My name is Philip Hess, and I am an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine. I am board-certified in thoracic surgery, and my areas of clinical and research focus are on the surgical repair of heart and aortic conditions, such as aortic aneurysm, aortic dissections, aortic valve repair and replacement, cardiac bypass surgery, congenital heart surgery, heart and lung transplant, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair, known as TEVAR, among others.I earned my medical degree from East Carolina University School of Medicine and completed my general surgery residency and cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the University of Florida College of Medicine and UF Health Shands Hospital. My career trajectory has always been firmly rooted in academic medicine, where I can help improve people's lives through surgical treatment and clinical research while also training the next generation of cardiothoracic surgeons. I am an investigator in more than 30 research studies and have been extensively published in scientific literature.