Jennifer Hirsch, M.D., Earns National Award For Women In Cardiac Surgery

March 20th, 2010

Congratulations to Dr. Hirsch!!!

The research foundation of the nation’s largest group of thoracic surgeons has awarded University of Michigan’s Jennifer C. Hirsch, M.D., M.S., with the Nina Starr Braunwald award, a top award for women in cardiac surgery.

As Erica Chapman, a 2008 aortic valve replacement patient, writes about her, “Dr. Jennifer Hirsch was an exceptional surgeon. There was never a moment she wasn’t there for me – before or after the surgery. I commend her on her communication skills. She answered all of my emails within hours. She also explained the procedure in a way that I could understand it.”

Dr. Jennifer Hirsch, M.D.

Hirsch, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, is an author and co-author of articles on surgical approaches to congenital heart defects. She is also surgical director of the pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit at U-M Medical Center.

Dr. Jennifer Hirsch was selected to receive the award by the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education, which is affiliated with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Hirsch will use the accompanying $115,000 a year grant for the two-year project to develop an assessment tool for infants’ sensory and motor skills following surgery for congenital heart defects.

This award is named in honor of Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald, the first female cardiac surgeon. Braunwald’s research interests were in artificial heart valves which she would design and fabricate herself. In 1960, Braunwald led the landmark operation of the first successful human mitral valve replacement. In her honor, the Foundation supports rising women cardiac surgeons in robust research environments who can collaborate with established senior investigators.

Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald, M.D.

Dr. Hirsch, a Kalamazoo, Mich., native has contributed to significant new accomplishments in cardiac care in Michigan. She is an assistant professor of pediatric cardiac surgery and surgical critical care intensivist in the Department of Surgery at U-M Medical School, co-director of the pediatric cardiac extracorporeal life support program and a pediatric cardiac surgeon with the fetal diagnosis and treatment center at the U-M Congenital Heart Center. It is one of only a couple of programs in the nation to perform fetal cardiac interventions.

In 2009, Hirsch was part of the team to perform a hybrid procedure before birth on an infant girl with a congenital heart defect, the first time a successful procedure had been performed at a Michigan hospital.

Keep on tickin’ Dr. Hirsch!

P.S. To leave a comment, please click here.

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.