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Paul T. Frantz, M.D.
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Peter J.K. Starek, M.D.

April 22, 2015

Paul T. Frantz, M.D., a heart surgeon, will speak at UNC Surgery Grand Rounds on May 13 as the first Peter J.K. Starek M.D. Visiting Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery at UNC.

Dr. Frantz’s topic is “Challenges, complexities and compromises: Welcome to the new world.” The lecture will be at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, in the Clinic Auditorium on the Fourth Floor of the Old Clinic Building.

Dr. Frantz earned an M.D. from Georgetown University in 1971. He completed his general surgery residency (1976) and cardiothoracic surgery residency (1978) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his cardiothoracic surgery residency, he trained with Dr. Starek, whom the professorship honors. He holds board certification in both general and thoracic surgery.

From 1978 to 1982, Dr. Frantz held a cardiothoracic surgery faculty appointment at UNC, and has held a clinical surgical faculty appointment at the University of Virginia since 1984.

In 1982, he was appointed Founding Director of the Cardiac Surgery Program at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, now Carilion Clinic, in Roanoke, Va. In 2005, he was appointed Medical Director for Cardiac Services at Carilion Clinic and has held a faculty appointment as associate professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke since 2009.

In 2004, Dr. Frantz initiated a hospital-based Heart Alert Program for management of patients with STEMI (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction), a severe type of heart attack, and later expanded it to community EMS providers and regional referral hospitals throughout southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. The program coordinates care to speed up life-saving treatment of patients with heart attacks. Dr. Frantz was involved in development and regional expansion of Carilion’s Therapeutic Hypothermia Program for management of post-cardiac arrest patients.

Dr. Frantz’s current professional interests include optimization of clinical outcomes for cardiac patients and education of medical students, residents, fellows and EMS/health and safety providers.

About the Starek Professorship:

Dr. Starek, a distinguished cardiac surgeon, was a faculty member in the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery from 1971 until his retirement in 2002. The Peter J.K. Starek M.D. Visiting Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery honors Dr. Starek and his contributions to UNC and to cardiac surgery.

The professorship, begun in 2015, is an annual invited lecture to be delivered by graduates of the UNC Cardiothoracic Surgery residency training program. The visiting surgeon delivers a lecture at Surgery Grand Rounds and holds a conference session with cardiothoracic surgery residents and faculty.

During his residency in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Starek trained with C. Walton Lillehei, M.D., who pioneered open-heart surgery. Dr. Starek also did a fellowship in cardiac revascularization surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, with Dudley Johnson, M.D., a pioneer of coronary artery bypass surgery.

During his cardiothoracic residency, Dr. Starek worked with Dr. Robert Kaster, an engineer who designed successful prosthetic heart valves. At UNC, that association helped Dr. Starek become the first U.S. university surgeon to investigate a new heart valve, the Medtronic-Hall valve. Dr. Starek’s work with the valve gave him international recognition and he chaired an international heart valve meeting in 1984. He also edited a book, Heart Valve Replacement and Reconstruction: Clinical Issues and Trends.

At UNC, Dr. Starek performed cardiac surgery for adult patients and trained many residents and medical students. He was an innovator in patient care: he realized that patients’ surgical outcomes depended on post-operative care as well as surgical skills. Working with nurses and hospital administration, he was a leader in improving UNC Hospitals’ intensive care units. He also helped start the Orange Cardiovascular Foundation in Chapel Hill, a cardiac rehab program for post-operative patients.

Read more here about the Starek lectureship.