W. Steves Ring, M.D.  
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and holder of the Frank M. Ryburn Jr., Distinguished Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplantation. 

Dr. Ring earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1971 and received his surgical training at Duke University Medical Center and the University of Minnesota .  He completed a surgical research fellowship and his cardiovascular and thoracic surgery residency also at the University of Minnesota .  He came to UTSW in 1987 as chair of the Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, to direct the thoracic and cardiovascular surgery residency program, and to develop the UTSW Heart Transplant Programs at St. Paul and Children’s Medical Center .  The program was later expanded to include lung transplantation at St. Paul .  Dr. Ring’s primary interests include heart and lung transplantation, congenital heart surgery, valve repair, and high-risk coronary revascularization.

Michael E. Jessen, M.D. 
Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, and Thoracic Surgery Residency Program Director and holder of the Robert Tucker Hayes Foundation Distinguished Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Dr. Jessen graduated from the University of Manitoba School of Medicine in Winnipeg , Canada in 1981.  He completed his clinical training in general surgery at the University of Manitoba , surgical research fellowship at Duke University Medical Center and then completed his residency in thoracic surgery at Duke.  He joined the faculty at UTSW in 1990 and currently serves as the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Health Care System.  Dr. Jessen maintains an active research laboratory studying myocardial metabolism and myocardial protection.  His clinical interests include adult cardiothoracic surgery, electrophysiology surgery, and aortic surgery.

Joseph Forbess, M.D. 
Associate Professor and Chairman, Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of Clinical Service for Cardiothoracic Surgery at Children’s Medical Center .

Dr. Forbess received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1990 and completed his surgical residency and thoracic fellowship at Duke University Medical Center , as well as completing two years as a research fellow in cardiovascular surgery at Children’s Hospital in Boston .  Dr. Forbess came to UTSW and Children’s Medical Center in 2004.  His interests include pediatric and congenital cardiothoracic surgery, infant and neonatal repairs.

Aaron S. Estrera, M.D. 
Professor

Dr. Estrera received his medical degree from Cebu Institute of Medicine in the Philippines in 1965.  He completed his clinical training at the University of Virginia , UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Baylor University Medical Center .   Dr. Estrera is active clinically at the Veterans Administration North Texas Health Care System, and Parkland Memorial Hospital where his interests include adult cardiothoracic surgery, esophageal surgery, lung cancer and trauma.

Dan M. Meyer, M.D. 
Associate Professor and holder of the Sarah M. & Charles E. Seay Distinguished Chair in Thoracic Surgery.   

Dr. Meyer received his medical degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1983.  He completed his general surgery residency and thoracic surgery training at UT Southwestern followed by advanced cardiothoracic surgical training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.  Dr. Meyer serves as the director of mechanical assist devices at Baylor University Medical Center/UT Southwestern Medical Center, as well as associate director of pulmonary transplantation of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s lung transplant programs at St. Paul University Hospital and Baylor University Medical Center .  Dr. Meyer’s clinical interests include transplantation, surgery for hyperhydrosis, mechanical assist devices, valve repair, and thoracic malignancies.  His research has focused on new methods of assessing lung metabolism and the impact that it may have on techniques of lung preservation during transplantation.

Michael A. Wait, M.D.
Associate Professor and Medical Director of St. Paul University Hospital . 

Dr. Wait received his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School in 1983.  He completed both internal medicine and general surgery residencies at UT Southwestern Medical Center.  He currently serves as director of the thoracic intensive care unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital and St. Paul University Hospital .   Dr. Wait was awarded the Distinguished Young Researcher Award of the President’s Research Council in 1993.  His main interests include valve repair, minimally invasive surgery, and heart transplantation.

J. Michael DiMaio, M.D. 
Associate Professor and Director of Research, holder of the Laurence and Susan Hirsch/Centex Distinguished Chair in Heart Disease. 

Dr. DiMaio received his medical degree from the University of Miami in 1987 and completed his internal medicine, general surgery and thoracic surgery residencies at Duke University Medical Center .  While at Duke, Dr. DiMaio completed a surgical research fellowship focused on gene therapy, immunology, and transplantation.  He joined the faculty at UTSW in 1998.   Dr. DiMaio currently oversees clinical research projects focused on cardiac and thoracic research and has an active laboratory studying the effects of protein and pharmacologic agents involved with myocardial and neurological recovery.  He was a Fellow with the Reynolds Foundation.  His clinical interests include transplantation, cardiac surgery (including coronary and valve procedures), ventricular aneurysm repair, minimally invasive surgery and the usage of Holmium-YAG laser therapy for tracheal and thoracic obstructive processes, and aortic stenting. 

Steven Leonard, M.D. 
Professor, Pediatric Division. 

Dr. Leonard received his medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1980.  He completed his general surgery residency training at UT Southwestern Medical Center followed by a two year thoracic surgery residency at The Medical University of South Carolina and a residency in pediatric cardiac surgery at Harvard and The Children’s Hospital of Boston .  He joined the faculty in 1987.

Hisashi Nikaidoh, M.D.  
Professor, Pediatric Division. 

Dr. Nikaidoh received his medical degree from the University of Tokyo in 1959.  He completed his surgical internship at the United States Navy Hospital in Yokosuka , Japan and then completed his general surgery residency at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York .  Dr. Nikaido then completed a residency in pediatric surgery at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a residency in thoracic surgery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland .  He joined our faculty in 1978.

Kristine Guleserian, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Division. 

Dr. Guleserian received her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 1994.  She completed her clinical training at Brown University School of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Boston .   Following completion of a fellowship with our pediatric division, she joined the faculty in March, 2006.

Brian T. Bethea, M.D.
Assistant Professor  

Dr. Bethea received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1999 and completed his general surgery residency training in 2005 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  He then completed 2 years as a research fellow in the division of cardiac surgery at Johns Hopkins and then a three year fellowship in thoracic surgery also at Johns Hopkins.  Dr. Bethea joined our faculty in July 2008, and in addition to providing clinical support with cardiothoracic surgery and transplantation, he will be a participant in the clinical scholars program at UT Southwestern.