John Alex Elefteriades, MD
William W. L. Glenn Professor of Surgery (Section of Cardiac Surgery)

Departments & Organizations
Yale Medical Group: Heart & Vascular Center, Yale-New Haven HospitalCancer Center, Yale
Surgery: Cardiac Surgery: Thoracic Aortic Disease, Yale Center for
Biography
Dr. John Elefteriades is the William W.L. Glenn Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Yale University and Yale New-Haven Hospital. He is among the most clinically active academic surgeons in the country. He is a recognized authority in interventions for the failing left ventricle, including coronary artery bypass grafting, left ventricular aneurysmectomy, and artificial heart implantation.Dr. Elefteriades directs the Center of Thoracic Aortic Disease at Yale, one of the nation's largest facilities for treatment of the dilated thoracic aorta. He conducts laboratory research in new techniques of heart transplantation. Among his research projects, he is working with Celera Diagnostics to identify the genetic mutations responsible for thoracic aortic aneurysms.
Dr. Elefteriades serves on multiple scientific advisory and editorial boards. He is a past President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and member of the national Board of Governors of the College. Dr. Elefteriades is also past President of the International College of Angiology. He serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Cardiology, the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, and Cardiology. He is a member of the Thoracic Surgery Director's Association and has been named consistently in The Best Doctors in America.
He is a frequently requested international lecturer, visiting professor and guest surgeon. He is the author of over 200 scientific publications on a wide range of cardiac and thoracic topics.
He was selected as one of the ten best doctors in America by Men's Health magazine. He has been featured in many dozens of print, radio, and television presentations. He has been awarded the Walter Bleifeld Memorial Award for Distinguished Contribution in Clinical Research in Cardiology and the John B. Chang Research Achievement Award. In 2005 he was selected to deliver a lecture for the Leadership in Biomedicine Series at the Yale University School of Medicine. In 2006, he received the Socrates Award from the Thoracic Residents Association, Thoracic Surgery Directors' Association, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, recognizing exceptional achievement in teaching and mentorship of residents. Dr. Elefteriades was named the William W.L. Glenn Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2006. This endowed chair honors the memory of Dr. Elefteriades' mentor, Dr. Glenn. Dr. Elefteriades is the author of the books House Officer Guide to ICU Care (1st and 2nd Editions), Advanced Treatment Options for the Failling Left Ventricle, Diseases of the Aorta, Your Heart: The Owner's Guide, and Acute Aortic Disease.
Education
- M.D., Yale University, 1976
Selected Publication
- Percy A, Widman S, Rizzo JA, Tranquilli M, Elefteriades JA. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in patients with high cognitive needs: full preservation of cognitive abilities. Ann Thorac Surg. 2009;87:117-23. Selected for Faculty of 1000 Medicine as one of most important articles published in medicine.
Latest Honor and Recognition
- Socrates Award (2006), Thoracic Residents Association, Thoracic Surgery Directors' Association, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (Chicago, IL), recognizing exceptional achievement in teaching and mentorship of residents.
Articles

Sept/Oct 2008
Vessel researcher is appointed as new cardiovascular chief
The medical school has appointed Michael Simons, M.D., as chief of the Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of...
Sept/Oct 2007
For cardiac surgery, your brain on ice
We need blood to live, but blood makes life difficult for heart surgeons by obscuring the operating field. At a certain...

July/August 2007
Clinical master, consummate teacher
A beating heart has its own sonic signature, the steady lub-dub of the chambers opening and closing as blood flows,...

July/August 2007
Top heart surgeon is named Glenn Professor
Internationally known heart surgeon John A. Elefteriades, M.D., professor of surgery, has been named the William W.L....
Sept/Oct 2006
When lifting weights, keep your heart in mind
Many fitness buffs favor strenuous weight lifting to sculpt their bodies into Michelangelesque forms. A new Yale study...
Oct/Nov 2005
An upside to aneurysms?
It’s never a good thing to have an aortic aneurysm, a weakness in the walls of the body’s largest artery, which rises...


