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Dr. Alison F. Ward

Dr. Alison F. Ward, MD

Dr. Alison Ward is the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. She received a BA from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed an integrated general surgery/cardiothoracic surgery residency and a cardiothoracic surgery research fellowship at NYU.

Her clinical interests include gender disparities in cardiothoracic surgery, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, surgical management of atrial fibrillation, ERAS, and cardiac critical care.  She is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Women in Thoracic Surgery, Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society, Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Specialties

  • Surgery
  • Thoracic Surgery

Fellowships

  • NYU Langone Health

Affiliations

  • Emory

Education & Training

  • Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Residency: NYU Langone Health

Honors & Awards

2021: Thoracic Surgery Foundation Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship Award - Surgical Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Publications

Ward, AF, Ranganath, NK, Chen, S, Wallen, T, Kent, AJ, Smith, DE, Kon, ZN. Perceptions of Training Pathways from Recent Cardiothoracic Surgery Graduates. The Heart Surgery Forum. July 2021. DOI: 10.1532/hsf.3651

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and the Mitral Valve - the Debate Continues, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. January 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.01.046

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: Functional Coronary Artery Stenosis - How Can We Functionally Apply This to the Operating Room? Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. January 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.12.025

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: Left Atrial Appendage Excision Reduces Long Term Stroke Rates - Is it the Operation or the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation? Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. October 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.10.085

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: Watch out for Watchman Device Failures. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Techniques. September 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2020.09.001

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Introduction for: Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair: Bringing the Forgotten Valve into the Spotlight. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. June 2020. PMID: 32800365

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: Why Do CABG Transfusion Rates Vary? We Still Don’t Know. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. May 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.05.035

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: A New Del Nido Solution? Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. May 2020. PMID: 32464176

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: Veins Grafts Reversibly Adapt to the Arterial Circulation. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Techniques. March 2020;1:51-2. DOI: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2019.12.008

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: An Innovative “CABG patch”. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. February 2020. PMID: 32093872.

Ward, AF, Lee, R. Commentary: Print Another Heart, Practice Makes Perfect. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. January 2020. PMID: 32005579.

Phillips KG, Ward AF, Ranganath NK, Malas J, Lonze BE, Moazami N, Angel, LF, Kon ZN. Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Lung Transplantation: Donor, Recipient, and Discard Characteristics. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2019. PMID 3978102

Alebrahim, D; Nayak, M; Ward, A; Ursomanno, P; Shams, R; Corsica, A; Sleiman, R; Fils, KH; Silvestro, M; Boytard, L; Hadi, T; Gelb, B; Ramkhelawon, B. Mapping Semaphorins and Netrins in the Pathogenesis of Human Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019 20(9). DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092100.

Ward AF, Applebaum RM, Toyoda N, Fakiha A, Neuburger PJ, Ngai J, Nampiaparampil RG, Yaffee DW, Loulmet DF, Grossi EA. Totally Endoscopic Robotic Left Atrial Appendage Closure Demonstrates High Success Rate. Innovations. 2017 Jan/Feb;12(1):46-49. PMID: 28129320.

Ward AF, Lee T, Ogilvie JB, Patel KN, Hiotis K, Bizekis C, Zervos M. Robot-assisted complete thymectomy for mediastinal ectopic parathyroid adenomas in primary hyperparathyroidism. Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2016 Oct. PMID: 27771850

Ward A, Prokrym K, Pass H. Isolated Lung Perfusion for Pulmonary Metastases. Thoracic Surgery Clinics. 2016 26(1):55-67. PMID: 26611511

Yaffee DW, DeAnda A, Ngai JY, Ursomanno PA, Rabinovich AE, Ward AF, Galloway AC, Grossi EA. Blood Conservation Strategies Can Be Applied Safely to High-Risk Complex Aortic Surgery. Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. 2015 June;29(3):703-705. PMID: 25847415

Grossi EA, Goldman S, Wolfe JA, Mehall J, Smith JM, Ailawadi G, Salemi A, Moore M, Ward A, Gunnarsson C; Economic Workgroup on Valvular Surgery. Mini-thoracotomy for Mitral Valve Repair Improves Inpatient and Post Discharge Economic Savings. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2014 Dec;148(6):2818-22.e1-3. PMID: 25238882

Rodriguez E, Malaisrie SC, Mehall JR, Moore M, Salemi A, Ailawadi G, Gunnarsson C, Ward AF, Grossi EA; Economic Workgroup on Valvular Surgery. Right Anterior Thoracotomy Aortic Valve Replacement is Associated with Less Cost than Sternotomy-Based Approaches: A Multi-Institution Analysis of "Real World" Data. Journal of Medical Economics. 2014 Dec;17(12):846-52. PMID: 25111633

Ward AF, Loulmet DF, Neuburger PJ, Grossi EA. Outcomes of peripheral perfusion with balloon aortic clamping for totally endoscopic robotic mitral valve repair. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2014 Dec;148(6):2769-72. PMID: 24952820

Ge L, Morrel WG, Ward A, Mishra R, Zhang Z, Guccione JM, Grossi EA, Ratcliffe MB. Measurement of Mitral Leaflet and Annular Geometry and Stress after Repair of Posterior Leaflet Prolapse: Virtual Repair Using a Patient-Specific Finite Element Simulation. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2014 97(5):1496-1503. PMID: 24630767

Yaffee DW, Loulmet DF, Kelly LA, Ward AF, Ursomanno PA, Rabinovich AE, Neuburger PJ, Krishnan S, Hill FT, Grossi EA. Can the Learning Curve of Totally Endoscopic Robotic Mitral Valve Repair Be Short-Circuited? Innovations. 2014 Jan-Feb;9(1):43-8. PMID: 24562290

Ward AF, Grossi EA, Galloway AC. Minimally Invasive Mitral Surgery Through A Right Mini-Thoracotomy Under Direct Vision. Journal of Thoracic Disease. 2013 Nov; 5 Suppl 6:S673-9. PMID: 24251027

Grossi E, Ward A, Commentary: Predictive Risk Factors for Patients with Cirrhosis Undergoing Heart Surgery, Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2012 Dec;94(6):1952-3. PMID: 23176911

Ward AF, Ursomanno P, Grossi EA, Loulmet DF, Applebaum R. Intra-Operative Transesophageal Echocardiographic Analysis with Correlative Intraoperative Imaging of Mitral Valve Regurgitation to Optimize Repair Techniques or TEE 101 for the Mitral Repair Surgeon. Medtronic Inc. 2014

Ward AF, Grossi, EA. The Coapsys Device: Technique and Results. Secondary Mitral Valve Regurgitation at a Glance. London: Springer-Verlag. Fattouch K; 2015: 131-140.