OTTAWA, October 27, 2016 — The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) is proud to welcome Dr. Juan B. Grau as the newest member of its cardiac surgery team. Dr. Grau joins the Institute from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he has been an attending academic cardiac surgeon since 2008.
A native of Spain, Dr. Grau completed his medical degree and research fellowship in Madrid. He then served as an officer in a unit of special operations during the Gulf War. Moving to New York in 1992, Dr. Grau completed his general surgery internship and residency at New York University (NYU) Medical Center. He then completed a research fellowship at NYU at the Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Repair and completed his cardiothoracic fellowship at NYU Medical Center, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Dr. Grau’s surgical fields of expertise include minimally invasive complex mitral valve repair, minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB), hybrid coronary revascularization procedures, as well as total arterial coronary revascularization using off-pump techniques. He also performs aortic valve repairs and complex aortic reconstructions using standard approaches combined with endovascular techniques. On the research front, Dr. Grau is a prolific writer and a sought-after speaker on the international scene.
In 2016, he and his group at the University of Pennsylvania obtained two RO1 grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for the total amount of $6,4 M to help identify patients with mitral valve prolapse at risk to develop mitral insufficiency, and to detect patients with bicuspid aortic valve with and without aneurysms at risk to develop aortic complications. Dr. Grau has also created one of the largest cardiovascular tissue and blood repositories in the world for the study of cardiovascular diseases, with more than 7,000 specimens to date. His ground-breaking research will be further advanced here, in Ottawa.
“We are more than thrilled to welcome Dr. Grau to the Ottawa Heart Institute. He is an exceptionally engaged academic surgeon and a top-notch professional, who goes above and beyond for his patients, which is entirely in line with the mission statement and the spirit of our Institution,” said Dr. Marc Ruel, Division Head, Cardiac Surgery.
Over the years, the Division of Cardiac Surgery at the Heart Institute has grown its clinical activity by nearly 250 open-heart operations per year, to more than 1,650, therefore expanding its renowned focus on first-class clinical care, research, innovation and education. The UOHI Division of Cardiac Surgery also boasts the lowest mortality rate in Canada as reported by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Media:
Judith Lachance
Promotion and Communication Officer
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-798-5555 (17793)
613-806-0188 (cell)
jlachance@ottawaheart.ca
