Meet the Team

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Meet our Heart Failure and Transplant Team

Leadership

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Dr. Towbin serves as executive co-director of Le Bonheur’s Heart Institute, chief of Pediatric Cardiology for Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and is the Bob and Paula McEniry Endowed Chair of Cardiology. Dr Towbin is also medical director of cardiomyopathy, heart failure, mechanical circulatory support (ventricular assist devices [VADs]), cardio-oncology, cardio-hematology and heart transplant at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. Towbin specializes in diagnostic and therapeutic advances for cardiomyopathies (heart muscle disease), heart failure, heart transplantation and cardiovascular genetics. His research work and clinical expertise in pediatric heart failure, which has generated over 580 published manuscripts, is internationally known, and he is widely considered a leader in pediatric cardiology specifically in the area of cardiomyopathy care for children. Dr. Towbin is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty.

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Dr. Boston is the surgical director of the Heart Transplant and Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program, as well as surgical director of Le Bonheur's Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program, within the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. He specializes in the surgical care of infants, children and young adults with complex congenital heart disease and in mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation of infants, children and young adults with all forms of heart failure, whether caused by heart muscle disease or complex congenital heart disease. Dr. Boston is a professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Jane Hanafin
Jane Hanafin

Senior Director, Le Bonheur Heart Institute

Cardiovascular Surgery

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Dr. Knott-Craig is the co-director of the Heart Institute, professor and chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and The Susan and Alan Graf Endowed Chair in Pediatric Heart Surgery at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. He is certified by the South African Medical & Dental Council in Cardiothoracic Surgery and specializes in minimally invasive valve surgery, infant cardiac surgery and has pioneered surgical treatments for Ebstein’s anomaly. Dr. Knott-Craig is a founding member of the World Society of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery and recipient of South Africa's Officio tua Dilligmus Award for humanitarian service in the field of medicine.

Transplant Surgery

Cardiology

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Dr. Absi is a dual-specialty trained pediatric cardiologist and cardiac intensive care physician who trained at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. More recently, he received expert training in cardiomyopathy and mechanical circulation support (ventricular assist devices; VADs) at Texas Children's Hospital. Dr. Absi is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty and is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Absi is medical director of Mechanical Circulatory Support, which includes ventricular assist devices (VADs), at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.

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Dr. Kramer is a dual-trained, triple-boarded cardiac critical care intensivist who is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in pediatrics, with a cardiology subspecialty and a critical care subspecialty. Dr. Kramer completed fellowships in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Pediatric Cardiology at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland before joining the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.

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Dr. Miller is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She completed a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and in Pediatric Heart Failure and Transplant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

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Dr. Ryan is a specially-trained pediatric cardiologist with advanced training in cardiomyopathy, heart failure and heart transplant care. She completed her fellowship training in Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital Heart Institute. She is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty.

Electrophysiology

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Dr. Guerrier is director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology (EP) Program and also directs the cardiac rhythm device management, pacemakers and automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) at Le Bonheur. She also is an interventional electrophysiologist with advanced training in this subspecialty. She completed her training in pediatric cardiology and pediatric electrophysiology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Guerrier is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty. She is an assistant professor with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

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Dr. Gutierrez is a pediatric cardiologist with special training in Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology. She is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She completed fellowships in Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Electrophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital.

Infectious Disease

Psychology

Physician Assistant

Nurse Practitioner

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Jenny Strelsin is a pediatric acute care nurse practitioner in the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital with clinical expertise in the care of infants, children, teens and young adults with cardiomyopathy, heart failure, mechanical circulatory support/ventricular assist devices (MCS/VADs) and heart transplantation. Streslin is an associate instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science College of Nursing. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing and Pediatric Acute Care -BC from the University of South Alabama.

Pharmacy

Johanna Norman
Johanna Norman, PharmD, BCPPS

Clinical Pharmacist Rotation: Critical Care Operations - Longitudinal Pharmacy Education: University of Tennessee Health Science Center Post Graduate Training: PGY1 and PGY2- Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Coordinators

Amber Merrit
Amber Merrit, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, RN-BC

Tiffany Street
Tiffany Street