NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Dr. Geirsson is a renowned cardiac surgeon and the Director of the Cardiovascular Institute and Director of the Surgical Heart Valve Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. With an upbringing and medical education in Iceland, he honed his skills in General Surgery at Yale University and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania between 1998 and 2007. During his tenure at Yale as the Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery from 2007 to 2013, he made significant contributions to the field. Dr. Geirsson then returned to Iceland from 2013 to 2016, serving as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik. Driven by his passion for innovative approaches, he returned to Yale in 2016 and was appointed as the Chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery in 2017.Dr. Geirsson's clinical practice focuses on minimally invasive cardiac surgery and valve surgery, specializing in robotic mitral valve repair and aortic valve repair. He achieved notable milestones by performing the first minimally right thoracotomy mitral valve surgery at YNHH in 2009 and the first robotic mitral valve surgery at YNHH in 2018. Moreover, his research endeavors encompass both basic and clinical science, concentrating on mitral valve prolapse and aortic aneurysm disease.With his expertise, dedication, and commitment to advancing cardiac surgery, Dr. Geirsson continues to make significant contributions to the field and improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Raza is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the MDS Center at Columbia University in New York, NY. She started her research in Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) in 1982 and moved to Rush University, Chicago, Illinois in 1992, where she was the Charles Arthur Weaver Professor in Oncology and Director, Division of Myeloid Diseases. The MDS Program, along with a Tissue Repository containing more than 50,000 samples from MDS and acute leukemia patients was successfully relocated to the University of Massachusetts in 2004 and to Columbia University in 2010.Before moving to New York, Dr. Raza was the Chief of Hematology Oncology and the Gladys Smith Martin Professor of Oncology at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester. She has published the results of her laboratory research and clinical trials in prestigious, peer-reviewed journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Blood, Cancer, Cancer Research, the British Journal of Hematology, Leukemia, and Leukemia Research. Dr. Raza serves on numerous national and international panels as a reviewer, consultant, and advisor and is the recipient of a number of awards.

Stephanie M Gallitano, MD, joined the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and the staff of NewYork-Presbyterian in 2017. She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology, Director of Milstein and Allen Hospital Inpatient Consultation, and Dermatology Residency Program Director. She received her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. She completed her medical internship at New York University Hospital and completed her Dermatology residency at SUNY-Downstate where she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Gallitano's unique areas of interest include treating patients with dermatologic conditions related to their history of solid organ transplantation, cancer-treatment-related skin reactions, skin reactions that occur during hospitalization, and autoimmune/autoinflammatory skin disease. She enjoys caring for patients with cutaneous skin infections or skin diseases related to immunosuppression. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues throughout the institution to provide multidisciplinary care that results in optimal outcomes for patients. She is happiest when her patients get better. In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Gallitano enjoys teaching residents during clinic, didactics and bedside rounds. Outside of work, she loves hiking, cooking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.Dr. Gallitano is active with the Women's Dermatologic Society, the Society of Dermatology Hospitalists, and the American Academy of Dermatology. She has authored numerous articles in medical dermatology and has lectured at local and national conferences.