Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Names New Chief in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Jonathan Chen, MD, will join Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery on September 1, 2018.

Dr. Chen joins a world-renowned surgical team who are pioneers in developing innovative surgical techniques, including improvements in heart-lung bypass. A premier, comprehensive program, the Cardiac Center at CHOP performs more than 1,000 cardiothoracic surgeries each year, including 600 open-heart procedures in children and adolescents with complex heart conditions.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Chen to CHOP to lead our world-renowned Cardiothoracic Surgery Program,” said N. Scott Adzick, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief at CHOP. “He brings to us a remarkable commitment to innovation in novel techniques and surgical strategies, which have meaningfully transformed this field and therefore the lives of thousands of children with heart conditions.”

Dr. Chen graduated from Yale University in 1990 and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1994. He completed General Surgery Residency and Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowships at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and he then joined the faculty there. From 2004 to 2013, he served as Chief of Pediatric Cardiovascular Services and the David Wallace-Starr Foundation Professor at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, as well as Surgical Director of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Program at the Columbia University campus. Most recently, Dr. Chen served as the Chief of Congenital Cardiac Surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Co-Director of the Heart Center and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He also held the Sam and Althea Stroum Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery.

His clinical research has been focused primarily on surgical issues in complex congenital heart care and cardiac transplantation, with a particular emphasis on the development of mechanical ventricular assist devices for children, as well as stem-cell-based valved conduits for pediatric application. 

Dr. Chen has held important leadership positions in cardiac surgery organizations and currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He has an interest in extending excellent cardiovascular care to the developing world and he has led humanitarian trips to Cambodia, Senegal, China, India and Brazil over the past decade under the aegis of several volunteer organizations.

“Dr. Chen has a track record of promoting and furthering a paradigm of collaborative, multidisciplinary care, and we look forward to creating a partnership that will deliver innovation, strategy and transformative care for our patients and families, and the field of cardiothoracic surgery,” said Joseph Rossano, MD, Chief of the Division of Cardiology at CHOP.

At CHOP, Dr. Chen will serve as Co-Director of the Cardiac Center along with Dr. Rossano, and will hold the Mortimer J. Buckley Jr., MD, Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery.