News and Events

Find our current Cardiothoracic events and news stories below.

Celebrating a Milestone: Over 2,000 Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopic Procedures

Congratulations to Dr. Eugene Shostak and Dr. Muhammad Sajawal Ali on the remarkable achievement of performing more than 2,000 robotic-assisted bronchoscopic lung biopsies. This milestone reflects a commitment to innovation and excellence in pulmonary care. Robotic bronchoscopy allows physicians to accurately access and biopsy very small lung nodules, improving the ability to detect and diagnose lung cancer at its earliest stages. Through expertise and dedication, Dr. Shostak and Dr. Ali have helped advance minimally invasive lung cancer diagnosis and improve opportunities for earlier treatment and better patient outcomes.

2000 robotic broncoscopy photo

Breakthrough in Thoracic Surgery: First Single-Port Robotic Ivor-Lewis Esophagectomy in U.S.

Dr. Villena-Vargas at OR

Dr. Jonathan Villena-Vargas has achieved a significant surgical milestone by performing the first Single-Port (SP) Robotic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy in the United States. This groundbreaking procedure represents a major advancement in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, utilizing a single incision to enhance precision while reducing patient trauma. The accomplishment highlights Weill Cornell Medicine’s leadership in surgical innovation and its commitment to improving outcomes for patients undergoing complex esophageal cancer treatment.

Non-Smoker Lung Cancer Survivor Shares Important Message

At TODAY's show, Dr. Jeffrey Port highlights the critical role of early detection in improving lung cancer outcomes and calls for expanded screening efforts that better encompass nonsmokers and other groups currently excluded from existing screening guidelines.

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The Why Behind the Lab Coat with Dr. Nasser K. Altorki

Dr. Nasser Altorki

Watch the video to meet Dr. Nasser K. Altorki:

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New Thoracic Clinical Trial

A Multicenter Phase II randomized trial of Neoadjvuant Radioimmunotherapy vs Chemotherapy in patients with Clinical Stages IB-III (N2) Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (RICHIS)

Bypass Surgery May Offer Greater Long-Term Benefits Compared with Stents for Women

Dr. Mario Gaudino

Women with severe coronary heart disease causing narrowing or blockages in the arteries may derive greater long-term benefits from coronary artery bypass grafting compared with percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as stenting, according to a large study by Dr. Mario F.L. Gaudino and his team at Weill Cornell Medicine. Bypass surgery uses a blood vessel from another part of the body to reroute blood flow around a narrowed or blocked artery. Stenting is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a catheter to thread a tubelike stent through a blood vessel in the wrist or groin to the heart to open a fully or partially blocked artery.

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WCM's 2nd Annual Updates in International Interventional Pulmonology Symposium

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Dr. Stephanie Mick: Blazing a Trail in Robotic Mitral Valve Repair

Dr. Mick in OR

When Stephanie L. Mick, M.D., saw a beating heart during her general surgery residency at NewYork-Presbyterian, she knew that cardiac surgery was her calling.

Not only did Dr. Mick become a cardiac surgeon when there were few women in the field, she went on to become a nationally recognized expert in minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery. Her early training cemented her as a pioneer in robotic repair of the mitral valve — she is still one of a small number of surgeons across the country who perform it — and under her leadership, in 2024 NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine received for the second time the prestigious Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation, which recognizes superior outcomes and adherence to evidence-based guidelines with respect to mitral valve surgery.

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Change of Heart

Through innovative clinical trials and research, Weill Cornell Medicine physicians are pioneering efforts to address long-standing disparities in women’s cardiac surgery and cardiology care.