Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty
Dr. DeCamp, Chair, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Dr. DeCamp’s clinical interest is centered in thoracic oncology, a field dominated by lung and esophogeal cancer, but also includes thymoma and thymic malignancies, tracheal tumors, chest wall tumors and mesothelioma. Additionally, one third of Dr. DeCamp’s clinical practice is devoted to interventions for advanced lung disease, including lung transplantation and lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS). Dr. DeCamp’s research interests include risk assessment and reduction of risk for pulmonary resection, as well as identification of biomarkers predictive of outcome following lung resection for cancer.
Dr. Anagnostopoulos, Professor
Dr. Anagnostopoulos specializes in complex neonatal and infant cardiac reconstructive surgery, pediatric heart surgery, adult congenital cardiac surgery, single ventricle palliation, extracorporeal life support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ventricular assist devices, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, hybrid surgical-catheterization cardiac surgery, off-pump cardiac surgery, complex mitral and tricuspid valve repair, aortic root surgery, tetralogy of Fallot, coronary artery anomalies, Ross operations, obstructive cardiomyopathy, and heart transplantation. Dr. Anagnostopoulos’s research interests include coagulopathy associated with supraceliac aortic clamping and development of rapid deployment extracorporeal life support program.
Dr. de Biasi, Assistant Professor
Dr. de Biasi specializes in complex aortic surgery, including: David valve-sparing aortic root replacement, acute type A aortic dissection, thoracic aortic aneurysm, re-do aortic surgery, total arch replacement, frozen elephant trunk techniques, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), thoracoabdominal aortic replacement, and aortic surgery for connective tissue disorders like Marfan and Loeys-Dietz syndromes. He additionally has considerable experience in minimally invasive heart valve surgery, including mini-sternotomy aortic valve replacement, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and mini-thoracotomy mitral valve repair. Dr. de Biasi is also trained in advanced surgical techniques for coronary artery disease like coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using multiple arterial conduits, off-pump and beating-heart CABG, and minimally invasive myocardial bridge unroofing. Dr. de Biasi’s research focuses on the novel identification of risk factors for aortic dissection and aneurysm propagation using multidisciplinary analytics, including artificial intelligence technologies. He is also interested in the application of endovascular devices in aortic arch surgery.
Dr. Hermsen, Associate Professor
Dr. Hermsen specializes in the care of patients of all ages with congenital heart disease ranging from repairs in the neonatal period to multiple re-do operations and transplants in patients of all ages. He also has interest and expertise in treating patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy complicated by obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract, mitral valve problems and heart rhythm problems. Dr. Hermsen’s research interests focus on demonstrating utility of medical 3D printing related to septal myectomy surgery, cardiomyopathy, and examining the effects of using cardiac surgical simulation for resident education. Dr. Hermsen is the surgical director of the pediatric heart transplant program at UW Health Kids.
Dr. Maloney is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He specializes in general thoracic and oncologic surgery. His practice includes minimally invasive surgery with a focus on esophageal malignancy. Other interests include treatment of mediastinal disease, thoracoscopic lobectomy, and endoscopic sympathectomy. Dr. Maloney is also part of the lung transplant team. Dr. Maloney’s research interests include assessment of minimal residual disease after treatment of lung cancer, improving outcomes in esophageal cancer and end stage lung disease. Dr. Maloney is active in global surgery and is leading an investigation of remote telepresence mentoring in LMICs.
Dr. McCarthy, Associate Professor
Dr. McCarthy is involved in all aspects of thoracic surgery with an emphasis on robotic techniques in thoracic oncology, and interventions for advanced lung disease. He completed medical school and general surgery residency at Northwestern University, where he also obtained business and engineering degrees during his research time. He completed a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the University of Washington. Dr. McCarthy is currently the surgical director of the UW Health Lung Transplant Program and the director of the ECMO program. He has served on several national committees, including the UNOS Lung Committee and the STS Coding and Reimbursement Committee. His research interests span the domain of clinical practice in thoracic surgery and lung transplant, healthcare finances, and medical device development. He holds several patents and is the co-founder of a medical device company.
Dr. Osaki specializes in the following: complex coronary artery bypass surgery, beating heart surgery, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic and mitral valve surgery, ascending aortic aneurysm repair, surgery for end-stage heart disease, mechanical assist devices, minimally invasive cardiac surgery including Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), cardiac arrhythmia surgery, total pericardiectomy, and cardiac reoperation. He is currently surgical director of TAVR program and ischemic heart program.
Dr. Rokkas earned his MD from the National University of Athens in 1984. He completed general surgery training at Washington University in St. Louis and SUNY Syracuse followed by a cardiothoracic residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He then returned to St. Louis for an aortic surgery fellowship with Dr. Nicholas Kouchoukos at Missouri Baptist Hospital. Dr. Rokkas is the Section Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery and is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Patient Safety Committee. Dr. Rokkas provides a wide range of services including Aortic Root Surgery, Heart Bypass (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery – CABG), Coronary Artery Anomalies, Maze Procedure (Surgical), Complex structural heart and aortic surgery, including surgical treatment of endocarditis and extensive aneurysms of the ascending aorta, aortic arch, descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aorta, Hybrid ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation, including convergent procedure and left atrial appendage ligation, Mitral valve repair, Valve-sparing aortic root replacement.
Dr. Yu Xia is a graduate of the New York University School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency and Master’s degree in clinical research methods at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and then went on to complete his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship and an advanced fellowship in heart/lung transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Xia’s research endeavors include using national registries to examine outcomes following thoracic organ transplantation with a particular interest in donor pool expansion with extended criteria donors and reducing adverse events following LVAD implantation. He also has experience with murine, porcine, and canine models for valve surgery and heart transplantation. His practice includes general adult cardiac surgery, mechanical circulatory support, and heart and lung transplantation.
Dr. Axtell, Assistant Professor
Dr. Axtell’s primary clinical practice includes the treatment of patients with thoracic malignancies, including chest wall tumors, lung and esophageal cancer, and tracheal and mediastinal malignancies. She is particularly interested in the development of minimally invasive techniques for cancer surgery and has an expertise in both thoracoscopic and robotic surgery. Dr. Axtell’s research interests include health services and clinical outcomes research. She has a particular interest in the biology, screening, and management of patients with lung cancer and an expertise in predictive analytics, risk-development modeling, and outcomes research focused on improving the care of her patients. Dr. Axtell is the Surgical Director of the UW Carbone Cancer Center’s Thoracic Oncology Disease Oriented Team and a member of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at the William S. Middleton Veterans Hospital.
Dr. Tessmann, Assistant Professor
Dr. Tessman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery and Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Tessman completed his thoracic and cardiovascular surgery training at the University of Florida as well as a fellowship in thoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. He attended the University of North Dakota for medical school and the University of Iowa for his general surgery residency. Dr. Tessman’s practice includes adult cardiac surgery, transplant and critical care.
