physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Associate Professor at, NYU Medical School

Board Certification: American Board of Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Valvular Heart Surgery, Interventional Cardiac Catheterization, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Valvular Disease, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), Structural Heart Disease, Mitral Valve Repair, Coronary Disease Revascularization

Education/Training: MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Internship and Residency in Surgery at UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, Residency in Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery and Clinical Fellowships in Interventional Cardiology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center

Michael Zervos, MD

Attending Physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU School of Medicine

Board Certification: American Board of Surgery (Surgery)

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Thoracic Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Cancer Surgery, Lung Biopsy, Thymus Cancer, Hyperhidrosis, Lung Metastasis, Tumor of Mediastinum, Esophageal Cancer

Education/Training: MD from University Of Crete, Greece, Residency in General Surgery and Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Medical Center

Mera Djokic, NP
Director of Advanced Practice, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Adjunct Faculty, New York University College of Nursing

Board Certification: ANCC – Adult Nurse Practitioner

Specialty/Area of Expertise: Cardiothoracic Surgery

Education/Training: NP from New York University School of Medicine, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hunter College