Howard K. Song, M.D., Ph.D.

  • Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Howard Song is a professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Dr. Song performs surgery for patients with all types of adult cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, heart failure and aortic aneurysms. He has special expertise in aortic and mitral valve repair and replacement, including minimally invasive and transcatheter approaches, as well as more complex procedures such as heart transplantation.

He is a strong patient advocate and believes in spending ample time with patients and their families to discuss the patient’s cardiovascular condition. He explains treatment options to help patients and families make the best choice for each patient.

He also does both clinical and basic science research on cardiovascular disease. His research focuses on biomedical and tissue engineering, genetically triggered thoracic aortic aneurysms and patient outcomes following cardiovascular surgery.

Dr. Song earned his M.D. at Stanford University. He completed a residency in surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. He also earned a Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Education and training

    • B.S., 1989, Yale University
    • M.D., 1994, Stanford University School of Medicine
    • Ph.D., 2001, University of Pennsylvania Biomedical Graduate Studies
  • Residency

    • General Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2001
  • Fellowship

    • Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University Affiliated Hospitals, Atlanta, GA, 2004
  • Certifications

    • American Board of Thoracic Surgery, 2005; recertified 2015
    • American Board of Surgery, 2002; recertified 2013

Memberships and associations:

  • American Association of Thoracic Surgery
  • Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Areas of interest

  • Outcomes of patients undergoing adult cardiac surgery
  • Genetically triggered thoracic aortic aneurysms
  • Recombinant factor replacement following cardiopulmonary bypass to decrease postoperative bleeding
  • Bioengineering of prosthetic materials and blood pumps to improve biocompatibility

Publications

Elsevier pure profile

Publications

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