Client Testimonials

On Wednesday February 17th I had a Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement. I woke up on Thursday with minor discomfort and by noon I was sitting up in bed eating. I performed a personal examination and found that I had a 4 inch incision on my chest. On Friday, I was moved to a private room. I had minor discomfort but otherwise I felt good. On Saturday, I was discharged from the hospital. I took it easy for 2 weeks and then began my regular routine. This could have been a traumatic experience considering my age, 72, but the care and attention provided by everyone at CTS put me mentally at ease. 7 months later I am back to  my regular routine, feeling better than I have in years and quiet frankly looking forward to my 100th birthday.

- William Dunlap

Parvez Sultan, M.D.

Parvez Sultan, M.D. received his medical degree from Brown University School of Medicine after receiving his undergraduate degree from Hampshire College. Dr. Sultan began his surgical training at the University of Texas at Houston, Hermann Hospital and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He completed his General Surgical training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center. Dr. Sultan completed a Mini-Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Sultan also trained in Lung and Heart Transplantation at Barnes-Jewish Hospital under Dr. Joel Cooper and Dr. Alec Patterson. He is boarded by The American Board of Surgery in 2005. Dr. Sultan is also boarded by The American Board of Thoracic Surgery in 2008. He specializes in adult heart, lung and vascular surgery.


Education:   

B.A. - Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, 1991
M.D. - Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI, 1999

Training:   

Internship & PGY-2, University of Texas at Houston, Hermann Hospital and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 1999-2001

PYG-3 – Chief Resident in General Surgery, University of Alabama (UAB) Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, 2001-2004

Fellowships:    

Thoracic Surgery Mini-Fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2004
Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO, 2004-2006

Expertise:    All aspects of Adult Cardiac Surgery, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Complex Aortic Surgery, Cardiac Assist Devices, Maze Procedure, Lung Resections, VATS Lobectomy, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery, Esophageal Surgery (Benign and Malignant), Lung Volume Reduction Surgery, Pulmonary Thromboembolectomy and Endovascular Repair of Thoracic Aneurysms, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Carotid Surgery,  Endovascular-Aneurysm Repair and Robotic Surgery.
 
Licensure:    

Alabama Licensure 2001-current
Missouri Licensure 2004-current

Boards:    

American Board of Surgery, October 2005 (Certificate # 061251)
American Board of Thoracic Surgery, June 2008 (Certificate # 7492)

 Academic & Profession Appointments: 

2006-present  Attending Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons, P.C.
2004-2006    Clinical Cardiothoracic Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis (Barnes-Jewish Hospital)
2004   Clinical Thoracic Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)
2003-2004    Administrative Chief Resident, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
2001-2003     General Surgery Resident, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
1999-2001    General  Surgery Junior Resident, University of Texas at Houston/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

 Professional Societies:

2011-date Heart Valve Society of America
2009-date  International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS)
2004-date  American College of Cardiology
2004-date  American College of Chest Physicians
2004-2007  Thoracic Surgery Resident Association Executive Committee (TSRA)
2004-2007 Thoracic Surgery Representative to ORR of the AAMC
2004-date  American College of Surgeons
1994-date The Stanley J. Sarnoff J. Sarnoff Society of Cardiovascular Research

  
Honors & Awards:

Residency & Fellowship
2006             AATS Traveling Fellowship
2005-2006    Administrative Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes Hospital
2004-2007    Secretary, Thoracic Surgery Resident Association (TSRA)
2004             Outstanding Teaching Resident Award in General Surgery (UAB)
2004             Outstanding Clinical Research Award in General Surgery (UAB)
2003-2004    Administrative Chief Resident in General Surgery (UAB)

Medical School Awards
1999             Association of Academic Surgery Student Research Award
1999             Elected to Sigma Xi Medical Research Honor Society
1998             Fogarty International Health Fellow at Brown University
1998             Foreign Studies Fellowship for HIV Research in Bangladesh (March-May)
1998             Alpha Omega Alpha
1994-1998    Yale University Graduate Studies Fellowship
1998             Nominated by Dr. Kirby I. Bland to be a student representative at the Clinical    Congress of ACS
1997             Founded the first Surgical Society for medical students at Brown
1995-1997    Elected to the Scientific Board of The Stanley J. Sarnoff Endowment
1994-1995    Won The Stanley J. Sarnoff Fellowship in Cardiovascular Research
1994-1999    Student Editor, Pfizer Medical Student Magazine
1991-1994    Medical Student Training Program Scholarship
1992             McGraw-Hill Book Award for Academic Achievement

Undergraduate Awards:
May 1991       Threshold Prize for the best senior honors thesis in the Natural Sciences
May 1991       George W. Hagy Prize in Human Biology
1988,89,90    Harvard Medical School Summer Research Fellowship
1987              Junior Fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (undergraduate)
1986              Keck Foundation Summer Research Grant
1987-91         Received Full Scholarship for Undergraduate studies at Hampshire College
1986              National Science Merit Scholar as a senior in High School

Research Experience:

Clinical Research, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri 7/2004- 6/2006

Doing multiple retrospective studies in several areas including: unilateral lung volume reduction, complications of pneumonectomies, quality of life after aortic valve replacement in octogenarians, surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation and heart and lung transplantation.

Preceptors: Dr. Alec Patterson, Dr. Joel Cooper, Dr. Ralph Damiano and Dr. Bryan Meyers

Graduate Study, Department of Immunobiology, Pathology and Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 8/1994- 5/1999

Did Graduate research in Dr. Pober’s Lab studying the vascular immunology and rejection during allogeneic and xenogeneic rejection in the huPBL-SCID mouse model. We were especially investigating the role of LFA-3/CD2 and CD28/B7 pathways in T-cell activation in vitro and in vivo. Also used novel antibodies against T-cell molecules as a new mode of immunosupression.


Sarnoff Fellow, Department of Immunobiology & Division of Molecular Cardiobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 8/1994-7/1995

Won the prestigious Sarnoff Fellowship and did one year research in Dr. Pober’s Lab, investigating endothelial-leukocyte interactions in vitro and in vivo. Also studied the cellular response to allogeneic and xenogeneic skin transplanted on huPBL-SCID mice. This is a competitive national fellowship given to ten top medical students in this country each year.

Undergraduate Research, Vascular Research Division & Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 5/1988- 5/1991

Cloned Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) B-chain gene from mouse during summer research. Subsequently returned to the same lab to complete my undergraduate honors thesis research. The genomic architecture of murine PDGF B-chain gene was submitted as a Honors thesis at Hampshire College. After graduation I worked to disrupt the PDGF-B chain gene by the process homologous recombination. I also took part in the discovery of the human VCAM-1 gene from activated endothelial cells and also cloned bovine endothelin (ET-1 gene).