Damien J LaPar , MD

Damien J. LaPar, MD, MSc, is chief of pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery and executive co-director of UTHealth Houston Children’s Heart Institute. He is also an associate professor of cardiovascular surgery and the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. LaPar specializes in the surgical repair of the most complex neonatal and infant congenital heart defects, as well as the full range of congenital heart diseases that affect children, adolescents, and adults. He is committed to his patients’ needs, helping them and their families overcome their most significant and challenging times in life in an approachable, down-to-earth, and honest environment. LaPar trained in congenital heart surgery at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. He’s a triple board-certified pediatric cardiac surgeon with specialized certification from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery for pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery. His dedication to academic pediatric and congenital heart surgery is deeply rooted in his desire to advance the treatment of congenital heart disease and to make a difference in the lives of children and their families through compassionate patient care, innovative research and scholarship, and professional leadership. LaPar is an internationally recognized basic/translational science investigator and clinical science researcher, serving as the director of research and academic affairs for the UTHealth Houston Children’s Heart Institute. His funded congenital heart disease research lab focuses on innovative myocardial reconditioning and restorative therapies. His focused research includes extensive multi-institutional clinical research collaboratives and clinical trials. LaPar previously practiced in New York City at Columbia University and the combined New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Weill Cornell Komansky Children’s Hospital’s congenital heart surgery program, where he served as director of pediatric cardiac surgery at Weill Cornell and co-director of outcomes and quality at the Congenital Heart Center. Patient Referrals: ReferAHeart@uth.tmc.edu