Sandhya K. Balaram, M.D., Ph.D.

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Dr. Balaram previous  role was as  Associate Professor and  Director of Clinical Quality and Performance for Cardiovascular Surgery for Mount Sinai Heart at Mount Sinai Morningside. She has over two decades of experience in the care of cardiac surgical patients in New York City. Dr. Balaram earned her BA/MD at the accelerated 6-year medical school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, one of the only clinically integrated programs in the country.  After graduating with honors, she pursued a General Surgery residency at Creighton University. While in training, she earned her PhD doing atherosclerosis bench research on the immunologic factors in atherosclerosis.  She then completed her Cardiothoracic Residency in 2003 at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  At a time when techniques for robotic and minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery were just beginning, she arrived in New York in 2003 for this specialized training at  St. Luke’s Roosevelt, ?During her subsequent  years at this hospital, (now called Mount Sinai Morningside), she developed an interest in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a congenital disorder of the heart muscle. She assisted in the advancement of surgical techniques for HCM and consolidated the data collection and careful analysis of clinical research. This led to the creation of the leading HCM program in the region, and one of the few nationally-recognized specialized HCM centers of excellence in the world. Dr. Balaram has spent much of her career caring for a population of inner city and underserved patients who have had little previous exposure and access to medical care. The New York State cardiac surgery registry continually recognized the patients of her program as some of the highest risk in the state to undergo cardiac surgery. Her successful surgical care of these complex patients required expert knowledge and experience that is of benefit to all patients. Her  program earned the prestigious  3-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgery over multiple years. Dr. Balaram also studied clinical outcomes of women  after heart surgery.  Women are known to be at higher risk for cardiac surgery and may not always enjoy the same long-term benefits as men.  Dr.  Balaram collaborated with medical experts in gender studies and is able to offer surgical approaches and postoperative therapies that  can help women  recover from surgery. In her free time, Dr. Balaram enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and playing the piano. Her current passion is the creation of  Team Cardiac,  a  new cardiac surgical chapter  of the  501c3  charity  Operation International. This  surgical  mission group was co-founded by  her husband , Ravi Kothuru, 25 years   ago  and has provided free surgical care to thousands  of patients around the world. She is also publishing a book “Complications in Cardiac Surgery:  Strategic Analysis and Clinical Review”, that will help young surgeons learn about how to improve cardiac  surgical outcomes. Dr. Balaram understands that beyond the technical aspects, having  heart surgery can be an anxious time for patients. Her goal is to deliver an individualized, patient-centered approach towards cardiovascular therapies.  She strives to use her surgical expertise and experience to provide the best operation at the correct time and to do so with compassion and care.  She is dedicated to helping each patient navigate this journey so they may  once again enjoy their life and community.