Being a heart surgeon is the greatest gift. To be able to participate in a positive way to our patients when they are at their most vulnerable and restore quality of life is truly an honor. I hope that as more women enter our profession, the field can diversify and we can improve upon the already excellent care which we provide as a specialty every day.
Dr. Amy Fiedler is Assistant Professor of Surgery at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She earned her medical degree at the George Washington University School of Medicine. She completed residencies in general and cardiothoracic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Her clinical practice is focused on adult cardiac surgery, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. Dr. Fiedler has a passion for health and human rights, and global surgery. She currently serves as surgical director for Team Heart, a nonprofit organization providing cardiac surgery to people in Rwanda. She was selected as one of the scholars to join the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) Class of 2020, program offered through the collaboration of several former U.S. presidents’ centers and foundations. Dr. Fiedler also led the first all-female surgical team to perform a heart transplant in December, 2022.
As highlighted in her nomination by Dr. Lauren Kane:
“I think the world of Dr. Fiedler. She is kind, thoughtful, strong, an avid runner, innovative, and an incredible surgeon. She has spent countless hours working with and training cardiac surgeons in Rwanda. They are more than mission trips, but an investment in the doctors, healthcare system and the people of Rwanda. She touches her patient’s lives here at home too, not only by doing their heart operations. She is an integral part of giving so many of them a second chance of not just life, but a quality one at that. Dr. Fiedler is an inspiration and has accomplished so much in her first 5 years post fellowship. I am humbled and happy to call her a friend and colleague.“