We are very pleased to spotlight Henry J. Tannous, MD, the new chief of our Cardiothoracic Surgery Division and co-director of the Stony Brook Heart Institute.
Dr. Tannous was appointed in April to these key leadership roles in recognition of his expertise, accomplishments, and outstanding reputation for clinical excellence in both adult cardiac and thoracic surgery.
"I am very honored by my new appointments at Stony Brook Medicine, as well as excited to lead my division to even greater heights," says Dr. Tannous.
"My talented and accomplished colleagues here are the perfect team, each complementing the other in terms of surgical skills and academic prowess. Our clinical support staff is first-rate. Together, I believe we will maintain our rank as the very best on Long Island.
"The Stony Brook Heart Institute will continue to expand patient access across Long Island while maintaining the best outcomes and driving innovation to further enhance patient care."
Recognized early in his career as a physician of the highest order, Dr. Tannous received his MD from the American University of Beirut in 2000, graduating as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.
He went on to complete his general surgery residency at Waterbury Hospital-Yale School of Medicine in Waterbury, CT, in 2005. He subsequently completed fellowships in cardiothoracic surgery at George Washington University and Mount Sinai Hospital.
"My talented and accomplished colleagues here are the perfect team,
each complementing the other in terms of surgical skills and academic prowess.
Our clinical support staff is first-rate."
Dr. Tannous then joined the faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2008, where he distinguished himself as a clinical and team leader.
At Mount Sinai, he served as chief of pump-assisted thoracic surgery, chief of the cardiothoracic expansion program, and chief of thoracic surgery at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, NY.
Dr. Tannous was recruited to Stony Brook University Hospital from Mount Sinai in 2016, serving as surgical director of the structural heart program and associate chief of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Division.
He has been instrumental in major Stony Brook Medicine milestones, including the top national three-star rating for coronary bypass surgery earned two years in a row; the remarkable successes of our transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program; and fostering successful clinical collaborations with our key partners across the community and regionally.
Dr. Tannous's clinical practice encompasses coronary revascularization and valvular heart surgery, including transcatheter interventions and minimally invasive lung cancer surgery.
He has additional experience in pump-assisted thoracic procedures supporting more aggressive resection of mediastinal tumors, cardiac tumors, and locally advanced lung tumors.
His research focuses on early-stage treatment of lung cancer, with the goal of reducing lung cancer death rates through early detection and treatment through a Stony Brook collaboration with the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program; and comparative outcomes research in TAVR.
Dr. Tannous is dual board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
