UF Health Aortic Disease Center

03/25/2026

Learn how Eric Jeng, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, FACC, FCCP, an associate professor of surgery and the associate director of the UF Health Aortic Disease Center, and Nicole Iovine, M.D., Ph.D., the chief hospital epidemiologist at UF Health, are leveraging AI at UF to better predict and prevent sepsis in patients after surgery. Learn more about their lifesaving research on the No. 1 cause of death in hospitals nationwide, supported by the UF Quality and Patient Safety initiative, in the video below.

03/19/2026

There are three core values that guide Tammy Kegley in her day-to-day and professional life, instilled in her from her time serving in the U.S. Air Force: integrity first, service before self and excellence in all that we do.

Learn how she manages the day-to-day operations that keep the UF Health Aortic Disease Center beating by visiting https://news.drgator.ufl.edu/2026/03/02/tammy-kegley-staff-spotlight/

03/17/2026

Meet Tomas Martin, M.D., director for the UF Health Aortic Disease Center, a surgeon who loves helping patients facing aortic disease. Learn more about the UF Health Aortic Disease Center and its doctors at https://ufhealth.org/specialties/heart-and-vascular-care/aortic-disease-disease-center -team

03/13/2026

03/12/2026

The UF Health Aortic Disease Center is honored support Walk for Victory, an event that means so much to the patients and families we care for every day.

As a sponsor since 2019, the Aortic Disease Center looks forward to this powerful gathering each year. This connection-driven event unites our community in support of loved ones who have been impacted by genetic aortic and vascular conditions, including Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, Vascular Ehlers-Danlos and Stickler syndrome.

Join us Saturday, April 25 at Water Works Park in Tampa, Florida to be part of this extraordinary movement.

🔗 Learn more: https://give.marfan.org/gatorswithaorta-tude

03/09/2026

Fifth-year surgery resident, Chris Bobba, presented his abstract at the 62nd Annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons Meeting in Louisiana.

Bobba's research focused on frozen elephant trunk, a complex and life-saving surgery that repairs and strengthens the body’s main artery in one operation. In a 10-year review of patients who underwent this procedure, the majority did well. Surgical teams use thoughtful planning, advanced technology and protective strategies to support spinal cord health during and after surgery.

Congratulations Chris on your amazing work!

03/07/2026

Meet Korbe Otis, a Florida Gators softball alumna who was inspired to become a doctor after her grandfather's heart valve replacement — a dream solidified by her experience shadowing University of Florida College of Medicine faculty member and cardiovascular surgeon Kirsten Freeman, M.D.

"It was my first summer away from home and I was training hard for softball," Otis said. "I’d work out at 6 a.m. and then rush over to the hospital, get into my scrubs and go through a whole day in the ICU or in surgery or whatever else I was shadowing in. Then I’d go to bed and it do it all over again the next day."

After playing professional softball with the Portland Cascade this summer, she will return to UF to begin her medical studies. Read more about her journey at https://news.drgator.ufl.edu/2026/02/04/gator-great-rounds-third-heading-toward-physician/

03/05/2026

UF Health Aortic Disease Center research fellow Alexandra Murillo Solera recently presented about our center's experience managing aortic pseudoaneurysms, a rare but life-threatening condition that often requires complex reoperative surgery.

In this single-center study of 165 patients, the vast majority had undergone prior sternotomy and many presented with infection and challenging anatomy. Despite the complexity of reoperative repair, in-hospital mortality was 9%, with estimated survival of 85% at one year and 72% at five years.

Congratulations to our research fellows for presenting this important work on a national stage and contributing to the advancement of care for patients with complex aortic disease.

03/03/2026

For Thomas Beaver, M.D., M.P.H., his service didn’t end when he hung up his Army uniform.

After beginning his career by serving patients, Beaver served his country and then went back to his roots in academic medicine. As the Grant and Shirle Herron Chair, professor and chief of the division of cardiovascular surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine, he has served the UF community as a cardiovascular surgeon for over 25 years and as a member of the UF Health Aortic Disease Center.

Learn more about his journey at

For Thomas Beaver, M.D., M.P.H., his service didn’t end when he hung up his Army uniform. After beginning his career by serving patients, Beaver served his country and then went back to his roots in academic medicine. As the Grant and Shirle Herron Chair, professor and chief of the division of car...

03/01/2026

February was an outstanding month for research at the UF Health Aortic Disease Center, where we continue improve procedures, treatments and patient outcomes. Excellent care is at the heart of what we do when it comes to translating scientific discovery to compassionate and personalized medicine. Many of our Aortic Disease Center research fellows presented research at the UF College of Medicine Celebration of Research event.

The college’s 16th annual Celebration of Research on Feb. 9–10 brought the community together through science, art and music to mark another successful year of discovery.

02/27/2026

02/27/2026

Wishing a happy Thank a Resident Day from the UF Health Aortic Disease Center family to our dedicated medical residents and fellows saving lives around Florida with UF Health!

Residents bring dedication, curiosity, resilience and compassion to everything they do while balancing clinical excellence with curiosity and a drive to continually improve.

Thank you for your hard work and commitment to advancing the future of aortic care.