Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty

T. Brett Reece, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, is the newest faculty recruit in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.  He grew up in Oklahoma playing football and ranching.  After obtaining his BA in economics from Dartmouth College, he received his medical degree at the University of Virginia.  From there he completed his surgical research fellowship and general surgery training at UVA (2006).  The next step was completion of his thoracic surgery training at the University of Colorado Denver (2009) with a fellowship in Aortic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 2008.

Dr. Reece joined the faculty in July 2009.  He has wide interests in cardiac surgery including heart failure and thoracic transplantation.  He has an interest in mechanical support devices for the failing ventricle and bridge support for lung transplantation.  However, his main interest involves building the thoracic aortic program at the University of Colorado.  The multidisciplinary program will entail all approaches to pathology of the thoracic aorta including open procedures, endovascular procedures, hybrid procedures, and hypothermic circulatory arrest. Moreover, the program has an aggressive approach toward the treatment of aortic dissections, both short and long term. The program recently joined the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection to continue to build the understanding and treatment of this pathology.

During his training, Dr. Reece learned the value of medical student and resident education.  His interest in surgical education was evident by multiple awards from UVA including a University Teaching Award and the Skip Warren Chief Resident Teaching and Leadership Award. Throughout his cardiothoracic surgery training he continued his teaching of medical students, surgery residents, and anesthesia residents rotating on the service, helping to build on the excellent educational experience for those rotating on the service.  He is now working towards building a cardiothoracic surgical care guide as well as a novel teaching paradigm for the care of the cardiothoracic patients.

On the research side, Dr. Reece intends to complement the Division’s research enterprise with the addition of studies involving particular challenges in aortic surgery.  More specifically, Dr. Reece has begun investigation on the structural differences in the aortas of aneurismal patients, and is pursuing novel techniques for preventing spinal cord injury resulting from aortic surgery.