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Heart and Vascular Institute

Cardiac Surgery

Global Cardiac Surgery Initiative

At Johns Hopkins, we have a long-standing tradition of excellence in cardiac surgery and a commitment to service that transcends borders. Our mission is to extend this legacy globally, focusing on low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and South America. We aim to provide life-saving cardiac surgery, enhance existing clinical programs and establish new ones where needed. Through collaboration, education and mentorship, we strive for a sustainable impact, ensuring that quality cardiac care is accessible to all, regardless of geographical location.

Program Outline

Clinical Services

  • Provision of specialized cardiac surgeries for both congenital and adult cases
  • On-site mentorship by our faculty for local surgeons and trainees

Educational Outreach

  • Curriculum development for existing training programs
  • Remote and digital access to Johns Hopkins’ educational resources, including grand rounds, case conferences and didactic lectures

Capacity Building

  • Assistance in achieving operational efficiency and quality control in existing programs
  • Establishment of new programs in collaboration with local institutions

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

  • Integration of cardiology and intensive care expertise to provide a comprehensive cardiac care model

Sustainability

  • Partnership with institutions sharing our goal to ensure the long-term viability of these programs

Team Members

Fayyaz Hashmi, M.D.
image of Fayyaz Hashmi
Reed Quinn, M.D.
headshot of Quinn Reed
Michael Robich, M.D.
headshot of Michael Robich
Hanghang Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
Photo of Hanghang Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

Collaborators

World Heart Federation (WHF) collaboration

Recent Highlights

Pakistan Program

Fayyaz Hashmi has been involved with cardiac surgery programs in the public and private sector in Pakistan for the past 33 years, helping to start three new programs, participating in national annual meetings of cardiovascular society/association groups, mentoring local surgeons in adult cardiac surgery — especially off-pump coronary bypass and minimally invasive valve surgery — and conducting live case workshops in various aspects of adult cardiac surgery.

2024 Mission to Pakistan

Our Initiative in ActionOutreach to Share Knowledge

Drs. Hamza Aziz and Fayyaz Hashmi represented Johns Hopkins at the International Congress for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases and the National Symposium on Heart and Lung Transplantation, held Sept. 21 and 22 in Lahore. They shared their experience in treating persistent atrial fibrillation and in minimally invasive cardiac surgery, to an audience including cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, residents, fellows and medical students from various parts of Pakistan.

Congenital, rheumatic and ischemic heart diseases afflict millions of people in Pakistan. A majority of patients are young, in the prime of their earning potentials and supporting large families. That makes durable, reproducible surgical solutions imperative, to return these patients to work as quickly as possible.

Hamza Aziz, M.D., presenting at a 2024 conference in Pakistan.

Our Initiative in ActionOutreach to Share Knowledge

Drs. Aziz and Hashmi took part in workshops and performed minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass, off-pump coronary artery bypass, minimally invasive mitral valve repair and replacements, minimally invasive aortic valve replacement, and minimally invasive repair of atrial septal defect. All cases were done with local cardiac surgeons and trainees, with excellent results.

They also held meetings with leaders of Pakistan’s surgical and medical education institutions on cooperatively working to improve cardiac surgical care in the country. Johns Hopkins can offer remote learning opportunities and mini observerships to mid-career cardiac and thoracic surgeons. Rotations and mentorship by Johns Hopkins trainees and faculty was also discussed, efforts fully supported by Dr. James Gammie, co-director of the Heart and Vascular Institute.

Hamza Aziz, M.D., performing coronary artery bypass surgery in Lahore, Pakistan.

Our Initiative in ActionOutreach to Share Knowledge

Pakistan has one of the highest rheumatic heart disease (RHD) burdens in the world. An estimated 1.65 million people have valvular lesions, peaking at ages 20-29. The rate of rheumatic fever has declined, but it is still more prevalent than in most low- and middle-income countries. Drs. Aziz and Hashmi also held meetings with officials of Pakistan’s public-sector surgery programs on more effectively diagnosing streptococcus A infections and treating early to prevent rheumatic fever.

Screening for strep throat infections will be performed at more than 300 outreach clinics and 30 public hospital pediatric emergency departments, along with surveillance echocardiography when warranted, under the pilot project. The majority of patients with symptomatic RHD in their 20s and older will need surgical treatment, a huge burden that will be included in Johns Hopkins’ future work in Pakistan.

Read More About the 2024 Mission
A patient who received a minimally invasive aortic valve replacement at Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore, Pakistan.

Kenya Initiative

Reed Quinn has been carrying out annual mission trips to Kenya for the past 15-plus years and, before that, for several years to China. He has been traveling with a team of nurses, cardiologists and perfusionists.

Contact Information

Miriam McBride
[email protected]
Johns Hopkins Cardiac Surgery
1800 Orleans St., Zayed 7
Baltimore, MD 21287
Debra Scheinberg
[email protected]
Practice Manager, JH Suburban Cardiothoracic Surgery
8600 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD, USA 20814