Dr. Mark J, Russo is Professor of Surgery, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, and Director of Structural Heart Disease at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is an internationally-known expert in the treatment of heart valve disease. He is one of the few heart doctors in the United States skilled at open, minimally-invasive, and catheter-based cardiac therapies.
Throughout his career, Dr. Russo has been an early adopter of disruptive medical technology, including minimally invasive and catheter-based cardiovascular therapies, advanced cardiac imaging, artificial intelligence, remote patient monitoring, digital patient engagement, and same day discharge after valve procedures. He is among the most experienced transcatheter surgeons in the U.S and taught these novel procedures to physicians throughout the world. In addition, he has participated in 500+ successful organ transplants and authored more than 50 publications on organ transplantation. Dr. Russo is a thought leader in minimalist and rapid recovery strategies. designed to minimize pain, minimize hospital stay, and achieve the fastest possible recovery for patients after heart surgery.
Dr. Russo has coauthored more than 200 published manuscripts, abstracts, and textbook chapters. Dr. Russo served in leadership roles for numerous national and international clinical trials, including the landmark PARTNER3 trial. The findings of his work have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the Lancet, the Journals of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and Circulation.
Dr. Russo’s research has guided significant changes in national health care policy including the United Network for Organ Sharing’s (UNOS) change in heart and lung allocation for transplantation and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Decision on TAVR. The findings of his work have appeared in major media outlets including US News and World Report, the New York Times, Newsweek, ABC News, and CBC. Dr. Russo has appeared in PBS’ On Call: Health and Medicine, ESPN’s Outside the Lines, and The Surgeons: Life and Death in a Top Heart Center By Charles R. Morris.
For his work, Dr. Russo has received awards from leading scientific and professional organizations:
Dr. Russo serves on the Physician Advisory Boards for leading medical device companies. In addition, he serves as a consultant to a number of early-stage companies, angel groups, venture capital firms, and hedge funds.
Previously, Dr. Russo was Assistant Attending-in-Cardiothoracic-
Dr. Russo is a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. He received a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Rochester; a Master’s in outcomes research from Dartmouth College; and his Medical Doctorate from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed residencies in General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Columbia University Medical Center. He also completed Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships at Columbia University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute within the National Institutes of Health
Dr. Russo is a Diplomate of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS); a member of the STS and American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS); a Board member for the patient advocacy group, Heart Valve Voice; and one of only 65 surgeons in the world with membership in the prestigious 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society.
N.J.’s Top Doctors: Meet the first-rate physicians who lead us to wellness in 2021
N.J.’s Top Doctors: Meet the first-rate physicians who lead us to wellness in 2021
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Completes First JenaValve Procedure to Treat Aortic Regurgitation
A Matter of Time
Lung transplant system often skips over those most in need
https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/news/lung-transplant-system-often-skips-over-those-most-in-need
Video
PBS ON CALL: HEALTH + MEDICINE – Heart Disease
https://www.pbs.org/video/heart-disease-snntlr/
Mark Russo – A New Allocation Model for Lung Transplantation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLJ8owQ-vHE
Replacing-valve-usually-sufficient-manage-severe-and-coronary-disease
https://www.tctmd.com/slide/replacing-valve-usually-sufficient-manage-severe-and-coronary-disease
Expanded TAVR indications
https://www.tctmd.com/videos/expanded-tavr-indications.5783652338001
Miracle in New Brunswick: Heart Transplant Recipient Goes Home
https://www.rwjbh.org/patient-stories/miracle-in-new-brunswick-heart-transplant-recipi/
Understanding Pumphead After Heart Valve Surgery with Dr. Mark Russo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0qiz6DxMKo
Current-and-future-demands-will-require-tavr-site-expansion
https://www.tctmd.com/slide/counterpoint-current-and-future-demands-will-require-tavr-site-expansion
Vast Numbers of Severe Symptomatic AS Patients Untreated? – TCTMD – Jun 2019
This kind of problem marks a sea change for TAVR, Mark Russo, MD (Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ), noted.
Surgical Risk Should Be ‘Off the Table’ When Deciding on Eligibility for TAVR – TCTMD – Jun 2019
Mark Russo, MD (Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ), who led the screening committee for PARTNER 3, said the …
RWJBarnabas Health plays vital role in landmark cardiac study – Health Care Dive – Mar 2019
RWJMS Press Release – Mar 2019
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and RWJBarnabas Health are pleased to welcome Mark J. Russo, MD, as Chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
TAVR is superior to surgery for low-risk patients with aortic valve stenosis – Science Daily – 17 Mar 2019
Is There a Volume-Outcome Relationship With Newer TAVR Valves – TCTMD – 30 Jan 2019.
… valves—Sapien, Sapien XT, and Sapien 3—researchers led by Mark Russo, MD (Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, …
Cardiovascular Business – 29 Jan 2019
Knowledge sharing, device improvements may shrink TAVR learning curve…
Lead author Mark J. Russo, MD, MS, and colleagues used the Transcatheter Valve Therapy (TVT) registry to study nearly 62,000 TAVR …
TAVR Learning Curve May Fade With Newer Device – MedPage Today – Jan 2019
… improvements in combined 30-day mortality or stroke, suggesting that the volume-outcomes relationship no longer held up, Mark Russo, MD, …
Balancing Outcomes & Access: Cardiologists Mull TAVR Volume Thresholds – Cardiovascular Business – 18 Nov 2018
Mark J. Russo, MD, MS, of RWJBarnabas Health in West Orange, N.J., points out there are about 1,100 sites in the U.S. that perform surgical …
High-Quality TAVR: Does a Minimum Volume Requirement Still Make Sense – TCTMD – 22 Jun 2018
MendedHearts.com – September 2016
Press Release Apr 2016
NBI performs 2nd Low Risk TAVR in the US
USAToday Network Feb 2016
Less invasive tools are ‘redefining’ heart medicine
Morris Essex. 2015
A Better Heart Valve Fix
Morris Essex. 2015
The Vigor is Back
Jan 2012
Dr. Russo receives the Presidents Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Mar 2012
Dr. Russo receives 2012 Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education Research Award
Dr. Russo receives the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education Research Grant
UCaorta.org
Team effort key to first post-FDA approval TAVI case in Chicago
UCaorta.org
Lung transplant system often skips over those most in need
uchospitals.edu
Univ of Chicago first in Chicago to perform post-trial transcatheter aortic valve replacement
UCaorta.org
Dr. Russo receives the Presidents Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons
STS News
“Guidelines Suggested for Heart-Kidney Transplants: Study identifies factors that reduce survival rate for combo surgery”
US News & World Report
ABC News
“Heart Failure Treatments Widen with Continuous-Flow Assist Devices”
Cardiovascular Business
“Diabetes should not rule out a heart transplant: Those with blood-sugar disorder do as well as others, study finds”
MSNBC
“Local and Regional Lung Allocation Systems Conflict”
Elsevier Global Medical
Medicalexpress.com
“The Combined Organ Effect”
Medscape News
“Diabetes no barrier to heart transplants: study”
CBC
“Lung Transplants Cut Some Patients Survival”
Surgery News
“Life Span Found Shorter for Low-Priority Lung Transplants”
Thoracic Surgery News [NXTBook]
“Lung Transplants May Cut Life Span in Some”
Chest Physician
“Lung Transplants in Lower Priority Recipients May Decrease Life Span”
Medconnect
“Criteria Identified to Help Predict Survival Benefit From Combined Heart/Kidney Transplantation”
Medscape News
“Pretransplant Status Predicts Renal Failure in Heart Transplant Patients”
Medscape News
“Adults with congenital heart disease have higher 30-day mortality with transplantation”
theheart.org
“Post-heart-transplant survival not compromised in the mildly obese, UNOS data suggests”
theheart.org
Medscape News
“Uncomplicated diabetes doesn’t shorten posttransplant survival, suggest UNOs data”
theheart.org
Medscape