McGovern Medical School is home to thousands of medical students, residents, and fellows, all here to gain expert training in their chosen profession. The school also offers a growing number of specialty education programs, providing vital training in highly specialized healthcare fields.

Two such programs, perfusion and cardiac electrophysiology, are a part of the Medical School’s Center for Advanced Cardiopulmonary Therapies and Transplantation.

The mission of the Cardiovascular Perfusion Program at McGovern Medical School, which started in 2015, is to provide the highest quality of education and training in cardiovascular perfusion through an accredited post-baccalaureate certificate program that meets state licensing and national accrediting agency requirements.

Perfusionists assist the cardiovascular surgical team during various types of cardiac surgical procedures by operating a heart/lung machine that artificially replaces these functions during surgery. At one year, the McGovern Medical School program is the shortest duration of the 17 perfusionist training programs in the United States.

The program includes training at five clinical sites, and to maximize clinical experiences, students learn didactics via a virtual platform.

“There has been a national shortage of perfusionists for at least the last decade,” said Rusty Roussel, program manager. “Dr. Igor Gregoric and Dr. Biswajit Kar didn’t merely want to help address that need. Instead, they envisioned UTHealth Houston becoming an exemplary center that produces exceptional graduates. Along with an amazing team of perfusionists, they’ve made that vision a reality.”

The program offers a 12-month post-baccalaureate curriculum leading to a certificate in cardiovascular perfusion. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Committee for Perfusion Education.

The program has graduated nearly 30 students and accepts six trainees per class. With classes starting in January, the deadline to apply for the next class is Aug. 1.

“Our graduates have a 100 percent pass rate for the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion board exams and a 100 percent job placement rate,” Roussel said. “The size of our class makes for an ample number of clinical cases for the trainee, as well as fosters a learning environment that is cooperative rather than competitive.”

“Our previous trainees have been recognized by the cardiovascular perfusion community on a national level with honors and scholarships, and our department has been awarded the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization’s highest designation a Platinum Center of Excellence for adult ECMO support,” added Igor Banjac, senior director of Perfusion Services.

The ten Broeke Family Foundation UTHealth EP Heart CV/EP Training Program at McGovern Medical School launched in 2018, providing a unique educational program for aspiring technical/clinical specialists in the fields of structural heart disease and cardiac rhythm management and electrophysiology.

“This program was conceived and initiated by Dr. Ramesh Hariharan to address the needs of both the cardiac medical device industry and hospitals/physician practices in search of qualified employees knowledgeable in cardiac rhythm management, electrophysiology and structural heart procedures,” explained John Boettcher, the program’s director. “Supporting these procedures and patient management requires intensive training and experience to contribute to exceptional patient outcomes.”

The six-month program provides education and training in cardiac rhythm management (CRM-pacemakers/defibrillators), electrophysiology (3D mapping/ablations), and structural heart disease for those interested in technical specialist positions in the medical device industry or clinical setting.

“Our one-of-a-kind program within the UT System provides the breadth and depth of training that can only be found in the Texas Medical Center through our affiliation with Memorial Hermann’s Heart and Vascular Institute and our electrophysiologists,” Hariharan said.

About eight students make up each class – offered twice a year, starting in January and July, with the capacity for up to 12. More than 70 students have graduated from the program since its start.

The program boasts a job placement rate of 97 percent.

“The program’s candidates have been very well received by both industry and hospital/physician employers,” Boettcher said. “Recruiting students has been the most challenging aspect of the program.”

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Established by the Michigan Perfusion Society, the $2,500 scholarship honors the memory of Daniel Thomas Zwada, mentor, instructor, and friend to most perfusionists in the state of Michigan who died unexpectedly in 2012. Each year, a national essay contest is held for perfusion students to answer why they are motivated to study perfusion.

“I believe that perfusionists are not only a part of progress, in regards to both science and medicine, but are also witness to certain recoveries that seem to be miracles. I believe that perfusion will provide me with an appropriate balance of faith and science that will enrich my life,” wrote Williams in her winning essay.

“This scholarship in one of the highest in monetary value that gets awarded to a perfusion student, and it was open to all the students in the 17 perfusion programs in the country. I am very proud of Alysha and the Center for Advanced Heart Failure Perfusion faculty for the tremendous efforts in educating and molding our future perfusionists, “said Kirti Patel, UTHealth Cardiovascular Perfusion Program director.

Williams is half-way through the yearlong Cardiovascular Perfusion Program at McGovern Medical School. Originally from Phoenix, Williams lived in Portland, Oregon, for five years prior to starting the program in Houston and previously worked as a respiratory therapist.

“The scholarship will help my perfusion education in that it will allow me to focus more on my education rather than my stress over my finances,” she said. “It will also allow me to pay for such things as conferences, which will enrich my education.”

Williams will receive the award at the upcoming annual summer meeting of the Michigan Perfusion Society.

“This is an incredible accomplishment for both Alysha and for the program,” said Eric Solberg, UTHealth vice president of academic and research affairs.

The Cardiovascular Perfusion Program at McGovern Medical School was established in 2015 and is affiliated with Memorial Hermann’s Center for Advanced Heart Failure. A perfusionist is a member of the cardiovascular surgical team that operates the heart/lung machine, which artificially replaces a patient’s heart or lung functions during surgery.

“I am motivated by the fact that my future career in perfusion will not only classify me as a necessary part of the team, but that I will also be a part of a profession that is constantly growing and that changes certain modalities based upon evidence of what is best for the patient,” Williams added.

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The UTHealth Cardiovascular Perfusion Program at McGovern Medical School recently received an initial five-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The five-year term is the maximum amount permitted for an initial accreditation and was recommended by the Accreditation Committee-Perfusion Education. The cardiovascular perfusion program was recognized for its substantial compliance with nationally established accreditation Standards and Guidelines.

“The cardiovascular perfusion program was established from the ground up, and it is expected for a program to take 4 years to complete the task of achieving CAAHEP accreditation.  It took us 2 years to complete this task. This is a huge achievement for the university, and we are grateful for the instrumental work by Eric Solberg, vice president of Academic and Research Affairs, who helped us achieve this milestone,” said Kirti Patel, director of the Cardiovascular Perfusion Program.

The last perfusion program that was started was approximately 13 years ago.  With the addition of The UTHealth Perfusion Program there are now 17 programs in the country and only two in Texas.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our McGovern Medical School, and I would like to thank Dr. Colasurdo, president of UTHealth, and the Center for Advanced Heart Failure Governing Council – Dr. Gregoric, Dr. Kar, and Dr. Loyalka for their vision and support in building a state-of-the-art perfusion program,” added Igor Banjac, director of Perfusion Services and chief perfusionist, Center for Advanced Heart Failure Perfusion Department.

The program accepted its inaugural class in January 2015 and graduated its first group Dec. 18. It is the only such program within The University of Texas System.

In addition to its initial accreditation, the program’s strength in leadership also recently was recognized by the Texas Medical Board.  Patel was selected to serve as the Chair of the Texas Medical Board’s Perfusionist Licensure Advisory Committee (a committee of seven with membership from across the state).

In a letter to Patel, Texas Medical Board President Michael Arambula, M.D., Pharm.D., stated, “as a valued member of this committee, your personal commitment and contribution will advance the Board’s mission to establish and maintain the standards of excellence for perfusionists and ensure quality health care for all the citizens of Texas.”  Patel was nominated for the position by Margaret McNeese, M.D., professor of pediatrics and vice dean of Admissions and Student Affairs.

The UTHealth Cardiovascular Perfusion Program has set goals to achieve accreditation from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as well as to convert the current certificate program into a master’s level program.

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Applications are now being accepted for the inaugural class of the one-year post-baccalaureate program, which will begin Jan. 2, 2015.

Affiliated with Center for Advance Heart Failure in the Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute, the program is directed by Kirti Patel and overseen by a multi-disciplinary Executive Committee that includes surgeons, cardiologists, and certified perfusionists.

The mission of The UTHealth Medical School Cardiovascular Perfusion Training Program is to provide the highest quality of education and training in cardiovascular perfusion through an accredited post-baccalaureate certificate program that meets state licensing and national accrediting agency requirements. The UTHealth Medical School Cardiovascular Perfusion Training Program has attained Candidacy status through Accreditation Committee-Perfusion Education.

“This is a unique program since the vast majority of perfusion programs are most often aligned with schools of allied health and cannot provide the kind of training environment, including the complexity of cases, that are available through the partnership between UTHealth and Memorial Hermann-TMC,” said Eric Solberg, associate vice president of academic and research affairs.

“What makes this program distinctive is that our partnership with University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center (UTHealth) and Memorial Hermann enables us to offer the most comprehensive perfusion education all within our own centers,” Patel added.  “Many perfusion programs utilize off-site, sometimes even out of state, locations in order to expose their students to clinical experience.”

A perfusionist is a certified medical technician responsible for operating the heart/lung machine during various types of cardiac surgical procedures and is responsible for:

• Setting up, operating and maintaining complex perfusion equipment;
• Monitoring circulation;
• Regulating the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood;
• Regulating the body temperature;
• Measuring laboratory values (i.e., arterial/venous blood gases, clotting times); and
• Administering medication and blood products through the bypass circuit (under the supervision and direction of the anesthesiologist and surgeon).

Perfusion trainees will develop much of their inpatient adult and pediatric clinical experiences at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Heart and Vascular Institute and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. This nationally recognized environment will allow the program to produce specialists in heart transplant and advanced heart failure.

“Thanks to the great collaboration between UT and Memorial Hermann, our perfusion trainees also will be exposed to LifeFlight, which provides a unique dimension offering intra-aortic balloon transports, ventricular assist devices, and ECMO to patients in the entire Texas Medical Center and beyond,” said Igor Banjac, director of perfusion services – chief perfusionist, Center for Advanced Heart Failure.

Perfusion is a specialty that is expected to grow in demand due to the growth of the aging population.

“Our program will allow us to graduate future perfusionists with the highest level of skills in all aspects of the profession.  Additionally, we will produce graduates specialized in advanced heart failure, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and ventricular assist devices,” Patel said.

The application deadline is Nov. 21, 2014. To access the program application and more information, please see the website.

-Darla Brown, Office of Communications, Medical School

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“This is a tremendous accomplishment and our team would like to thank Igor Gregoric, M.D., for making this vision a reality,” said Igor S. Banjac, C.C.P., L.P., director of perfusion services at the Center for Advanced Heart Failure. “Additionally, I want to congratulate each team member on their exemplary work in safely transporting the patient in cardiogenic shock from Memorial Hermann Memorial City to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. We are very pleased to say that the patient was successfully weaned off ECMO and has since been discharged and is doing well.”

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used to temporarily support patients who are not responding to other treatment modalities and have acute, life-threatening failure of the heart or lungs. Its purpose is to provide enough oxygen to the patient while allowing time for the lungs and heart to heal.

The ECMO machine is similar to a heart-lung bypass machine used during open heart surgery, but can be used for a longer treatment period. An oxygenator does the work of the lungs, adding oxygen to the blood, and an arterial pump helps the heart pump blood through the body. As the patient’s condition improves, the ECMO flow will be decreased so that the heart or lungs can resume their work.

Patients can now be transported via ground or air while receiving ECMO treatment thanks to the Center for Advanced Heart Failure’s acquisition of transportable ECMO devices, which do the same work as the traditional machines but are specifically designed for smaller spaces and transport. Because of these portable ECMO machines, Memorial Hermann Life Flight now has the ability not only to transport patients already on ECMO, but also to initiate ECMO and bring the patient back to Memorial Hermann-TMC to receive further treatment.

During the inaugural ECMO flight, the patient was successfully initiated on veno-arterial (VA) ECMO by Biswajit Kar, M.D., and Pranav Loyalka, M.D., who are respectively chief and associate chief of the Medical division of the Center for Advanced Heart Failure and both on the faculty of UTHealth Medical School. Life Flight crew members Joel Benavides, R.N., Tracie DeVall, R.N., and pilot Hank Bigger were part of the groundbreaking transport.

The ECMO team included perfusionists Lisa Janowiak, C.C.P., and Michael Arcaro, C.C.P. Since this initial transport, Life Flight has transferred a second patient on ECMO, and the numbers are expected to grow.

“Memorial Hermann Life Flight is the only air-medical transport service in Houston – and one of just a few in the nation – with balloon pump and LVAD capabilities,” said Eric von Wenckstern, director of aviation and administrative director of Life Flight.

“Adding ECMO to this list is an enormous achievement and allows us to improve clinical outcomes for a substantial portion of our patient population.”

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Watch her story unfold here.

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Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and TIRR Memorial Hermann have earned distinction as two of the nation’s top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” issue.

Just 152 hospitals of more than 5,100 U.S.  hospitals meet the rigorous criteria required to be recognized as a “Top 50 hospital” in key medical/surgical specialties.

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center was newly recognized in the areas of Heart and Heart Surgery and Gynecology. The hospital continues to place in the areas of Urology and Kidney Disease, moving up in both specialty areas. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center ranked 46 in Heart and Heart Surgery, 38 in Gynecology, 30 in Kidney Disorders and 48 in Urology.

For the 21st consecutive year, TIRR Memorial Hermann ranks within the top five rehabilitation hospitals across the country. The rankings are published in U.S. News & World Report’s July 21 issue.

“Through its affiliation with The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Memorial Hermann-TMC gives patients access to more than 800 academic physicians representing more than 80 specialties. Leaders in their field, our physicians offer patients the latest treatments available for a wide range of disorders and contribute to Memorial Hermann’s success in many disciplines including rehabilitation, urology, kidney disorders, gynecology, heart and heart surgery,” says Giuseppe Colasurdo, M.D., dean of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and physician-in-chief for Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

The magazine scores the quality of inpatient care based on each hospital’s teaching status, advanced technological capabilities, patient volumes, reputation with physicians, mortality statistics, nursing proficiency and other measures relevant to each specialty.

“We are so pleased to be recognized by U.S.News & World Report in its prestigious annual listing of the nation’s top hospitals,” says Juanita Romans, CEO, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. “I am proud of everyone’s efforts to help us achieve our rankings. Our recognition across such a broad range of specialties speaks to the talent and innovation of our entire team of employees and affiliated physicians and our academic partners at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.”

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center is home to the Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute. The Institute has a dynamic team of affiliated cardiologist, cardiovascular surgeons and clinicians to coordinate the best treatment plans for patients.

The Institute offers innovative solutions in cardiovascular care, for improved outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.

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