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Ourania Preventza, MD, MBA

“Being a Cardiac Surgeon is a great privilege, an unbelievable honor, and an important duty. Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in women, and it is becoming increasingly important to have cardiothoracic surgery women in academic and in clinical leadership positions, who can relate and advocate to the specifics needs of female patients.”

Dr. Ourania Preventza is Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.

As highlighted in her nomination by Jessica Luc, MD:

“Dr. Preventza positively impacts the world of medicine through her extraordinary commitment as an expert cardiovascular surgeon who is also a surgeon-educator and surgeon-scientist to support the unbroken chain of mentorship through teaching, support of trainee research, sponsorship and dedication to her colleagues and patients. Dr. Preventza’s impact on students, her peers, the institution, and community at large extends to the local, national, and international level.

She holds a two-year term (2020-2021) as President-Elect of the International Society of Endovascular Specialists (ISEVS), a position previously held by Drs. Thomas Fogarty, Edward Diethrich and others. She holds membership and leadership roles in numerous surgical and non-surgical societies, including but not limited to, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association and the Society of the New York Academy of Science. She is Associate Editor of the journal of Operative Techniques in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: A Comparative Atlas, Associate Editor of Feature Articles for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Journal of Endovascular Therapy, and a reviewer for numerous other surgical journals. Dr Preventza has authored over 130 scientific articles and numerous book chapters. She has received many honors such as the Star Award for Patient Care in 2018 from Baylor College of Medicine, the Faculty Teaching and Leadership Award from the Cardiothoracic Surgery Residents at Baylor College of Medicine for two consecutive years 2015 and 2016, the Norton Fulbright award for enduring educational material, and the Houston Business Journal’s Health Care Heroes award for “Outstanding Health Care Practitioner” in 2018. Dr Preventza has received invitations for cardiovascular lectures nationally and internationally. Furthermore, despite a busy full-time clinical schedule, she completed a management and business degree for Health Care and Social policy (MBA) at Brandeis University. In 2019, she became the first female cardiac surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine to become Full Professor with Tenure at the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Preventza possesses a constellation of skills rarely found within one person, and her exemplary skills are matched by her commitment to clinical excellence. Dr. Preventza is a leader in the field, is paving the way for women in cardiothoracic surgery, and a true inspiration.”

 

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