Medical Advisory Council

Our Medical Advisory Council comprises cardiac specialists with extensive experience both in patient care and teaching. Additionally, several members have noteworthy expertise in developing open heart surgery programs for children and adults, both in the U.S. and abroad. The Council is rounded out by Heart to Heart's medical statistician, strategic advisor, and our executive director.

Every member of the Council is a bona fide Heart to Heartnik and most are veterans of multiple surgical-educational missions to our partner sites in the Russian Federation and Latin America. Collectively, these dedicated volunteers have participated on more than 170 cardiac training missions with Heart to Heart.

In addition to monitoring progress at each of our partner sites, the Medical Advisory Council continually evaluates Heart to Heart's progress on our ambitious strategic effort, the Going Global Campaign (and previously, the Into the Heartland Campaign, 2002-2019).

FRANK CETTA, MD
Board President
Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiologist,
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

MARK COCALIS, MD † Pediatric Cardiologist UC San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital

MARK COCALIS, MD †
Pediatric Cardiologist
UC San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital

JOSIE EVERETT *† Executive Director Heart to Heart

JOSIE EVERETT *†
Senior Advisor,
Strategic Initiatives
Heart to Heart

GEORGE FALKOWSKI, MD*
Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon
Shaare Zedek Medical Center

KEITH FLACHSBART, MD Board Member Chief Emeritus, CV Surgery Kaiser Permanente San Francisco

KEITH FLACHSBART, MD
Board Member
Chief Emeritus, Cardiovascular Surgery
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco

MARYANNE KESSEL RN, MBA Executive Director of Development Herma Heart Center Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

MARYANNE KESSEL RN, MBA
Executive Director of Development
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

BERT LITWIN, MD Chief Emeritus, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Herma Heart Center Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

BERT LITWIN, MD
Chief Emeritus, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Herma Heart Center
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

NATALIA LUSIN, PhD* Statistician & Interpreter Associate Director of Program and Head of Research Modern Language Association

NATALIA LUSIN, PhD*
Statistician & Interpreter
Associate Director of Program and Head of Research
Modern Language Association

GARY RAFF, MD Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon UC Davis Medical Center

GARY RAFF, MD
Chief, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
UC Davis Medical Center

JANET SIMSIC, MD Medical Director of Cardiothoracic ICU Nationwide Children’s Hospital

JANET SIMSIC, MD
Medical Director of Cardiothoracic ICU
Nationwide Children’s Hospital

NATHAN TAGGART, MD* Pediatric Cardiologist Mayo Clinic

NATHAN TAGGART, MD*
Pediatric Cardiologist
Mayo Clinic

DAVID TEITEL, MD † Pediatric Cardiologist UC San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital

DAVID TEITEL, MD †
Pediatric Cardiologist
UC San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital

ELIZABETH WILSON, MD
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologist
Emory University Hospital/CHOA

NILAS YOUNG, MD Founder & Medical Director Professor & Chief Emeritus, Cardiothoracic Surgery UC Davis Medical Center

NILAS YOUNG, MD
Founder & Medical Director
Professor & Chief Emeritus,
Cardiothoracic Surgery
UC Davis Medical Center

*fluent speaker of Russian

† fluent speaker of Spanish