Editor's Note: Rady Children's Hospital-San Dieog made the following announcement May 17, 2012.
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego announced May 17 that Eric J. Devaney, M.D. has joined the Division of Cardiology at Rady Children’s, the largest and most comprehensive pediatric cardiology program in San Diego, Imperial and Orange Counties, as the Hospital’s first heart transplant surgeon.
“Hiring a surgeon of Dr. Devaney’s caliber is a game-changer for the cardiology program at Rady Children’s,” said John J. Lamberti, M.D., the Eugene and Joyce Klein Director of Cardiovascular Surgery at Rady Children’s and Director of the Pediatric Heart Program at UC San Diego. “Providing heart transplants here in San Diego will relieve the tremendous burden that is placed on families who, until now, had no choice but to travel long distances for care.”
In addition to heart transplantation, Dr. Devaney specializes in congenital heart surgery and circulatory support. He comes to Rady Children’s from the University of Michigan, where he completed his training in cardiothoracic surgery and pediatric cardiac surgery. Dr. Devaney developed his surgical practice over the last decade at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Devaney will serve as Director of Cardiac Transplantation at Rady Children’s and Associate Professor of Surgery at UC San Diego.
“I’m very excited to make pediatric heart transplantation a reality for the Heart Center at Rady Children’s,” said Dr. Devaney. “In addition to the services already available at Rady Children’s, the ability to perform heart transplants will allow us to provide comprehensive care for all children with any form of heart disease.”
Dr. Devaney's clinical interests and expertise are in the surgical management of complex congenital heart disease in neonates, infants and children, and young adults. He also conducts basic research studies in the molecular biology of cardiac muscle function and heart failure, seeking possible therapies for the complications of congenital heart disease.
Rady Children’s hopes to conduct its first pediatric heart transplant by the end of 2012.
