John David Vega, MD, is a member of The Texas Heart Institute Board of Trustees, 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.