<strong><big>INTRODUCING NEW LEADERS OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY — TWO TOP LONG ISLAND HEART SURGEONS</big></strong>
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<a href="/sdmpubfiles/CARDIAC_LEADERS.NEW_.jpg" title="Drs. Harold A. Fernandez & James R. Taylor Jr. | Co-Directors of the Stony Brook Heart Institute" class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" rel="gallery-all"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="/sdmpubfiles/styles/240/public/CARDIAC_LEADERS.NEW_.jpg" alt="Drs. Harold A. Fernandez & James R. Taylor Jr. | Co-Directors of the Stony Brook Heart Institute" title="Drs. Harold A. Fernandez & James R. Taylor Jr. | Co-Directors of the Stony Brook Heart Institute" class="image-240" /></a>
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<div class="caption">Dr. Harold A. Fernandez (left) and Dr. James <br /> R. Taylor Jr. , our new cardiac leaders.
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<P>STONY BROOK, NY, September 1, 2012 — We are very pleased to introduce <A href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-james-r-taylor-jr" target=_blank>James R. Taylor Jr., MD</A>, professor of surgery, and <A href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-harold-a-fernandez" target=_blank>Harold A. Fernandez, MD</A>, professor of surgery, who have joined our faculty as chief and deputy chief, respectively, of the <A href="/surgery/divisions/cardiothoracic-surgery" target=_blank>Cardiothoracic Surgery Division</A>. Both physicians come to Stony Brook from St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY, where they held leadership positions.</P>
<P>Dr. Taylor served as vice chair of cardiothoracic surgery at St. Francis and chair of cardiothoracic surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital, and Dr. Fernandez, served as director of the Heart Failure Surgery Division at St. Francis.</P>
<P>Now at Stony Brook, Drs. Taylor and Fernandez will serve together as co-directors of the <A href="http://heart.stonybrookmedicine.edu" target=_blank>Heart Institute</A>, in addition to their leadership roles within the department.</P>
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<P>"The Stony Brook Heart Institute is committed to delivery of advanced cardiac surgical techniques and high-quality patient care. Our goal is to construct cardiac surgical procedures designed to address the unique clinical problems of individuals and, thereby, provide the best possible outcome for each patient. Thoughtful and compassionate care for patients and families is one of our foremost concerns." — Dr. James R. Taylor Jr. </P></DIV>
<P>Todd K. Rosengart, MD, professor and chairman of surgery, said, "With these two outstanding surgeons joining the Stony Brook Heart Institute, already engaged in robotic and minimally invasive bypass and valve surgery, endovascular aortic stenting, artificial heart ("VAD") implantation, and with our recent approval to launch a percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program, I am confident that we can look forward to many great accomplishments in the days and years to come."</P>
<strong><font color="#990000">About Dr. James R. Taylor Jr.</font></strong>
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<DIV class=photobox2><A href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-james-r-taylor-jr" target=_blank><IMG title="Dr. James R. Taylor Jr. | Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery" alt="Dr. James R. Taylor Jr. | Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery" src="/sdmpubfiles/TAYLOR-sm.jpg" width=120 height=180></A> <BR>
<DIV class=caption>Dr. James R. Taylor Jr.</DIV></DIV>
<P>Dr. Taylor received his BS in pharmacy from the University of South Carolina. He received his MD in 1984 from the Medical University of South Carolina, followed by residencies in general and cardiothoracic surgery at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. He completed a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the same institution and joined St. Francis in 1991. He is board certified in cardiothoracic surgery.</P>
<P>Since launching his practice on Long Island two decades ago, Dr. Taylor has been one of the most prolific and top-quality cardiothoracic surgeons in New York State.</P>
<P>"I am very excited to join the faculty of Stony Brook University, and to embark upon new opportunities within the Stony Brook Heart Institute," Dr. Taylor says. "I am thrilled with the notion that I will be educating the next generation of surgeons at a top public university and very much look forward to working with my new colleagues at Stony Brook.</P>
<P>"I am also extremely grateful for the opportunity to have worked at St. Francis — home to one of New York’s premiere cardiothoracic surgery programs — for the past 20 years," he adds. "I look forward to bringing that experience to bear as we provide that same high level of care for heart patients at Stony Brook University Hospital."</P>
<P>"It's clear that Stony Brook is raising its profile as both an academic and clinical institution within the region. Stony Brook has the potential to be a premier cardiac surgical program, and I want to be part of that."</P>
<strong><font color="#990000">About Dr. Harold A. Fernandez</font></strong>
<p><DIV class=photobox2><A href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-harold-a-fernandez" target=_blank><IMG title="Dr. Harold A. Fernandez | Deputy Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery" alt="Dr. Harold A. Fernandez | Deputy Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery" src="/sdmpubfiles/FERNANDEZ-sm.jpg" width=120 height=180></A> <BR>
<DIV class=caption>Dr. Harold A. Fernandez</DIV></DIV>
<P>Dr. Fernandez came to the United States at age 13 as an undocumented immigrant from Colombia and within 10 years received his BS in molecular biology from Princeton University. He received his MD in 1993 from Harvard Medical School, followed by a residency in general surgery and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at NYU Medical Center. He joined St. Francis in 2001, and is board certified in cardiothoracic surgery.</P>
<P>Dr. Fernandez, in May, published a memoir entitled <EM>Undocumented: My Journey to Princeton and Harvard and Life as a Heart Surgeon</EM> (Tate), and has received national publicity regarding his story as an immigrant who has risen to the height of his profession.</P>
<P>"I am excited to start caring for patients at Stony Brook University Hospital," Dr. Fernandez says. "I have found that the faculty and staff are extremely dedicated and caring, and I see this as a wonderful opportunity to work with them to advance cardiac care to residents of Long Island — closer to home. </P>
<P>"During the last decade I have had the incredible privilege to work for St. Francis Hospital. I am grateful for this opportunity, and I am sad to be leaving a community of friends and colleagues that feels like a family. This has been a tremendous experience that I will always treasure, and which has prepared me well to pursue other clinical and academic goals.</P>
<P>"As I prepare to enter into the next phase of my career at Stony Brook, I am excited to work alongside Dr. Taylor and the skilled medical staff there," he explains. "I am confident that we will continue to advance the work already underway there to build a world-class program for Suffolk County residents and all of Long Island."</P>
<P><SPAN class=pointer><STRONG>Watch this video (3:00 min) to learn about the vision our new cardiac leaders have for the Stony Brook Heart Institute:</STRONG></SPAN> <BR><BR><IFRAME height=236 src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8c7hGtCfJes?rel=0" frameBorder=0 width=420></IFRAME></P>
