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Division Leadership

Adult Cardiac Surgery

Adult Thoracic Surgery

Diego Avella-Patino, M.D.

Diego Avella-Patino, M.D.

Associate Professor of Surgery, Pending Rank, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Avella Patino is double board certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery. He specializes in the surgical management of benign and malignant diseases in the chest, including lungs, esophagus, pleura chest wall, diaphragm, and mediastinum. He is experienced in all techniques of lung and esophageal resection with expertise in robotic surgery.
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Mauricio Pipkin, M.D.

Mauricio Pipkin, M.D.

Associate Professor of Surgery, Pending Rank, Cardiothoracic Surgery

Biography: Mauricio Pipkin, M.D., joined Miami Transplant Institute in March 2022 as the director of the ECMO program for the lung center and associate professor of surgery at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Prior to joining MTI, Dr. Pipkin was surgical director of University of Florida College of Medicine and assistant professor in the division of cardiovascular and...
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 Nestor R. Villamizar, M.D.

Nestor R. Villamizar, M.D.

Associate Professor of Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Clinical Profile
Biography: I obtained my M.D. degree at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia in 2001. I completed a research fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Duke University Medical Center where I also completed residency in General Surgery. Residency in cardiothoracic surgery was completed in 2014 at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. I have been faculty of clinical surgery...
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Pediatric and Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery

Leonardo A Mulinari, M.D., Ph.D.

Leonardo A. Mulinari, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Clinical, Cardiothoracic Surgery

Biography: Dr. Mulinari is a Professor of Clinical Surgery and Chief of the Section of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. He is also the Co-director of the Children's Heart Center at Holtz Children's Hospital.
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Research

 Medhi Wangpaichitr, Ph.D.

Medhi Wangpaichitr, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor, Cardiothoracic Surgery

Biography: Dr. Wangpaichitr’s area of expertise is focused on tumor metabolism and mechanisms of drug resistance, as well as the development of new tumor models for clinical use. He is currently an Associate Professor of Research at the University of Miami, Department of Surgery/Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. He also holds a full time appointment in the Research Service at the...
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