Center of Excellence

The Pediatric Heart Center at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) is recognized as a world leader in providing advanced cardiovascular care for young patients with congenital heart diseases. Our distinguished multidisciplinary team of highly specialized cardiology and heart surgery experts treats every heart condition — from minor arrhythmias to heart transplantation — for patients of all ages, from newborns to adults with congenital heart diseases.

For more than 50 years, Montefiore Medical Center has pioneered innovative advancements in the field of cardiology. One of the initial Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories for children was established at Montefiore, and Seymour Furman, MD, who developed the transvenous technique for implanting a pacemaker in 1958, was one of the first surgeons to implant pacemakers in children.

More recently, CHAM's team of heart surgeons and cardiologists was the first in New York State to perform a hybrid procedure combining catheter-based technology and surgery to repair a baby's heart, and the first to conduct a pediatric heart transplant in the Bronx. As part of a multimillion-dollar expansion of the Pediatric Heart Center at CHAM, the first hybrid catheterization lab in the New York metropolitan region is now operational and allows for maximal efficiency and coordination of care for children requiring both surgical and interventional procedures.

Our services offer the most comprehensive spectrum of expert physicians and technology to achieve the highest level of performance in the diagnosis and treatment of children with congenital heart diseases. 

The Division of Pediatric Cardiology headed by Daphne Hsu, MD, Division Chief, Pediatric Cardiology, Co-Director, Pediatric Heart Center, includes leaders in the fields of diagnostic imaging, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, adult congenital heart disease, heart failure and cardiac intensive care. The pediatric heart transplantation program at Montefiore achieves some of the best national outcomes.

The Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery is headed by Franςois Lacour-Gayet, MD, Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Co-Director, Pediatric Heart Center, who joined the program in 2010. His expertise in complex pediatric cardiac surgery covers the entire spectrum of cardiac operations. Quality of care is a permanent focus of the practice and is evaluated using advanced methodologies. The surgical team, including Samuel Weinstein, MD, is aiming at optimal outcomes from minimal invasive simple surgery to complex procedures. Dr. Weinstein has established a comprehensive surgical program for the adult with congenital heart disease and a state-of-the-art ventricular assist device program including a redesigned portable extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) circuit and artificial heart technology.

The Pediatric Heart Center is designed to facilitate patient-centered, family-friendly care, and offers comprehensive services for the diagnosis and treatment of acquired heart disease in children and congenital heart disease. During the patient’s stay at CHAM, family members are an integral part of the care team and participate in daily rounds with physicians and nurses. Family members can stay at their child’s bedside at all times, and the team places the highest emphasis on transparent and compassionate relationships with families.