Chief of UM Cardiothoracic Surgery Wins Zeppa Award of Excellence

12/22/2008

Tomas A. Salerno, M.D., professor of surgery, chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and vice chairman of the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has received the 2009 Robert Zeppa, M.D. Award of Excellence.  The award was presented to Salerno by the Jackson Memorial Foundation, at a ceremony on Friday, December 12.

Tomas A. Salerno, M.D., (left) chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, is presented the 2009 Robert Zeppa, M.D. Award of Excellence by Gerard A. Kaiser, M.D., professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

“It is a great honor to receive the Zeppa Award," said Salerno.  "I stand on the shoulders of those who received this prestigious award in the past, and I am grateful to the board for recommending me."

The Robert Zeppa, M.D. Award of Excellence was established to honor the memory of Dr. Robert Zeppa, chief of surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital, chairman of the Department of Surgery at UM and chief of trauma.  Dr. Zeppa was world renowned for his contributions to medical care and his leadership which led to the creation of the Ryder Trauma Center.  The award is presented every two years to the UM/Jackson physician who is highly acclaimed in his medical field and best exemplifies the spirit, character and ethical standards of Dr. Zeppa.

Salerno pioneered "beating heart surgery", a method of performing heart bypass without placing patients on a heart-lung machine.  By allowing the heart to continue beating during surgery, patients recover more quickly and do not suffer from memory loss.

An author of more than 300 published studies, Salerno has won several international awards and is also working on two new books.  He describes winning the Zeppa Award as "the most important achievement of my career, the highlight of which has been to be associated with Jackson Memorial Hospital, an institution that has given me the opportunity to accomplish my goals as an academic surgeon. For that I am grateful."