- Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
- Co-Director, University of Iowa Stead Family Congenital Cardiac Center
- Director of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Services
- Program Director of the Thoracic Surgery Fellowship and Thoracic Integrated Six-Year Residency Programs
Joseph William Turek, MD, PhD graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in Biochemistry in 1994 and received his MD/PhD (Pharmacology) from the University of Illinois – Chicago in 2002. He completed his general surgery education at Duke University in 2007, where he also completed a cardiothoracic residency in 2010. During this time he served as a visiting congenital fellow at Texas Children’s Hospital. He completed a congenital cardiac fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2011. Dr. Turek was the third John H. Gibbon Jr. Research Scholarship Recipient awarded by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (2014-2016). Dr. Turek is Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Co-Director, University of Iowa Stead Family Congenital Cardiac Center. He is also the Director of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Services and serves as the Program Director of the Thoracic Surgery Fellowship and Thoracic Integrated Six-Year Residency Programs at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. His specialties include congenital heart surgery, pediatric heart transplantation and assist devices. Dr. Turek is quite active nationally, holding board positions and serving on varies committees. Dr. Turek can be reached at his office number (319) 384-8365 or by e-mail at joseph-turek@uiowa.edu with any questions.
- Director of Cardiac Surgery, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System
- Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Heart and Vascular Institute
Dr. Chu received his undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology and his M.D. degree from the Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed general surgery residency at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Chu has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles, 50 abstracts, 4 book chapters, and 4 invited editorials during his career thus far. He currently serves as an editorial board member of 13 peer-review journals and has been an invited reviewer of over 20 other journals. He has also been elected membership to the prestigious Society of University Surgeons. Currently, he is the Director of Cardiac Surgery at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System and an Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Heart and Vascular Institute.
- Associate Professor of Surgery in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation
- Associate Program Director of Thoracic Surgery
- Vice-Chair of Academic Affairs
Dr. Jonathan D’Cunha studied molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before he earned his PhD and then MD at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He then did his internship, residency, and fellowship at the University of Minnesota before he became an Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery, Department of Surgery, at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. D’Cunha’s research interests include molecular mechanisms of non-small cell lung cancer tumorigenesis,novel therapeutics for non-small cell lung cancer, lung transplantation, and surgical education.
He serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Thoracic Disease, Annals of Surgical Oncology, and Journal of Surgical Oncology. In addition, he is a grant reviewer for the National Institute of Academic Anesthesia.
- Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs
- Director of Thoracic Robotic Surgery
- Co-Director of the Esophageal and Lung Surgery Institute
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Dr. Sarkaria is an expert in minimally invasive approaches to benign and neoplastic diseases of the esophagus, mediastinum, and lung. He is a recognized leader in robotic assisted approaches to these operations, and developed the minimally invasive esophageal program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center prior to moving to UPMC. Dr. Sarkaria has one of the largest international experiences with robotic assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) and other esophageal operations. Dr. Sarkaria has lectured, published, and presented his research and experience nationally and internationally and is a member of the major national and international thoracic surgical societies.
Board-certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery, Dr. Sarkaria earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. He completed a residency in general surgery and cardiac surgery fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center. He also completed fellowships in thoracic surgical oncology and cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and in minimally invasive thoracic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
