Podcast: Dr. Juan Pablo Umaña on the Future of Cardiac Surgery
Dr. Umaña speaks with Dean Ford about the one, simple question that shaped the trajectory of his career.
How does a young medical student from Bogotá, Colombia, go on to co-invent a device that revolutionizes mitral valve repair and then reshape an entire nation’s landscape of cardiac care? In the latest episode of “Inside U Miami Medicine,” Juan Pablo Umaña, M.D., shares the extraordinary journey that shaped his philosophy as a heart surgeon, innovator and mentor.
Reflecting on the invention of the MitraClip™, which allows surgeons to repair a mitral valve without opening the chest, he explains how a simple question from a mentor sparked the creation of this revolutionary device.
“Do you think we can do that without stopping the heart?”
That moment, he said, “changed my whole trajectory and got me to think outside the box.”
Now the new chief of cardiovascular surgery at UHealth—University of Miami Health System, Dr. Umaña is channeling that same innovation and vision into building a next-generation cardiothoracic surgery program, one that unites specialists across disciplines, reimagines the future of minimally invasive surgery and elevates surgical training for decades to come.
“It’s all about offering patients the right treatment at the right time through the right approach,” he said.
What’s coming next for cardiovascular medicine? Listen to the full episode to hear Dr. Umaña’s remarkable story and his bold vision for the future.
Tags: cardiac surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Juan Pablo Umaña, heart care, heart disease, Inside U Miami Medicine podcast, USNWR Cardiovascular, USNWR Cardiovascular 2026