Ventricular Assistive Device Program | Meet our Team
The primary members of the VAD team are:
- cardiac surgeon
- cardiologist with expertise in mechanical circulatory support
- nurse practitioners coordinators
- social workers
- pharmacists
- dietitian
The VAD team works in close conjunction with the Cardiomyopathy, Cardiology Anticoagulation Monitoring, Heart Failure and Heart Transplant teams. Together, we coordinate care for advanced heart failure patients to assure a standardized level of management across the institution.
The VAD team also coordinates care with a larger, multidisciplinary team including, but not limited to, cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, heart transplant coordinators, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, nutritionists, psychologists/psychiatrists, ECMO specialists, palliative care physicians, financial coordinators, child life specialists, physical therapists, and nurse practitioners to meet comprehensive patient needs.
Attendings
Christina J. VanderPluym, MD
Co-Director, Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center; Medical Director, Cardiac Antithrombosis Management and Monitoring Program (CAMP) Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Francis Fynn-Thompson, MD
Associate, Department of Cardiac Surgery; Surgical Director, Cardiac Surgery Fellowship Program; Surgical Director, Ventricular Assist Device Program; Surgical Director, Heart Transplant Program; Surgical Director, Lung Transplant Program; Co-Director, Center for Airway Disorders Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Luis Guillermo Quinonez, MD, FRCSC
Assistant, Department of Cardiac Surgery; Director, Surgical Coronary Anomalies Program Instructor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Kevin P. Daly, MD
Attending, Department of Cardiology Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Elizabeth Blume, MD
Director, Advanced Cardiac Therapies; Medical Director, Heart Transplant Program; Medical Director, Heart Failure Program Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical SchoolNutritionist
Catharine Seiler, MS, RD, LDN
Clinical Nutrition Specialist, Division of Gastroenterlogy, Hepatology and NutritionPsychologists and Psychiatrists
Patricia Ibeziako, MD
Associate Chief for Clinical Services, Department of Psychiatry; Medical Director, Psychiatry Quality Program Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Kristine McKenna, PhD
Attending Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry; Associate in Psychology, Department of Psychiatry Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical SchoolNurses
Margaret Evans-Langhorst, CPNP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Department of Cardiology
Beth Hawkins, RN, MSN, FNP-C
Coordinator, Ventricular Assist Device Program; Nurse Practitioner, Cardiology Anticoagulation Management ProgramPharmacist
Amy Hellinger, PharmD, BCPS
Pharmacist, Department of CardiologyChild Life Specialists
Kate Huyler, MS, CCLS
Child Life Specialist, Department of Cardiology
Lynne Long, BA, CCLS, CEIM
Child Life Specialist, Department of CardiologySocial Worker
Emily Holman, MSW, LICSW
Clinical Social Worker, Department of Cardiac SurgeryAdministrative
