Advisory Board
Aortic Sciences is guided by a distinguished advisory board of cardiac surgeons, aortic disease specialists, and clinical researchers — each contributing to the rigor and clinical validity of every risk score the tool generates.
Professor, Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Dr. Peterson is one of the foremost aortic surgeons in the United States, specializing in the full spectrum of aortic disease — from aneurysm surveillance and risk stratification to complex open reconstructive surgery and transcatheter valve procedures. He trained at the University of Manitoba (MD, 1998), completed his PhD at the University of Toronto (2005), and pursued advanced fellowship training at the Arizona Heart Institute.
As System Director of Aortic Surgery at NYU Langone, Dr. Peterson leads a team-based program integrating surgical planning with genetic assessment, longitudinal surveillance, and post-operative rehabilitation. His expertise spans aortic valve repair and preservation, the Ross procedure, valve-sparing root replacement, and management of hereditary aortopathies including Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome.
Dr. Peterson joined the Aortic Sciences advisory board with a firsthand understanding of the clinical stakes involved in aortic disease, lending that perspective to the platform's clinical methodology and development.
Chair, Department of Cardiac Surgery
Dr. Bavaria has performed more than 9,000 open-heart procedures over a distinguished career, with particular expertise in the treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms and the repair and replacement of aortic valves.
A recognized educator and national leader, he has served as President of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and President of the Thoracic Surgery Foundation, and has held positions on the board of the Heart Valve Society and the executive committee of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. He has played a pivotal role in helping establish national treatment guidelines.
System Director, Aortic Surgery · Mount Sinai Health System
Dr. El-Hamamsy has performed more than 1,000 Ross and valve-sparing procedures and has spearheaded a global renaissance of the Ross procedure — the only aortic operation shown to restore patients' life expectancy to that of their healthy peers. He has also pioneered techniques for bicuspid aortic valve repair and valve-sparing aortic root replacement.
Elected President of the Heart Valve Society and to the Board of Directors of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers — including in The Lancet, JACC, and Circulation — and currently leads a research team exploring the natural history of aortic aneurysms using machine-learning tools.
Dr. Umaña is a highly active investigator with an extensive academic record, having authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and contributed multiple chapters to leading medical and surgical textbooks. He has been invited to present at nearly 100 national and international medical conferences.
His clinical expertise spans complex procedures including mitral valve repair in patients with mitral annular disjunction and aortic valve–sparing root replacement with valve reimplantation.
Mr. Boorady is the Founder and Managing Partner of Health Catalyst Capital, where he leads the Investment Committee, and brings over 25 years of experience across healthcare investment and information technology.
His career includes more than 20 years as a leading healthcare equity analyst at Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, and Citi — where he served as sole lead analyst on the demutualization and IPO of Anthem. Ranked #1 by Institutional Investor for his coverage of Managed Care and named among Forbes' "Dazzling Dozen," he holds an MBA in Analytic Finance and Statistics from the University of Chicago and a BS in Engineering from Cornell University.
Ray Smith advises Aortic Sciences on commercial strategy and cardiovascular device-market positioning. Full profile announcing soon.