Pediatric Cardiologists near Dallas, TX

Care Philosophy: Francesca A. Byrne, M.D. is a board certified Pediatric Cardiologist and Pediatrician with additional expertise in non-invasive imaging including fetal echocardiography. Her research on assessment of fetal hearts has been published by peer-reviewed scientific journals and has been presented at national and international cardiology conferences. She enjoys teaching medical students and residents, and takes pride in practicing evidenced-based medicine.

Biography: 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.

Biography: 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.

Biography: Ilana Zeltser, MD, is the Medical Director of Pediatric Electrophysiology at Medical City Children's Hospital and is a pediatric cardiologist at Medical City Children's Cardiology Specialists.Dr. Zeltser received her medical degree from New York University (currently NYU Grossman School of Medicine) in 1997, and went on to a Pediatric Residency at Mount Sinai school of Medicine. From there, she accepted a cardiology fellowship position at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia from 2000-2003, and trained at CHOP for an additional year for subspecialty electrophysiology training. After completing her advanced fellowship training in 2004, she joined the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center as a dedicated electrophysiologist. Over the course of her tenure at UTSW, she was promoted to the position of Associate Professor of Pediatrics and was the Director of Pediatric electrophysiology services. After a productive and illustrious career at UT, she has joined the Heart Center team at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, Texas.In her free time, Dr. Zeltser enjoys running, tennis, spending time with her husband and three children, and is a crazy sports fan (Go Stars!). She is fluent in English and Hebrew.

Biography: Dr. Reenu Eapen is a fetal and pediatric cardiologist specialist who is recognized for her expertise in advanced fetal cardiac imaging. She is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology with additional training in advanced cardiac imaging. She received her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in pediatrics and served as the Chief Resident in Pediatrics. Dr. Eapen completed her fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Children's Medical Center Dallas/UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a fellowship in Pediatric Advanced Cardiology Imaging at Texas Children's Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine Houston.Dr. Eapen has served as Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, while she practiced at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Dr. Eapen has published extensively, is a frequent lecturer on topics of pediatric cardiology imaging throughout the United States, and has participated in numerous research studies. She is currently part of a group of physicians conducting groundbreaking research in the area of minimally invasive interventions for fetal cardiac abnormalities.

Biography: Dr. Richard Markus, M.D., was born and raised in Dallas, Texas.He graduated from Greenhill School in Addison where he played soccer and tennis.Dr. Markus earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas inAustin with a major in Psychology and graduated with Liberal Arts honors. Priorto beginning his medical training, Dr. Markus participated in the USC KeckSchool of Medicine Somos Hermanos Spanish immersion program forhealthcare professionals in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala where he lived and workedfor six months. During that time, he taught nutrition classes to children after-school,which sparked an interest in Pediatrics. After returning to the US, he earnedhis medical degree from Texas A&M Medical School. He met his wife, Dr.Rebecca Prengler, while completing his General Pediatrics residency atWashington University in St. Louis. They returned home to Dallas where hecompleted his Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Markus is passionate about preventative cardiologyincluding the evaluation of patients with chest pain, syncope, palpitations,hypertension and hyperlipidemia. He also has a special interest in the use ofadvanced cardiac imaging techniques in the care of young athletes, pediatric oncologypatients, and complex congenital heart disease. He is a member of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Associationand the American Society of Echocardiography. Dr. Markus is welcoming new patients,including Spanish speaking, and accepts most insurance plans, includingMedicaid.

Biography: Poonam Punjwani Thankavel, M.D., is a pediatric cardiologist at Medical City Children's Hospital and Medical Director of Pediatric Cardiac Imaging. She specializes in perioperative imaging and diagnosing and managing congenital coronary anomalies.Dr. Thankavel earned her medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada and completed her residency training in pediatrics at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. She completed her pediatric cardiology and advanced imaging fellowship at UT Southwestern."During medical training, I fell in love with the complexity of the heart and the ability to work with children," Dr. Thankavel says. "You are really taking care of the whole family."Dr. Thankavel's research and clinical interests include the use of echocardiography to diagnose complex congenital heart conditions and assist with perioperative management and surgical planning. She also directs the congenital coronary anomaly program."The cardiologists I work with have the same goal of providing the best care that we possibly can," says Dr. Thankavel. "We have a very thorough, collaborative approach to care."Texas Monthly named her as a SuperDoctors Texas Rising Star award winner in 2015.Dr. Thankavel is from Brazil and speaks fluent English and Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family.

Biography: Lee Ann Pearse, MD, board certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology, provides pediatric cardiology services for patients ranging in age from fetus to adult with congenital heart disease. Her mission is to provide comprehensive clinical care to pediatric cardiology patients in a warm and caring environment. Dr. Pearse is committed to treating all people with integrity and respect. The patient is always our first priority and we maintain a patient-centered approach at all times.With more than 20 years' experience, Dr. Pearse, along with the knowledgeable individuals of her pediatric cardiology team, are dedicated to keeping patients and their families informed about all aspects of their treatment. She is always happy to answer questions and strives to provide the information and resources necessary to help all involved feel comfortable with the patient's cardiac condition.

Biography: Markus Renno, MD, MPH is a board-certified pediatric cardiologist at Pediatric Cardiologists of North Texas. He earned his Medical Doctorate at the University of Arizona and completed his pediatric residency at the University of Florida. He went on to complete his pediatric cardiology fellowship at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, where he also completed additional training in advanced pediatric and congenital cardiovascular imaging. During his fellowship at Vanderbilt, Dr. Renno earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with an emphasis in Health Policy. He was awarded a research training grant from the National Institutes of Health, which supported the research for his MPH thesis. Being married to a pediatrician, Dr. Renno is passionate about ensuring his patients have timely access to high-quality care. In his free time, Dr. Renno enjoys traveling with his family, especially watching his four children chase their dreams in triathlon and swimming. Dr. Renno sees patients with all types of pediatric cardiology concerns and is accepting new patients.

Biography: Dr. Sureka grew up in central Illinois and received his medical degree and master's degree in public health from Northwestern University. He completed his pediatric residency at St. Louis Children's Hospital where he also spent time as a transport physician. Dr. Sureka completed his pediatric cardiology fellowship at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, where his research focused on preventative cardiology as well as the cardiac effects of chemotherapy. He is also trained in fetal echocardiography. He sees patients with all types of pediatric cardiology concerns. He is also proficient in Spanish. He lives with his wife, his daughter and son in Dallas.

Biography: Dr. Luke Bruns is a distinguished pediatric cardiologist dedicated to enhancing children's heart health through compassionate care and groundbreaking research. He obtained his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1994. He completed his internship and residency, as well as a pediatric chief residency year at St. Louis Children's Hospital in 1998. Dr. Bruns went on to complete his pediatric cardiology fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine/St. Louis Children's Hospital in 2001, with an interest in the management of pediatric heart failure. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, Dr. Bruns continues to advance pediatric cardiac care, focusing on comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and family education.

Biography: Dr. Gary Stapleton, MD is a Pediatric Cardiology Specialist who practices in Dallas, TX. He is 57 years old. Dr. Gary Stapleton, MD is affiliated with Medical City Children's Hospital.

Biography: 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.

Biography: Carrie Herbert, MD is a pediatric interventional cardiologist who specializes in minimally invasive treatments of complex heart conditions in children. She is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology. Dr. Herbert performs the full spectrum of interventional cardiology procedures for patients with congenital heart disease including: device closure of atrial (ASD) and ventricular septal defects (VSD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), balloon angioplasty and stent placement in stenotic (narrowed) vessels, and transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement. She has a particular interest in neonatal interventions, including PDA closure in premature infants and stenting of the PDA in patients with ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow. After receiving her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Herbert completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern. She completed her fellowship in pediatric cardiology as well as advanced training in pediatric interventional cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern as well.Dr. Herbert treats all of her patients as if they were her own and is passionate about ensuring that her patients receive the best care possible, which has been the driving factor in her interest in quality improvement.In her free time, Dr. Herbert enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys, travelling, and being actively involved in her church.