Valve Disease

Dr. Vinnie Bapat joined the Valve Science Center team in June 2020, bringing extensive expertise as a cardiothoracic surgeon and innovator in the treatment of heart valve disease. In recognition of his internationally renowned research and educational work in valvular heart disease, he was named the James R. and Judith A. Bradshaw Chair for the Valve Science Center in 2026. Dr. Bapat also serves as Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute, where he cares for patients directly.

Prior to joining the team, Dr. Bapat was a cardiac surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. He also previously served as Professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Guys and St. Thomas’ Hospital, London and continues to hold that position as visiting Professor. 

Dr. Bapat earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgeon degrees, followed by Master of Surgery and Master of Cardiothoracic Surgery degrees, at the University of Bombay in India and King Edward Memorial Hospital. He completed his Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) in cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, U.K. He also completed an internship, three residencies and two fellowships at various institutions, including King Edward Memorial Hospital and University of Mumbai, Toronto General Hospital in Canada, and as part of rotations at institutions in the United Kingdom, including Guys and St. Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Royal County Sussex Hospital in Brighton, U.K.

In addition to his clinical accomplishments, Dr. Bapat has been a collaborator among his peers in the world of transcatheter valves through the creation of two apps that are downloadable on mobile devices – Valve-in-Valve (VIV) Mitral and VIV Aortic. The apps provide imaging and clinical information, such as dimensions and characteristics of the various valve repair technologies and have been downloaded in 132 countries. Through these apps, physicians access data and clinical insights to determine the technology options based on their individual patient needs, including guidance and insights on the implant procedure. Notably, the Apps are free to download and are updated every year to provide up to date guidance.
 

Dr. João L. Cavalcante serves as Section Head of Cardiac Imaging at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital—the largest cardiology group practice in the Twin Cities. He is also the Director of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center and Core Lab, where he oversees numerous multicenter clinical trials, and holds the Inaugural Innovation Chair for the Van Tassel Innovation Center.

He is also a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE), the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (FSCCT), and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (FSCMR).

His passion for multimodality imaging and focus on valve and structural heart disease is seen through the lead of multiple RCT in advanced imaging, training of several international scholars, > 200 peer-reviewed original investigations, and several book chapters, training workshops, along with national and international lectures.

Dr. Miho Fukui is an established cardiologist and researcher. She began her journey in Hyogo, Japan, where she earned both her Medical Degree and PhD. Specializing in echocardiography, she completed her cardiology fellowship in Japan before moving to the U.S in October 2017. At the University of Pittsburgh, she served as a post-doctorate research scholar, focusing on advanced multi-modality imaging techniques, including Cardiac CT and MRI. Her dedication and expertise led her to the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation in September 2018, where she currently serves as an Associate Scientific Director for the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center and Core Lab. Dr. Fukui's passion for multimodality imaging has culminated in over 70 peer-reviewed original investigations and several book chapters. She is a speaker at national and international conferences and active in training workshops.

Dr. Goessl is the Director of Transcatheter Valve Therapies at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute, having joined in 2016 from Dean Clinic, Madison WI where his was the director of the structural heart disease program and a clinical adjunct assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He was previously an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Goessl has authored, or co-authored, more than 100 published manuscripts and book chapters, and is a national and international speaker in the areas of valvular and coronary heart disease.

Dr. Goessl’s special interest is structural heart interventions, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR), MitraClip, transcatheter tricuspid valve repair, left atrial appendage closure (Watchman), ASD/PFO closure and other similar therapies.

Dr. Nadira Hamid is Scientific Director of the Echocardiography Core Lab at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and the Director of Interventional Echocardiography at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. She is board-certified in both echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography.

Dr. Hamid earned her medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (Dublin) and postgraduate qualifications from the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (MRCPI) and the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom (MRCP UK). She completed her residencies in Dublin, followed by a cardiology fellowship at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS). She later received research training and earned a Master of Clinical Investigation (MCI) from the National University of Singapore. Dr. Hamid subsequently completed an Advanced Echocardiography and Interventional Echocardiography fellowship focusing on structural heart interventions at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York.

Her research contributions include work on multiple clinical trials such as the TRILUMINATE, JenaValve, and Ancora trials. Dr. Hamid is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE), the European Society of Cardiology (FESC), and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (FRCPI).

Dr. Harris moved from Washington University School of Medicine to his current position as Director of the Aortic Dissection Program at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute in 1998. He is a clinical cardiologist and echocardiographer with clinical and research interests in aortic disease and aortic dissection, valvular heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and heart disease in athletes.

He is actively involved in cardiology education, serving as associate program director for cardiology training for the HCMC/Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital training program. Prior to this role, he was a member of the University of Minnesota fellowship committee for 12 years. Dr. Harris is also the current director of the Aortic Dissection Program and serves as a member of the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD) group, having authored over 100 manuscripts.

In 2024, Dr. Harris joined MHIF's board of directors, feeling grateful for the support he'd been given over the years. Since it's inception, he's been closely involved in the MHIF clinical research internship program and has enjoyed mentoring several interns, noting how gratifying it is to see research come to completion and witness the career trajectory of the interns. 

"Investigator-initiated research which would not be possible without the direct support of the foundation and my colleagues. I'm grateful for opportunities to participate in the educational mission of MHIF, both with healthcare professionals and the community at large." - Dr. Kevin Harris

Sebastian Iturra, MD, is a cardiac surgeon with the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. He specializes in the management of patients with cardiovascular and valvular heart disease. He received his medical degree from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

Kristin serves as a strategic advisor to areas of research across MHIF. Kristin has been leading MHIF’s Imaging Core Lab since 2020 and will continue to support the team while expanding her impact across MHIF initiatives. Kristin also works closely with the Valve Science Center team, having previously led the valve team as Program Director before transitioning to the imaging team.

Kristin is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Physiology and Augsburg College’s Physician Assistant program. She came to MHIF from Medtronic where she amassed deep and strong experience in clinical research, therapy development, and evidence dissemination. 

Dr. Lesser has published more than 100 articles, abstracts, CDs and books. He is the past President of the Society of Cardiovascular CTs (SCCT) Board of Directors where he served as Chairman of the Accreditation, Certification, and Guidelines Committee. He holds professional memberships as a fellow with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and as a member of the American Heart Association (AHA), the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Intervention (SCAI) and the Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR). He is on the Board of Directors with the Intersocietal Commission for CT Accreditation of Laboratories as well as the Credentialing and Certification Board for Cardiovascular CT.
 

Dr. Gabriel Olivares is a cardiac surgeon at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. Dr. Olivares received his medical degree, general surgery and cardiac surgery training from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. He additionally completed a 3-year fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Following his training, he returned to Santiago, Chile where he practiced for 7 years. Dr. Olivares has specific clinical interests in Complex and Re-do Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Aortic Surgery.

Sachiyo Ono, MD recently joined the MHIF Valve Science Center as an International Research Scholar under the mentorship of Drs. Vinnie Bapat and Miho Fukui. She received her medical degree from Kagawa Medical School and comes from Kurashiki Central Hospital in Okayama, Japan, where she practiced as a cardiologist specializing in structural heart imaging.

Dr. Ono is an experienced echocardiographer with advanced skills in transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, and a growing focus on multimodality imaging for transcatheter structural heart interventions. She has been actively involved in clinical research, including several ongoing manuscripts on M-TEER and left atrial appendage occlusion, and has contributed to multiple presentations and registry-based studies in these areas.
 

Dr. Sarah Palmer is a cardiac surgeon at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. She received her medical degree from Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine and completed her residency and fellowship at Michigan Medicine. 

Maurice Enriquez-Sarano, MD has joined the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) and the Valve Science Center as a Senior Research Scientist. Dr. Sarano is a world-renowned expert in valvular heart disease and mitral regurgitation with a lifetime of accomplishments, impacting the practice of care and innovation globally. A long-standing advocate for early intervention, Dr. Sarano has positively impacted the lives of thousands of patients and families throughout the world.

A native of Tunisia, with a medical degree and post-graduate engagements with the University of Paris VI among other institutions, Dr. Sarano first came to Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic in 1991 where he built an incredible legacy. Over his remarkable career, Dr. Sarano has served as an educator and mentor of countless physicians. 

Dr. Sarano’s research interests are focused around all types of valve diseases and their diagnosis, epidemiology, imaging and outcomes.  Specifically at MHIF, his research goals are to optimize the research infrastructure and tools for the entire valvular team. In his partnership with MHIF, Dr. Sarano will first focus on taking the initial steps towards building a regional and international valve research consortium. His research and professional mentorship will be invaluable to our scholars, physicians, and staff.

Dr. Scott Sharkey is the Chief Medical Officer for Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation as well as a practicing cardiologist at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia.

Dr. Sharkey completed medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine followed by a residency at Maine Medical Center and a fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Robert J. Steffen is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. He received his medical degree from University of Minnesota Medical School and has been in practice between 11-20 years, and was featured in 2021 as a Top Doctor Rising Star in Mpls. St. Paul Magazine.

Dr. Steffen received his undergraduate education in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He did his postgraduate training at the Cleveland Clinic. During his training he spent one year as a research fellow in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He was the Chief Resident in his final year of cardiothoracic surgery training and received the Charles Bryan award for Clinical Excellence. Dr. Steffen was a clinical instructor in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and received multiple teaching awards. 

Dr. Steffen has specific interests in the surgical treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, aortic disease, and heart failure. He has published many peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, review articles, and podcasts and has spoken locally, nationally, and internationally on topics in cardiac surgery. 

Dr. Benjamin Sun is a cardiac surgeon and researcher at Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and surgical director of heart failure at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. He specializes in complex aortic and mitral valve surgery, heart transplantation, aortic root and aortic arch surgery, mechanical support, artificial heart and congestive heart failure surgery.

Dr. Hiroshi Tsunamoto recently joined MHIF's Valve Science Center as an International Research Scholar under the mentorship of Drs. Vinnie Bapat and Miho Fukui. He received his medical degree from Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, Japan, and joins us from Kobe University Hospital in Kobe, Japan where he earned his PhD.

Dr. Tsunamoto is a structural interventionalist and board-certified cardiac echocardiographer with expertise in procedural intervention and advanced cardiac imaging. He holds an instructor certification for TAVR in Japan and serves as an echo proctor for M-TEER procedures and is a published researcher. 

Rebecca Uelmen, PhD serves as Senior Program Director of the Valve Science Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. In this role, she facilitates a multidisciplinary staff and physician team to advance research and education in valvular heart disease.

Dr. Uelmen brings nearly two decades of experience in cardiac research to MHIF, beginning her career as an academic researcher specializing in cardiac arrhythmias. During her seven-year tenure at Medtronic in the Structural Heart division, she led Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications teams focused on transcatheter and surgical heart valves. She is driven by a passion for utilizing evidence to advance treatment options and improve the lives of patients.

Dr. Uelmen holds a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor Degree in Biology from St. Catherine University.

Konstantinos Voudris, MD, PhD, is a trained structural and interventional cardiologist with the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. He specializes in the management of patients with cardiovascular and valvular heart disease.  

Dr. Voudris completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago – Advocate Christ in Chicago, IL, where he was recognized with the 2018 Resident Award for Excellence in Scholarly Activity. He completed his Cardiovascular Disease fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. During this time, he served as Chief Fellow. Subsequently, he completed his Interventional Cardiology fellowship at New York Presbyterian - Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, NY and Advanced Adult Structural and Congenital Heart Disease Interventions fellowship at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minneapolis, MN. 

Dr. Voudris is a physician-investigator with clinical and research interests related to patients with coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease. His research has resulted in numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at both national and international scientific meetings, as well as book chapters, and abstracts. He also serves as a reviewer for reputed cardiology journals.