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Internationally known aortic disease expert Joseph Bavaria, MD, recently joined Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, serving as a clinician and mentor to continue to advance the institute’s aortic surgery program.
Eminent Cardiothoracic Surgeon Now at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute
Collaboration advances growth of aortic surgery program
The role of master surgeon
Dr. Bavaria will see his own patients and consult with Heart and Vascular Institute colleagues in cardiac surgery and vascular surgery. In addition, he has embraced the role of master surgeon, mentoring and collaborating with more junior cardiac surgeons.
Dr. Bavaria’s considerable surgical skill and experience are an invaluable resource for those around him.
One person who knows that well is Ben Jackson, MD, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. The two men have known each other for years, dating back to a time when both were at Penn Medicine.
“Here at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, we have established a robust collaboration between vascular surgery and cardiac surgery to care for aortic disease in general and thoracic aortic disease in particular,” Dr. Jackson says. “The presence of Dr. Bavaria is helping to supercharge this collaboration and take us to the next level.”
Providing state-of-the-art surgery
Dr. Bavaria’s specific area of expertise is thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery. He has extensive experience with treating aortic aneurysm and dissection. In addition, he has been a prominent figure in clinical trials on transcatheter aortic valve replacement and other advanced interventions for repairing and replacing aortic valves.
“Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute is invested in and intent upon offering the most advanced treatments for aortic disease,” Dr. Jackson says. “Dr. Bavaria is well versed in leading clinical trials and partnering with industry. That will facilitate our involvement in clinical trials and keep us on the leading edge of aortic disease treatment.”
Dr. Jackson says Dr. Bavaria’s support of the growth and enhancement of the Heart and Vascular Institute’s aortic surgery program will provide benefits for many years to come.
Dr. Bavaria is past president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and has served as national principal investigator on several clinical trials. In 2022, he received the STS Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes “significant and far-reaching contributions” to thoracic surgery.
