Our Team

The Patel Heart Institute brings together a multidisciplinary group of board-certified physicians, advanced practitioners and a team of dedicated nurses.  Our physicians work in collaboration to make all significant patient care decisions and their teamwork has the achievement of excellent surgical outcomes as well as contributions to the development of many new treatments and techniques, including minimally invasive management of pediatric congenital heart disease. Our pediatric heart physicians treat a multitude of mild to complex heart conditions.

Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery

Karl Reyes, MD
Co-Director, Patel Heart Institute
Director, Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery
Congenital Cardiac Surgeon

Victor Morell, MD
Congenital Cardiac Surgeon

Bari Murtuza, MD
Congenital Cardiac Surgeon

Kathryn Garner, PA-C 
Physician Assistant-Cardiothoracic Surgery 

Emilee La Puente, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

Kids Heart Hotline

 813-644-6679

Programs and Services

Additional Information

Fetal Cardiology

Blaine John, MD
Co-Director, Patel Heart Institute
Director, Pediatric and Fetal Cardiology
Pediatric and Fetal Cardiologist

Lori Ewing, RDMS, RVT, RDCS 
Fetal Cardiology Program Coordinator
Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer-Cardiac and Vascular


Cardiac Catheterization Lab

Jeremy Ringewald, MD 
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Lab
Pediatric Cardiologist

Jennifer Carter, DNP
Doctor of Nursing Practice

 

Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care

Jarrod Knudson, MD
Co-Director, Patel Heart Institute
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care (PCICU)
Pediatric Intensivist

Morgan E. Doughty, MD
Pediatric Intensivist

Rachel Hansen, MD
Pediatric Intensivist

Julia Mercer Niebauer, MD 
Pediatric Intensivist

Salar Syed Badruddin, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Intensivist

Rhiannon Hickok, MD
Pediatric Intensivist

Renay Hall, APRN
PCICU Lead
Advanced Practice Nurse

Deanna Critchfield, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

Christine Mele, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

Kelly Thatcher, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

Lauren Smith, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

Sue Coltran, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

Kari Hyotala, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

 

Noninvasive Cardiology

Javier Gonzalez, MD
Director, Pediatric Noninvasive Cardiology
Pediatric Cardiologist

 

Electrophysiology

Dr. Jorge McCormack, MD
Director, Pediatric Electrophysiology
Pediatric Cardiologist

 

Cardiac Anesthesia

Samantha Franco, MD
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologist

Adam Willis, MD 
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologist

 

Inpatient Cardiology

Shannon Schmelzer, APRN
Advanced Practice Nurse

Jennifer Carter, DNP
Doctor of Nursing Practice

Seth Larson, APRN
Advance Practice Nurse

 

Adult Congenital Disease

Joel Hardin, MD
Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program
Adult Congenital Cardiologist

Seth Larson, APRN
Advance Practice Nurse

 

Nurse Navigators

Cindy Dyer, BSN, RNC-OB
Perinatal Nurse Navigator

Natalie Jackson, BSN, RN, CCRN
Congenital Heart Program Nurse Navigator

Siobhan McCoy, BSN, RN, CCRN
Cardiac Critical Care Nurse Navigator

Search all of our pediatric Heart and Vascular physicians

For more information about our pediatric heart services, call our KIDS Heart Hotline: (813) 644-6679.

Pediatric Heart and Vascular Services

Pediatric Heart & Vascular Services

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