Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A How-to Guide for Cardiologists and Cardiac Surgeons

A. Claire Watkins, MD is a clinical assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. She received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee and a Masters of Clinical Research from the University of Maryland.  She completed an integrated cardiothoracic surgical residency at the University of Maryland, focusing her final year on transcatheter aortic valve replacement.  She received advanced training in endovascular aortic surgery at Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand and at Centre Chirurgical Marie-Lannelongue in Paris, France. Her clinical focus is endovascular aortic and heart valve surgery and research interests include clinical trials and device development for cardiac surgery. 

Anuj Gupta, MD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. An interventional cardiologist, he serves as director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. His primary focus is on the treatment of severe aortic stenosis in patients who are eligible for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). In his role evaluating TAVR and related therapies, he is the site principal investigator for the PARTNER 2 trial, Galileo Trial, and the Medtronic low-risk, randomized trial for TAVR. In addition, he is involved in renal denervation studies, including the SYMPLICITY-HTN3 trial and Reduce HTN: Reinforce trial. He is the Governor of the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, the professional society for cardiologists and related cardioavascular specialists. He is a principal in the Maryland Academic Consortium for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Appropriateness and Quality (MACPAQ).

Dr. Bartley P. Griffith is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and completed a surgery internship and general and cardiothoracic surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Health Center Hospitals. He has published over 500 articles and book chapters, lectured at professional meetings nationally and internationally, and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. Dr. Griffith's clinical work focuses on open and transcatheter aortic valve replacement, aneurysmal disease of the thoracic aorta and  transplantation. His research interests are concentrated on heart and lung transplantation, cell transplantation and advancing the use of artificial organs. He is an NHLBI investigator and is currently developing an artificial lung.