Dawn S. Hui, MD
Professor, Vice Chair of Quality and Research
Personal Statement:
Dr. Hui is a board-certified cardiac surgeon specializing in multi-arterial coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic surgery including aortic root and aortic arch surgery, and structural heart interventions including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Her passion is to continually improve patient’s lives and outcomes through collaborative approaches to patient care, and through community education on the prevention and treatment of heart disease. As such, she is a key member of the UT Health Heart Team, as well as a board member and Past President of the San Antonio Chapter of the American Heart Association. Dr. Hui obtained her medical degree and general surgery residency at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, followed by cardiothoracic surgical training at The University of Southern California. She is an Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UT Health San Antonio and Vice Chair of Quality and Research. She also serves as Associate Program Director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency program and is the faculty advisor for the CT Surgery Interest group at the UT Health Long School of Medicine. Her research interests include clinical outcomes and translational research. She is an active mentor in both clinical and academic research for many students and residents. Nationally, Dr. Hui is an Associate Editor for The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and on the editorial board of Annals of Thoracic Surgery. She serves on the STS PAC Board of Directors to promote advocacy for cardiothoracic surgery. A native of Texas, she is a graduate of The Juilliard School and was a violinist in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra before changing careers. Since 2012, she has been blessed to be married to Justin Wirpel, a principal partner at Isogent, an information technology services company. They recently celebrated the birth of their daughter in December 2023. Twitter: @DawnHuiMD
Education
Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 2013
General Surgery Residency
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 2010
MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 2005
Certificate of Premedical Sciences
Columbia University, New York, NY 2000
Bachelor of Music Performance
The Juilliard School, New York, NY 1997
Affiliations
Society of Thoracic Surgeons Western Thoracic Surgical Association Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Women in Thoracic Surgery
News
KSAT12 News: Lifestyle changes can prevent 80% of cardiovascular deaths, UT Health SA doctor says Fox29 News: Heart health takes the spotlight this February
Publications
Selbst MA, Ward CR, Svetgoff ML, Michelena HI, Sabate-Rotes A, De Backer J, Mosquera LM, Yetman AT, Bissell MM, Andreassi MG, Foffa I, Hui DS, Caffarelli A, Kim YY, Guo D, Citro R, De Marco M, tretter JT, Morris SA, McBride KL. Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease with Early-Onset Complications: Characteristics and Aortic Outcomes. Hearts. 2024; 5(3):253-258.
Velasco A, Buch C, Hui DS, Joseph C, Onsager D, Zagrodzky W, Kulstad E, Nayak HM. Hybrid Convergent procedure with proactive oesophageal cooling for the treatment of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation: a case series. Accepted for publication in Eur Heart J Case Reports. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjcr/ytae301
Published online 12 June 2024.
Wyler von Ballmoos MC, Hui DS, Mehaffey JH, Malaisrie SC, Vardas PN, Gillinov AM, Sundt TM, Badhwar V. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation. Ann Thorac Surg. 2024 Jan 27:S0003-4975(24)00057-2. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2024.01.007. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38286206.
Shah AM, Almomani AA, Sako EY, Hui DS. Surgical and Transcatheter Mitral Valve Therapy: Medicare Utilization and Reimbursement. Ann Thorac Surg. 2023 Sep 22:S0003-4975(23)00965-7. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2023.09.014. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37741565.
Hui DS, Chen EP, DeAnda A, Girardi LN, Kim KM, Woo YJ, Tseng EE, Preventza O. Perspectives on the 2022 Joint Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Aug 4;S0022-5223(23)00651-7.
Treffalls JA, Shah AM, Worrell CM, Treffalls RN, Hui DS, Das NA, Calhoon JH. Two Decades of Declining Medicare Reimbursement in Cardiac Surgery. Ann Thorac Surg. 2023 Jul 8;S0003-4975(23)00687-2. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2023.06.023.
Breen FG, Ruel M, Calhoon JH, Girardi LN, Guyton R, Hui D, Kelly RF, MacGillivray TE, Malaisrie SC, Moon MR, Sabik JF 3rd, Smith PK, Svensson LG, Szeto WY; American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. STS/AATS-Endorsed Rebuttal to 2023 ACC/AHA Chronic Coronary Disease Guideline: A Missed Opportunity to Present Accurate and Comprehensive Revascularization Recommendations. Ann Thorac Surg. 2023 Jul 25:S0003-4975(23)00132-7. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2023.02.007. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37530679.
Sharma A, Fierro ME, Pak S, Thallapureddy K, Awobajo M, Hui D, Otchere P. Late-stage diagnosis of carcinoid heart disease due to lack of access to health care. Cardiooncology. 2023 Jun 5;9(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s40959-023-00176-z. PMID: 37277819
Isselbacher EM, Preventza O, Hamilton Black J 3rd, Augoustides JG, Beck AW, Bolen MA, Braverman AC, Bray BE, Brown-Zimmerman MM, Chen EP, Collins TJ, DeAnda A Jr, Fanola CL, Girardi LN, Hicks CW, Hui DS, Schuyler Jones W, Kalahasti V, Kim KM, Milewicz DM, Oderich GS, Ogbechie L, Promes SB, Gyang Ross E, Schermerhorn ML, Singleton Times S, Tseng EE, Wang GJ, Woo YJ. 2022 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease: A Report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2022 Dec 13;146(24):e334-e482.
Garg H, Kaushik D, Hui DS, Kahlenberg Z, Vail E, Jayakumar L, Wang H, Pruthi D, Mansour AM, Little M. Haemodynamic changes during radical nephrectomy with inferior vena cava thrombectomy: A pilot study. BJUI Compass 2022;1-4.
Sideman MJ, Hui DS. A standardized approach to access in patients requiring complex endovascular aortic therapy. Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2021 Nov;10(6):790-792.
Dursun F, Patel RS, Hui DS, Want H, Mansour AM, Pruthi DK, Alonzo DG,
Jayakumar L, Rodriguez, R, Svatek RS, Liss MA, Kaushik D. The Latinx Disparity in Surgery for Kidney Cancer: Data from The South Texas Region. Kidney Cancer Journal 2021;19(2): 18-23.
MacGillivray TE, Gleason TG, Patel HJ, Aldea GS, Bavaria JE, Beaver TM, Chen EP, Czerny M, Estrera AL, Firestone S, Fischbein MP, Hughes GC, Hui DS, Kissoon K, Lawton JS, Pacini D, Reece TB, Roselli EE, Stulak J. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American Association for Thoracic Surgery clinical practice guidelines on the management of type B aortic dissection. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Apr;163(4):1231-1249. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.11.091. Epub 2022 Jan 25. PMID: 35090765.
Hui DS, Restrepo CS, Calhoon JH. How to do it: Surgical Decision-Making for Left Ventricular Aneurysmectomy. Ann Thorac Surg 2020 Jun 10;S0003- 4975(20)30896-1. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.04.096.
Lee MV, Kostantinoff K, Gegios A, Miles K, Appleton C, Hui DS. Breast Cancer Malpractice Litigation: A 10-Year Analysis and Update in Trends. Clin Imaging. 2019 Dec 11;60(1):26-32.
Helmy T, Hui DS, Smart S, Lim MJ, Lee R. Balloon assisted translocation of the mitral anterior leaflet to prevent left ventricular outflow obstruction (BATMAN): A novel technique for patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve replacement. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2019 Sep 13. doi: 10.1002/ccd.28496.
Greenberg JW, Lee R, Hui DS. Patient selection and methods of surgical left atrial appendage exclusion J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2019 Aug;48(2):209-214. doi: 10.1007/s11239-019-01881-2.
Hui DS, Lee R, Moon MR, Edwards MA, Boutrous ML, Luc JGY, Prager RL, Naunheim KS. Disparity between recent graduates and experienced surgeons’ assessment of time to operative independence. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2019 May;157(5):1925-1932. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2018.08.124.
Zhao X, Hui DS, Lee R, Edwards JL. Ratiometric quantitation of thiol metabolites using non-isotopic mass tags. Anal Chim Acta. 2018 Dec 11;1037:274-280.
Backhus LM, Fann BE, Hui DS, Cooke DT, Berfield KS, Moffatt-Bruce SD. Culture of safety and gender inclusion in cardiothoracic surgery. Ann Thorac Surg 2018 Oct;106(4):951-958. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2018.07.011.
Huang T, Armbruster M, Lee R, Hui DS, Edwards JL. Metabolomic analysis of mammalian cells and human tissue through one-pot two stage derivatizations using sheathless capillary electrophoresis- electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A. 2018 Sep 14;1567:219-225. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2018.07.007
Hui DS, Miles KM, Lee R. Neurologic injury predicts plaintiff award in federal cardiac surgery trials. Ann Thorac Surg 2018 Sep;106(3):691-695. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2018.03.061.
Huang T, Toro M, Lee R, Hui DS, Edwards JL. Multi-functional derivatization of amine, hydroxyl, and carboxylate groups for metabolomic investigations of human tissue by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Analyst. 2018 Jul 21;143(14):3408-3414. doi: 10.1039/c8an00490k.
Hui DS, Lizalek JM, Chawa VS, Lee R. Operative techniques for improving surgical exposure in basic cardiac surgery. J Vis Surg 2018 Apr 27;4:80. doi: 10.21037/jovs.2018.03.19
Lee R, Hui DS, Helmy TA, Lim MJ. Transapical mitral replacement with anterior leaflet splitting: a novel technique to avoid left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018 Mar;155(3):e95-e98.
Hui DS, Lee R. Mechanical occlusion of the left atrial appendage: lessons from surgical experience. Nat Rev Cardiol 2018 Feb;15(3):191. doi: 10.10389/nrcardio.2018.7
Hui DS, Lee R. Longitudinal studies in surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation: the next step. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg Autumn 2017;29(3):299-300. doi: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2017.09.007.
Hui DS, Lee R. Modified internal ligation of the left atrial appendage. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2017 Sep;154(3):847-848. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2017.04.077.
Bourdillon MT, Akhter AS, Vrtikapa D, Avdagic A, McNeese MA, Lee R, Hui DS. Cardiovascular health in St. Louis Bosnian-Americans. J Immigr Minor Health. 2017 Aug 18. doi: 10.1007/s10903-017-0641- 1
Hui DS, Fleischman F. Diagnostic and treatment dilemmas of the aortic arch. Cardiol Clinics 2017 Aug;35:347-355. doi:10.1016/j.ccl.2017.03.012
Hui DS, Bonow RO, Stolker JM, Braddock SR, Lee R. Discordant aortic valve morphology in monozygotic twins. JAMA Cardiol. 2016 Dec 1;1(9):1043-1047. doi: 0.1001/jamacardio.2016.2522.
Hui DS, Fleischman F, Mcfadden P. Thromboembolism-in-transit and patent foramen ovale: should screening echocardiogram be routine for thromboembolic disease? Ochsner
J. 2016 Fall;16(3):321-323. PMID: 27660585
Hui DS, Lee R. Minimally invasive bilateral thoracoscopic maze. Jnl Vis Surg 2016;2:133. doi: 10.21037/jovs.2016.07.19
Bowdish ME, Hui DS, Cleveland JD, Mack WJ, Sinha R, Ranjan R, Cohen RC, Baker CJ, Cunningham MJ, Barr ML, Starnes VA. A comparison of aortic valve replacement via an anterior right mini-thoracotomy to standard sternotomy – a propensity score analysis of 492 patients. Eur J Cardiothor Surg 2016 Feb;49(2):456-63. doi:10.1093/ejcts/ezv038.
Hui DS, Stoeckel DA, Kaufman EE, Jacobs DL. Massive hemoptysis from an aortobronchial fistula Secondary to BCG-related mycotic thoracic aortic aneurysm. Ann Thorac Surg 2016 Jan; 101(1):350- 352. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2015.03.053.
Esch C, Hui DS, Lee R, Edwards JL. Quantitation of thiol metabolites from mammalian cells using fluorous tagging and HILIC-MS. Anal Methods 2015; 7: 7164-69. doi: 10.1039/C5AY00603A
Hui DS, Lee R, Mikolajczak PC, Morley JE. Atrial fibrillation: A major risk factor for cognitive decline. Am Heart J 2015; 169(4): 448-456. doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2014.12.015
Shah AS, Lee R, Lim MJ, Neumayr RH, Hui DS, Stolker JM. Impella 5.0 implantation via sheath in tortuous and vasoconstricted arteries. Tex Heart Inst J 2015 Aug; 42(4): 385-388. doi: 10.14503/THIJ- 14-4337.
Enter DH, Lou X, Hui DS, Andrei AC, Barner HB, Lee R. Practice improves performance on a coronary anastomosis simulator, attending surgeon supervision does not. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015 Jan;149(1):12-17.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.09.029.
Hui DS, Shavelle DM, McFadden PM, Starnes VA. Concurrent aortic valvular disease and asymptomatic pulmonary sequestration: clinical implications. Tex Heart Inst J 2014 Dec;41(6):649-52. doi 10.14503/THIJ-13-3907
Hui DS, Shavelle DM, Cunningham MJ, Matthews RV, Starnes VA. Contemporary use of balloon aortic valvuloplasty in the era of transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Tex Heart Inst J 2014 Oct;41(5): 469-76. doi 10.14503/THIJ-13-3757
Hui DS, Alderson LJ, Lee R. Left atrial appendage thrombus after successful surgical exclusion on anticoagulation: a need for closer postintervention monitoring. Ann Thorac Surg 2014 Oct;98(4):1478. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2014.06.075
Hui DS, Gill IS, Cunningham MJ. Minimally invasive approach to the supra diaphragmatic inferior vena cava: total thoracoscopic caval isolation. Innovations (Phila) 2014 Mar-Apr; 9(2): 154-7. doi: 10.1097/IMI.0000000000000063
Cunningham MJ, Hui DS, Baker CJ, Lopez BM, Starnes VA. Mitral valve repair: The transatlantic correction; valve in the heart of the Big Apple VII: Evaluation and management of valvular heart diseases. Cardiology 2012;121:87-148.
Hui DS, Lang JL, Eastman AL, Frankel HL, O’Keefe T. A survey of critical care education and training in surgery residents: Will they be ready? J Surg Res, 2010 Sep;163(1): 132-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2010.04.023.