Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Arman Kilic, M.D. serves as ICCE Chief for Heart and Vascular and Surgical Director of the Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Program at MUSC Health. He is Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the Harvey and Marcia Schiller Surgical Innovation Center, where he leads initiatives in surgical innovation, data science, and the application of artificial intelligence to improve patient outcomes. He is board certified in both general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.

Dr. Kilic earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, completed his general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and pursued fellowship training in cardiac surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

An adult cardiac surgeon, his clinical practice spans the full spectrum of heart surgery, including coronary artery bypass grafting, valve repair and replacement, heart transplantation, and ventricular assist devices. He has particular expertise in high-risk and advanced coronary procedures — including off-pump and multi-arterial bypass — as well as heart failure surgery and minimally invasive techniques.

Dr. Kilic has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and edited major textbooks. He serves on the editorial boards of leading cardiothoracic journals and is a frequent invited speaker at national and international meetings. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology and holds leadership roles in multiple professional societies.

In addition to his clinical and academic work, Dr. Kilic has mentored numerous trainees and has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Thoracic Surgery Foundation.

Barry Gibney, D.O, is a thoracic surgeon and section head, thoracic surgery in the MUSC Department of Surgery, who takes care of patients with lung and esophageal cancer, mesothelioma, mediastinal and chest wall tumors, and benign esophageal diseases such as reflux, achalasia, and paraesophageal hernias. Additionally, he cares for end-stage lung disease in a multidisciplinary lung transplant team. He has special interests in esophageal cancer and minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

He is the Associate Program Director for the Cardiothoracic Surgery Integrated Residency, a comprehensive training program which prepares residents in all aspects of adult cardiac, congenital cardiac and general thoracic surgery.

Dr. Gibney completed his general surgery training at Penn State Hershey, and his thoracic surgery training at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Marc R. Katz, M.D., MPH is a professor of cardiothoracic surgery and pioneer in minimally invasive and robotic heard surgery. He joined MUSC in 2017 as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, bringing minimally invasive approaches to heart surgery to MUSC.

Prior to joining MUSC, he served as chief of cardiothoracic transplantation at the Medical College of Virginia, and subsequently founded the Virginia Transplant Center in Richmond, Virginia. During his career in adult cardiac surgery, he performed the first combined heart - kidney transplant in the eastern U.S., the first left ventricular assist device in Virginia, and has been a pioneer in minimally invasive and robotic heart surgery. He is recognized for his expertise by serving on the Society for Thoracic Surgery (STS) robotic surgery task force and teaching the STS robotic heart surgery symposium.

Dr. Katz received his combined M.D. and MPH from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1981. He completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the Medical College of Virginia, then a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery under Dr. Richard Lower (co-pioneer of heart transplantation with Norman Shumway). An additional fellowship in pediatric cardiac surgery was next completed at Boston Children's Hospital.

Sanford Zeigler, M.D., is a cardiothoracic surgeon who treats adults with both acquired and congenital heart and aortic disease, including coronary artery disease, aortic and mitral valve lesions, aortic dissection, and aortic aneurysms.

Dr. Zeigler has a particular interest in aortic valve repair, aortic dissection, and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation, and serves MUSC Health as the Director of the Aortic Center.
He completed the Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency at Stanford University. During his training, he studied under some of the giants of cardiac and thoracic surgery, and developed a unique skill set for treated aortic aneurysms and dissections with both open and endovascular approaches.

Nicolas Pope, M.D. is a cardiothoracic surgeon who treats a wide range of surgical heart conditions and specializes in minimally invasive procedures and transcatheter aortic valve replacements. Academically, Dr. Pope serves the Education Division as the Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program Director.

He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Virginia, spending tow years of dedicated research time where he studied the treatment of aortic aneurysms and therapies to improve lung preservation for transplantation. He then went on to complete a SCC fellowship and a Cardiothoracic Surgery fellowship at UVA.

Kathryn E. Engelhardt, M.D., MS, is double board-certified in thoracic surgery and general surgery; she specializes in surgery of the lung, airway, esophagus, stomach, chest wall, and mediastinum. Whenever possible, Dr. Engelhardt performs surgery using minimally invasive robotic technology, providing optimal outcomes, quicker recoveries, and shorter hospital stays.

Dr. Engelhardt completed medical school at the University of Cincinnati and completed general surgery residency at MUSC. She then completed a two-year cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St Louis; a hospital consistently ranked among the best in the country by US News and World Report.

Academically, Dr. Engelhardt is an Associate Program Director in the General Surgery Residency Program, where she serves as the Director of Resident Professional Development. 

Quynh Chu, MD is a cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in treating diseases of the lung, esophagus, airway, mediastinum, and chest wall with a particular interest in thoracic surgical oncology and minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques.

Dr. Chu received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her medical degree with honors from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She completed general surgery residency at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, during which time she pursued a research fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Shen then completed specialty training in cardiothoracic surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and its partner institution New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

She has performed extensive research in tumor immunology and investigated novel methods of drug delivery to prevent cancer recurrence, authoring numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Dr. Lucas Witer is a fellowship-trained cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in heart transplantation, coronary artery disease, aortic valve surgery and advanced heart failure. He is a part of the MUSC Heart and Vascular multidisciplinary team, collaborating with world class colleagues in areas like cardiology and vascular surgery.

Dr. Witer completed residency in general surgery at the Oakland University - William Beaumont Hospital, a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the New York Presbyterian- Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He continued advanced subspecialty training at the New York Presbyterian - Columbia University Medical Center in heart failure, advanced mechanical circulatory support, ventricular assist device implantation and cardiac transplantation.

Walker Blanding, M.D., is a cardiothoracic surgeon with special interests in heart and lung transplantation as well as advanced therapies for severe heart and lung diseases. His practice includes all area of general cardiac surgery including coronary artery bypass, valve surgery, minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery, and transplantation.

Dr. Blanding attended Clemson University majoring in Cancer Biology through Calhoun Honors College. He then earned his Medical Degree from the MUSC, followed by the MUSC Integrated Cardiothoracic Residency Program where he gained extensive experience in the fields of cardiac surgery, heart and lung transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support.

Marissa Mayor, MD is a thoracic surgeon specializing in disorders of the lung, esophagus, chest wall, stomach, and mediastinum. She integrates minimally invasive and robotic approaches into her practice to provide personalized, patient-centered surgical plans. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Mayor is dedicated to resident education and advancing quality in thoracic surgery.

Dr. Mayor earned her medical degree from Boston University and completed her general surgery residency at Inova Fairfax in Virginia. She is board certified in general surgery and served for four years as a U.S. Navy general surgeon in austere and operational environments. Following her military service she completed a thoracic surgery fellowship at University of Virginia, developing expertise in benign and malignant diseases of the chest.

Fred A. Crawford Jr., M.D., holds the Distinguished University Professor Emeritus and Chair Emeritus in the MUSC Department of Surgery. An accomplished surgeon, outstanding educator, and dedicated leader, Dr. Crawford built a strong foundation in the department and the division of cardiothoracic surgery at MUSC, achieving many milestones throughout his tenure at MUSC.

Emeritus Professor of Surgery

Emeritus Professor of Surgery

Krishna Bhandari, M.D., is a cardiothoracic surgeon with a special interest in general cardiac procedures, heart transplantation, adult lung transplantation; Organ preservation: techniques and technologies; Heart transplant rejection:

Clinical Assistant Professor
Self Regional Hospital

Clinical Assistant Professor
AnMed Hospital

Dr. Jones is a professor in the Department of Surgery and a Research Health Scientist in the VA Research Service. His research focuses on pathogenic mechanisms that drive extracellular matrix remodeling in the development of cardiovascular disease, with particular interest in thoracic aortic aneurysms. Specifically, he investigates mechanisms of thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) development related to aberrant TGF-b signaling and fibroblast transdifferentiation.

Dr. Jones received his BA in Microbiology from the University of California San Diego, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from MUSC. He completed his graduate and post-doctoral training under Dr. Yusuf Hannun, studying protein-lipid interactions and sphingolipid signaling.

Surgery
Teaching Scholar