Andy C. Kiser, M.D., M.B.A. is currently the Physician-in-Chief of Cardiovascular Services, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery and the Executive Medical Director of Perioperative Services at St. Clair Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Kiser is a Clinical Professor of Surgery in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and serves as the President of the Western Pennsylvania Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. Kiser is an expert in minimally-invasive valve, arrhythmia, and coronary artery surgery. He also has extensive experience in the treatment of cancers and other diseases that involve the lungs, the esophagus, and the chest wall. An international leader in arrhythmia surgery, Dr. Kiser pioneered the Convergent Procedure, a minimally invasive way to treat atrial fibrillation that is now performed world-wide. He also developed the suprasternal approach for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), enabling aortic valve replacement via a small incision for people who cannot undergo open-heart surgery. Dr. Kiser completed his MBA at The UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in July, 2018. He has been a founding partner of start-up medical devices companies such as nContact Surgical, Aegis Surgical, Atrius Surgical, KL Medical, and Red Branch Innovation. As CEO of Advanced Cardiac Access Training Institute (ACATI), he designs novel, high-fidelity simulators and educational platforms for start-up medical device companies and law firms prosecuting health care malpractice.Dr. Kiser, a native of Moore County, NC, earned B.S. and M.D. degrees with honors at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed his training in both general surgery (1997) and cardiothoracic surgery (2000) at UNC. He practiced cardiac and thoracic surgery in Pinehurst, NC, until he joined the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in November 2010 where he became chief of the division in July 2011 and was named the Byah Thomason-Sanford Doxey Distinguished Professor of Surgery. In April, 2016, Dr. Kiser joined the East Carolina Heart Institute in Greenville, NC as chief and as the John Mark Williams Distinguished Professor in Cardiac Surgery. Upon completion of his MBA, he joined St. Clair Cardiovascular in Pittsburgh, PA in January 2019. He is a Board Certified in Thoracic Surgery and in General Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, and the American College of Chest Physicians.