Houston, TX, July 13, 2023 – The Texas Heart Institute announced today the appointment of John David Vega, MD, to its Board of Trustees.

 

Dr. Vega is a Professor of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, the Surgical Director of the heart transplant program at Emory University Hospital, and the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center.

 

Dr. Vega was a former resident in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at The Texas Heart Institute, under the tutelage of Dr. Denton A. Cooley, founder of The Texas Heart Institute. Dr. Vega earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Michigan and completed his internship and residency in General Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He also completed a Cardiopulmonary Transplant fellowship at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

 

Dr. Vega’s distinguished career spans nearly three decades and is marked by numerous accomplishments. He made history by implanting Georgia’s first dual pump ventricular assist device (VAD) in 1999, establishing Emory’s position as a leader in the use of mechanical circulatory assist devices. In May 2021, Emory University Hospital celebrated the milestone of 1,000 heart transplants performed, with Dr. Vega contributing to nearly half of those procedures. He has published more than 160 peer-reviewed abstracts and articles and presented more than 50 lectures worldwide.

 

“We are proud to welcome Dr. Vega, an esteemed alumnus of our cardiac surgery training program, to the THI Board of Trustees,” said Eric D. Wade, Board Chair.