August 12, 2013

Dear Friend of the Texas Heart Institute,

Dr. Guilherme V. Silva, assistant medical director of the Texas Heart Institute Stem Cell Center, is one of the brightest and most dedicated young cardiologists I know. He is absolutely committed to compassionate care of his patients and to pushing the boundaries in new treatments.

Guilherme V. Silva, MD

So, it is with great pride that I introduce him as director of THI's new Structural Heart Disease Program. 

Structural heart disease, at its simplest, is any abnormality in the heart that interrupts the normal flow of blood through its valves and chambers. Many of these non-coronary cardiac conditions are congenital (a birth defect), but some develop later in life. 

Structural heart disease is a relatively new sub-specialty in cardiovascular medicine that has emerged over the last decade or so. It is a field in which some of the technology and treatments have made exciting progress. Most notable is the emergence of new transcatheter therapies, which means we can do many things with a catheter, rather than by, or possibly in conjunction with, open-heart surgery. 

Dr. Silva, who is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, went to medical school at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. He also took specialty training at The University of Texas Medical School, here at THI, and at Baylor College of Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Cardiology, Echocardiography, and Nuclear Cardiology. 

Dr. Silva has been away from THI for the past year, training in this field at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital. We are very pleased to have him back to help us start this new Structural Heart Disease Program, and hope to have more exciting announcements in the very near future.

With my respect and gratitude,

 
James T. Willerson, MD
President and Medical Director

Contact Dr. Willerson.