Ram K. Subramanyan, MD, PhD, FACS
William H. Fleming, MD, Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
Professor, UNMC Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children's Nebraska
Dr. Subramanyan is a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon-scientist. He is the chief of the division of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery.
His clinical practice sites include Children's Nebraska and Nebraska Medicine for adult congenital heart surgery. He also runs a research lab that studies cardiac outflow track development and cardiomyocyte biology.
- MD: Madras Medical College, India
- PhD: University of Southern California
- Residency: Surgery, University of Southern California
- Residency: Thoracic Surgery, University of Southern California
- Residency: Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Children's Hospital, Los Angeles
As one of a handful of pediatric cardiac-surgeon scientists, Dr. Subramanyan's primary aim is to bridge the gap between bench research and bedside management. To that end, he runs a basic science laboratory that studies molecular regulation of cardiac development and how this impacts ultimate clinical outcomes.
- His lab focuses on the molecular regulation of cardiac outflow tract development. The lab genetically reverse translates human disease by generating mouse models that lend themselves to molecular analysis. They use the spectrum of rotational abnormalities in double outlet right ventricle to reach the global aim of understanding how the different maturation processes in the outflow tract are inter-related. On the clinical side, his research focuses on the fate of the abnormally developed outflow tract. He studies outcomes of the right ventricular outflow tract in various forms of tetralogy, as well as left ventricular outflow tract following Ross procedure.
- Single ventricle management has evolved significantly in the last two decades. Dr. Subramanyan's clinical research studies the impact of clinical variables such as pulmonary arterioplasty, diaphragm function and pulmonary vascular resistance on single ventricle palliation. In particular, he studies the anatomy and physiology that lend themselves to ventricular septation with the goal of avoiding single ventricle circulation. In the lab, he models cardiomyocyte and endothelial biology using patient-derived iPSC to study approaches to improve outcomes.
- In addition, Dr. Subramanyan partakes in several multi-institutional clinical trials. He was the site-PI for four regenerative therapy clinical trials in single right ventricle patients. He is the surgical consultant for the NIH-funded clinical trial evaluating the use of mesenchymal stem cells for HLHS. He was also the site PI for the NIH-funded STRESS trial studying the role of steroids in neonatal and infant cardiac surgery.
- American Association for Thoracic Surgery (Elected)
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons
- American Heart Association
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons (Vice-Chair of WorkForce on National Databases)
- Western Thoracic Surgical Association (Council Member)