David Mickael Kalfa MD, PhD

Dr. David M. Kalfa is the Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery and Co-Director of the Heart Institute at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. He is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery. He also holds positions as a professor and researcher in the departments of Pediatrics and Surgical Sciences at FIU's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. This makes him a key hire in the academic partnership between Nicklaus Children's and Florida International University.

Kalfa is skilled in a wide range of cardiac procedures, including complex neonatal heart procedures, advanced pediatric valve repair, adult congenital heart procedures, and heart/valve transplants. Before joining Nicklaus Children's, Dr. Kalfa was an Assistant Attending Surgeon in Congenital Cardiac Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center. His research focuses on tissue engineering for congenital cardiac diseases, and he directs multicenter studies on complex cardiac defects and their outcomes.