Dr. Sandhya K. Balaram appointed Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

Dr. Sandhya K. Balaram, a leading adult cardiac surgeon in New York City, has been appointed chief of cardiothoracic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, effective November 15. She was also recruited by Weill Cornell Medicine as an associate professor of clinical cardiothoracic surgery.

In his new role, Dr. Balaram will expand NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital’s world-class cardiovascular care, with a focus on surgical coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement, and aortic surgery.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Balaram to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital,” said Robert Guimento, President of NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. “Dr. Balaram is an accomplished physician and surgeon who is dedicated to increasing access to high-quality, compassionate care for patients, and her leadership will be a tremendous asset to our team and the community.

“Dr. Balaram is a distinguished leader in the field of cardiothoracic surgery,” said Dr. Leonard Girardi, Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Professor O. Wayne Isom of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine.”Her commitment to providing the highest quality care to our patients makes her the ideal choice for the role, and I look forward to working together as we continue to improve. our cardiovascular care offerings in Brooklyn.”

Dr. Balaram spent 19 years as a cardiac surgeon and associate professor at Mount Sinai Morningside, where she served as division chief and most recently as director of clinical quality and performance.

“I am thrilled to join NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine and look forward to the opportunity to further develop the cardiothoracic surgery program in Brooklyn,” said Dr. Balaram. “I am thrilled to work with this talented team to provide excellent clinical outcomes and personalized care to patients in need in Brooklyn and beyond.”

As Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Balaram will improve cardiovascular services through systematic approaches between top specialists, community physicians and primary care networks. She will work to strengthen operational policies and procedures with a focus on high quality cardiac surgical outcomes and increased awareness in Brooklyn.

An accomplished academic researcher and member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Dr. Balaram is the author of dozens of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She earned her doctorate for her study of the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Her specific research interests include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, clinical outcomes in women after heart surgery, and minimally invasive heart surgery.

Dr. Balaram received her bachelor’s degree and medical degree from the integrated six-year program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Society. She completed her general surgery residency and earned her doctorate at Creighton University. Dr. Balaram completed her cardiothoracic residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by a fellowship in minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery at Mount Sinai Morningside.

Dr. Balaram has dedicated much of her career to increasing access for underserved patient populations. She has traveled overseas on volunteer medical assignments in countries without access to healthcare and is currently developing a cardiac surgery team for the humanitarian organization Operation International.