Best Pediatric Cardiology Specialists in Southlake, TX

Tim Thomas, MD, MMHC is a board-certified pediatric cardiologist affiliated with Pediatric Cardiologists of North Texas. He completed a Bachelor Mechanical Engineering degree at Georgia Tech and worked for Delta Air Lines prior to deciding to study medicine. His medical training included Emory University School of Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga (Pediatric Residency), and University of Texas Southwestern / Children's Medical Center Dallas (Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship including Advanced Cardiac Imaging Training). He also completed a Master of Management in Health Care at Vanderbilt University Owen Business School. Since 2007, Dr. Thomas has completed over 50,000 outpatient cardiology visits with patients and families. He provides all forms of general cardiology care, including complex congenital heart disease, from birth through 22 years old. As a fluent speaker of Spanish, Dr. Thomas is happy to provide visits entirely in Spanish if desired.

Vivian Dimas, M.D. is the Medical Director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease at Medical City Children's Hospital. Dr. Dimas specializes in minimally invasive treatments of heart failure and other complex heart conditions. Dr. Dimas is also board certified in Adult Congenital Heart Disease.After receiving her medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Dr. Dimas completed a residency in pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Oklahoma. She completed her fellowship in pediatric cardiology as well as advanced training in both pediatric interventional cardiology and pediatric heart failure and transplantation at Texas Children's Hospital."I always knew I wanted to enter the field of medicine and care for children," says Dr. Dimas. "Kids with congenital heart conditions often have a challenging healthcare journey. I love helping treat and manage their heart care as they grow. There is great joy in seeing them live a good quality of life despite living with a congenital heart condition."Dr. Dimas leads an expert team of specialists who collaborate in the coordination of care for children who experience common and complex heart conditions. She has expertise in the use of minimally invasive procedures and advanced techniques, such as percutaneous ventricular assist device implantation, and transcatheter valve replacement to treat various heart conditions. Dr. Dimas prides herself in ensuring all patients receive the highest level of evidence-based quality care, delivered with compassion.Dr. Dimas' research interests involve pioneering the use of Impella percutaneous left ventricle assist devices in the pediatric population as well as the development of a pediatric specific Impella device. These devices help a child's heart pump blood if they are experiencing heart failure. She strives to adopt the use of this device, as well as other adult cardiac devices such as transcatheter valve replacements, for use in children to improve the treatment and management of congenital heart defects so that children can benefit from the same technological advances available to adults with similar conditions. She is passionate about the discovery of new technologies and approaches to care that improve the quality of life and outcomes of those she serves.In her free time, Dr. Dimas enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, running and cycling. She speaks English and Greek.

Dr. Payne has lived in the North Texas area for 25 years since coming to Dallas for medical school. She received her medical degree at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She completed her pediatric residency at Children's Medical Center Dallas and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and an extra year as chief resident in pediatrics. She went on to complete a pediatric cardiology fellowship at UT Southwestern, where her interests included cardiac genetics and preventative cardiology. At UT Southwestern she investigated genetic mechanisms of congenital heart disease and researched genetic contributions to hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Her clinical interests include general pediatric cardiology, preventative cardiology, cardiac genetics, and advocating for great health for the children of north Texas. Dr. Payne lives in Mckinney and spends her free time enjoying her two amazing children, attending lots of book clubs, and exploring all that north Texas has to offer.

Dr. Jane M. Kao has been practicing in Dallas for 23years. She completed her residencytraining in Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children'sHospital and her fellowship training in Pediatric Cardiology at UCLA College ofMedicine. Dr. Kao is board certified bythe American Board of Pediatrics and the sub-board of PediatricCardiology. She has special expertise inpediatric echocardiography and fetal echocardiography. In the Dallas area, she was the firstpediatric cardiologist to perform fetal echocardiography in the privatesetting. This imaging modality hassignificantly improved the survival of infants and newborns undergoingcongenital heart surgery. She also hasextensive experience in the evaluation of heart murmurs, chest pain, rhythmdisorders, syncope, hypertension, and lipid disorders. Dr. Kao has been consistently voted by herpeers as one of the best pediatric cardiologists in D Magazine every year since2002. She has also been selected to theTexas Super Doctors list which is listed in Texas Monthly every year since2003. She is a member of the AmericanHeart Association and has been a narrator in several of their education videoson congenital heart disease and sudden cardiac death in athletes. She is also a member of the American Societyof Echocardiography and a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Kaois the medical director of the pediatric echocardiography laboratory at MedicalCity Children's Hospital and is also the medical director of PediatricOutreach. Dr. Kao serves on thePediatric Advisory Board at Medical City Children's Hospital and a member oftheir Pediatric Quality Improvement or Peer Review Committee.