Our Team

The Patel Children's 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

    Victor Morell, MD
    Congenital Cardiac Surgeon

    Bari Murtuza, MD
    Congenital Cardiac Surgeon

    Elissa Buxton, APRN
    Advanced Practice Nurse-Cardiothoracic Surgery

    Kathryn Garner, PA-C 
    Physician Assistant-Cardiothoracic Surgery 

  • Fetal Cardiology

    J. Blaine John, MD
    Co-Director, Patel Children's Heart Institute
    Director, Pediatric and Fetal Cardiolog    y
    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 Children's 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

    Ryan Boggs, MD
    Director, Pediatric Noninvasive Cardiology
    Pediatric Cardiologist

  • Electrophysiology

    Kelvin Lau, 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

  • Adult Congenital Disease

    Suying D. Lam Barriga, 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

    Sydney Kalita, BSN
    Adult Congenital Heart Program Nurse Navigator

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

Search all of our pediatric Heart and Vascular physicians

Kids Heart Hotline

(813) 644-6679

Programs and Services

Additional Information

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

Pediatric Heart & Vascular Services

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