Cardiothoracic Surgery Experts

The UPMC Esophageal and Lung Surgery Institute bring together a team of leading cardiothoracic experts who collaborate on creating a personalized treatment plan for each patient.

Contact Us

Contact the UPMC Esophageal and Lung Surgery Institute with questions or for more information.

Thoracic and Foregut Surgery Division: 412-647-7555

Cardiothoracic Transplant Division: 412-648-6202

Leadership

James D. Luketich, MD, FACS
Henry T. Bahnson Professor and Chair, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chief, Division of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery
Director, Thoracic Surgical Oncology
Co-Director, Lung Cancer Center

• Surgical treatment of thoracic diseases
• Minimally invasive esophageal surgery
• Multi-disciplinary management of esophageal and gastroesophageal cancers
  
  

Thoracic and Foregut Surgery Experts

James Ackerman, MD

• Minimally invasive surgery for lung, pleural, and esophageal diseases

Evan Alicuben, MD

• Minimally invasive surgery for lung, pleural, and esophageal diseases

Omar Awais, DO

• Thoracic surgical oncology for lung, esophageal, mediastinal, and gastroesophageal cancers
• Surgical treatment of benign esophageal diseases
• Multi-modal therapy for thoracic diseases

Nicholas Baker, MD

• Minimally invasive surgery for lung, pleural, and esophageal diseases

Neil Christie, MD

• Minimally invasive thoracic surgery
• Antireflux surgery
• Fluorescent bronchoscopy
• Thoracic stereotactic radiosurgery 

Rajeev Dhupar, MD, MBA

• Minimally invasive surgery for lung, pleural, and esophageal diseases 

Renee Levesque, MD

• Minimally invasive surgery for lung, pleural, and esophageal diseases

Ryan Levy, MD

• Minimally invasive surgery for lung, pleural, and esophageal diseases
• Thoracic surgical oncology for esophageal, gastric, and lung cancers
• Management of GERD and other thoracic conditions

James Luketich, MD

• Surgical treatment of thoracic diseases
• Minimally invasive esophageal surgery
• Multi-disciplinary management of esophageal and gastroesophageal cancers 

Arjun Pennathur, MD

• Minimally invasive thoracic surgery
• Thoracic surgical oncology 

Inderpal (Netu) Sarkaria, MD, FACS

• Minimally invasive esophageal surgery
• Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgical (VATS) lobectomy for lung cancer
• VATS thymectomy for thymoma
• Antireflux surgery

Matthew Schuchert, MD

• Thoracic surgical oncology
• Radiofrequency ablation
• CyberKnife surgery 

Christopher Wigfield, MD

• Diagnostic and interventional bronchoscopy
• Esophagoscopy
• Robotic and video-assisted thoracic surgery

Tadeusz Witek, MD

• Esophageal surgery
• Robotic thoracic surgery
• Thoracic oncology

Cardiothoracic Transplant Experts  

Jenalee Coster, MD

• Lung transplantation

Masashi Furukawa, MD

• Lung transplantation
• ECMO
• EVLP

Pablo Sanchez, MD, PhD, FACS

• Lung transplantation
• ECMO
• EVLP

Education

At UPMC, we're committed to educating future cardiothoracic surgeons.

Learn more about our:

Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Programs

Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship Programs

More information and continued education resources for current and future cardiothoracic surgery health care professionals.