John Keech, MD 
Residency Program Director

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Mohammed Bashir, MD
Associate Program Director

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Jody Gingerich
Program Coordinator
Email: jody-gingerich@uiowa.edu

 

Where Are They Now?

Since the program began in 1949 we have 79 graduates who have started in private practice and 43 who started at an academic institution.

Recent Graduates:

2016 William Fisher; Private Practice - Milwaukee, WI

2017 Sarah Ahmad; Private Practice - Monroe, LA

2018 Trent Howard; Thoracic Surgeon, Brookwood Baptist Health - Alabaster, AL

2019 Pauline Go; Assistant Professor of Surgery, Thoracic Surgeon,  Penn State Health - Hershey, PA

2020 Ruchi Thanawala; Assistant Professor of Surgery, Thoracic Surgeon, Oregon Health & Science University - Portland, OR

2021 Thamer Robert Qaqish; Director of Thoracic Surgery, Erie County Medical Center - Bufflao, NY

2022 Anthony Swatek; Thoracic Surgeon, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics - Iowa City, IA

2023 Adnan Al Ayoubi; Adult Cardiac Surgeon, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics-Iowa City, IA

2024 Albert Pai; Aortic Surgery Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic -Cleveland,OH

 

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery has faculty whose clinical, teaching, and research expertise spans a comprehensive and immersive experience into the diagnosis, management and treatment of all aspects of cardiovascular and thoracic diseases.

Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty

Adnan Al Ayoubi, MD, PhD

Clinical Professor
Adult Cardiac Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-356-1330
adnan-alayoubi@uiowa.edu

 

Evgeny Arshava, MD, FACS

Clinical Professor
Thoracic Surgery Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-356-2032
evgeny-arshava@uiowa.edu

Mohammad Bashir, MBBS

Clinical Associate Professor, Structural Heart Disease Program Surgical Director, Director of Adult Cardiac Services
Adult Cardiac Surgery Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-356-4087
mohammad-bashir@uiowa.edu

 

Mohsen Karimi, MD, MS, MBA

Clinical Professor, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-353-6810
mohsen-karimi@uiowa.edu

 

John Keech, MD, FACS

Clinical Associate Professor, Educational Program Director, 
Director of the Center for Procedural Skills and Simulation
Thoracic Surgery Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-356-4518
john-keech@uiowa.edu

Yuki Nakamura, MD

Clinical Associate Professor
Director of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Surgical Director of Pediatric ECMO/Cardiac Perfusion
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
319-384-6022
yuki-nakamura@uiowa.edu 
 

Ali Nasr, MD, PhD, FETCS, FACS

Clinical Assistant Professor
Adult Cardiac Surgery/Procurement Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-356-0848
ali-nasr@uiowa.edu

Anthony Panos, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS

Adult Cardiac Surgery Professor, Heart Transplant Surgical Director, Mechanical Circulatory Support Surgical Director
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-356-8868
anthony-panos@uiowa.edu  

Kalpaj Parekh, MBBS

Nicholas P. Rossi Professor, Interim Chair and DEO
Professor, Lung Transplant Surgical Director
Thoracic Surgery Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
1-319-353-6758
kalpaj-parekh@uiowa.edu

 

Arun Singhal, MD, PhD, FACS

Clinical Professor
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
319-384-8365
arun-singhal@uiowa.edu
 

Anthony Swatek, MD

Assistant Professor
Thoracic Surgery Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
319-353-8476
anthony-swatek@uiowa.edu
 

 

Welcome to the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Iowa. The Cardiothoracic Surgery training program at Iowa is the third oldest training program in the country and has a long tradition of training outstanding residents. Our educational mission is to train future Cardiothoracic Surgeons we would be comfortable with them operating on ourselves and our
family.

Our department is the leader in tertiary-level Cardiothoracic Surgery care in the state and the surrounding region. Our patient population is diverse and presents with a variety of cases from “bread and butter” surgical cases to highly complex surgical cases including mechanical circulatory support, heart and lung transplants, ECMO and complex cardiac and thoracic surgeries. We provide a multidisciplinary approach to the care of all our patients. Our clinical services range from outpatient to inpatient at both the University of Iowa and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. We enjoy strong collaborations with the cardiology (adult and pediatric), pulmonology, oncology, and gastrointestinal services, as well as radiation oncology and thoracic radiology.

We are proud to be a part of the financially strong University of Iowa Hospital and the academically strong Carver College of Medicine. The department is fortunate to have faculty members who care passionately about the education of our residents, fellows, as well as our medical students, and colleagues (through continuing medical education.)

Iowa City is an outstanding community, close to several larger cities (Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Minneapolis-St. Paul) and enjoys low-cost living, little traffic, and a world-class public school system. The area is culturally rich and offers music, literature, college athletics, international cuisine, and fine art of the highest quality.

Our department takes pride in its rich history, while continuing to advance our vision of the future for academic health care, innovation and medical education. We hope you will take the time to become familiar with all that our residency program has to offer.

Kalpaj Parekh, MBBS

Kalpaj Parekh, MBBS is the Chair and DEO of  Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.