Dr. Vivek Rao is the Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery and Professor of Surgery at the Toronto General Hospital where he is the Surgical Director of the Artificial Heart program. Dr. Rao completed his medical and surgical training at the University of Toronto prior to completing a fellowship in cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at New York’s Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. In addition to performing a wide variety of cardiac surgical procedures, Dr. Rao is a recognized expert in heart failure surgery. He currently holds the Munk Chair in Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics at the Peter Munk Cardiac Center, Toronto General Hospital. In 2006, he was named as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” by Caldwell Partners International.