“This has been an amazing experience. To know that I’m not only carrying the name of one of the giants in this field, Dr. Denton Cooley, but to know that I get to watch a current master surgeon at his work.” – Dr. Clauden Louis, 2022 AATS Foundation Denton A. Cooley Fellow

The cardiothoracic surgeons at the Texas Heart Institute and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston recently hosted the 2022 American Association of Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Foundation Denton A. Cooley Fellow, Dr. Clauden Louis. The Denton A. Cooley Fellowship is part of the AATS Foundation’s Honoring Our Mentors Program, and is funded by generous donors, including several of Dr. Cooley’s trainees.

The selected fellow spends up to four weeks studying at the Texas Heart Institute (THI) and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (BSLMC), learning from its team of world-renowned physicians and researchers.

The Denton A. Cooley Fellowship provides an educational experience for North American cardiothoracic surgeons who are in their final year of residency or have recently completed their residency. The program was established by the AATS to honor those cardiothoracic surgeons who have demonstrated long-standing leadership and dedication over the course of their careers.

The 2022 Denton A. Cooley Fellow is Dr. Clauden Louis, MD, MS, MPH, a recent graduate of the University of Rochester Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency. He is also a graduate of Howard University Medical School and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is continuing his training with an Endovascular Cardiac Surgery Fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital before returning to his native home of Florida to join a surgical practice there.

During his weeks with the cardiothoracic surgical groups, Dr. Louis met, observed, and learned from Drs. Marc Moon, Joseph Coselli, Ourania Preventza, Charles Hallman, Jennifer Cozart, James Livesay, and Kenneth Liao. He also met with Dr. O.H. Frazier and discussed his latest work toward the total artificial heart (Pictured Above).

Dr. Preventza sat down with him to recap the highlights of his experience at the Texas Heart Institute and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. Watch the 2 1/2 minute video:

View photos from Dr. Louis’s Denton A. Cooley Fellowship experience on Flickr: