UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute Announces New Co-Presidents

University Hospitals is excited to announce two renowned UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute physicians will now serve as Co-Presidents, leading the more than 2,000 heart and vascular professionals in cardiology, cardiac surgery, and vascular surgery across 18 hospitals and 47 ambulatory sites across the region.

Together, President Ravi Ramani, MD, MMM, and President Yasir Abu-Omar, MD, PhD, FRCS, will lead UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute into the future.

Dr. Ramani, the Lorraine and Bill Dodero Chair in Heart Failure & Transplantation, has served since 2021 as Clinical Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine and Chief Quality Officer of UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. In that time, he guided the integration of cardiovascular care at UH into one unified program. He has helped recruit cardiologists across the system, set up the transfer program that brings the sickest patients to UH, re-established the Heart Failure ICU, expanded procedural capacity, and supported the launch of several new clinical programs. As Chief Quality Officer for cardiology, cardiac surgery, and vascular surgery, he built the quality program under which the institute now meets or exceeds national benchmarks, the strongest results in its history. He maintains a busy clinical practice in heart failure, transplantation, and pulmonary hypertension.

Before joining UH, Dr. Ramani trained and practiced at UPMC, one of the nation's pioneering transplant centers, where he led the cardiac transplant program, built a heart failure program spanning the health system and its insurance plan, and founded the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Fellowship. His work has been published in leading medical journals and featured in national media. He earned his medical degree from the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India, holds a Master of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and is a UH Distinguished Physician.

Dr. Abu-Omar, the Russ and Connie Lincoln Chair in Cardiovascular Innovation, has served as Chief of Cardiac Surgery since January 2025 and as Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery since 2024. He also holds the Jay L. Ankeney Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery. Since joining UH in 2020, he has been Director of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support and Co-Director of the Hambrick Center for Cardiac Recovery. Under his leadership, cardiac surgery has achieved record surgical volumes, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' highest three-star quality rating for coronary bypass surgery, and established a nationally leading robotic cardiac surgery program. He has also helped bring several innovative programs to UH, including DCD heart transplantation, Ohio's first ECPR program, surgery for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a dedicated pulmonary endarterectomy program.

Prior to joining UH, Dr. Abu-Omar spent more than a decade as a cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon in the United Kingdom, including leading the heart transplant program at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, one of Europe's foremost cardiothoracic and transplant centers. He earned his doctorate from the University of Oxford and is Professor of Surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. An internationally recognized surgeon, educator and investigator, he has authored extensively, led major clinical research initiatives and is a frequent invited faculty member at national and international cardiothoracic meetings.

“We considered appointing co-presidents at this time as a bolstered approach to lead this prestigious institute into the future,” said Dr. Daniel Simon, president of academic & external affairs, chief scientific officer, and Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair in Health Care Leadership for University Hospitals. “At University Hospitals we know the importance of multidisciplinary patient care and that also extends to leadership. By choosing institute co-leaders, one with expertise in cardiovascular medicine, the other with a background in heart and vascular surgical care, we’re ensuring that all aspects of the patient experience will be considered and held to the highest standard.”

Dr. Simon also formerly served as the President of UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute and was currently the interim President after the departure of Dr. Mehdi Shishehbor.

Drs. Ramani and Abu-Omar have a demonstrated record of success working together. Since 2021, their partnership has strengthened the heart transplant program, improved cardiac surgical outcomes, expanded patient access, and produced shared clinical protocols and transfer guidelines for cardiac surgery. They bring to these new roles that record of clinical excellence, innovation, and program growth, and a commitment to advancing UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute as a destination for exceptional cardiovascular care, research, and education.