Same Surgeon Different Light Podcast

In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Sara Pereira and Dr. Ian Bostock celebrate the 20th anniversary and impact of the STS Looking to the Future (LTTF) Scholarship Program by speaking with three rising stars pursuing careers in cardiothoracic surgery: Tyler Wilson, MD, a general surgery resident at the University of Chicago; Molly Shields, MD, a general surgery resident at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; and Tyrone Hill, a medical student at Meharry Medical College.
Reflecting on their unique journeys into medicine, the LTTF scholars share how attending the STS Annual Meeting and participating in the scholarship program provided invaluable access to mentors, expanded their professional networks, and reinforced their confidence in pursuing a highly competitive specialty.
The guests share their perspectives on wellness, family planning, and maintaining outside interests like running, cooking, and camping. They emphasize that success in cardiothoracic surgery isn't a single path, but is built on resilience, community, and mentorship—illustrating how programs like Looking to the Future make the specialty more inclusive and supportive for aspiring surgeons. 

Cohosts Dr. Sara Pereira and Dr. Fatima Wilder are joined by guest Dr. J.W. Awori Hayanga—professor of cardiothoracic surgery at West Virginia University, director of the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute ECMO Program, and a nationally recognized leader in transplantation, health policy, and artificial intelligence in medicine—for a wide-ranging conversation about mentorship, resilience, and purpose.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr. Hayanga reflects on the profound influence of his lawyer parents, especially his mother, whose pioneering work in microfinance and women’s empowerment shaped his worldview and commitment to service. He shares the challenges of immigrating to the United States for medical training, navigating the uncertainty of visa status as an international medical graduate, and learning how relationships, mentorship, and persistence can open doors throughout a surgical career.
The conversation also explores the growing role of artificial intelligence and robotics in cardiothoracic surgery, along with candid insights on leadership, emotional intelligence, failure, and staying grounded through the demands of academic medicine.

In this episode of Same Surgeon, Different Light, cohosts Dr. Cherie Erkmen and Dr. Sara Pereira sit down with guest Dr. Ara Vaporciyan, professor of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to explore a career dedicated to advancing surgical education and leadership. 
Dr. Vaporciyan reflects on his path from an early fascination with heart transplantation to becoming a nationally recognized educator and institutional leader. He discusses the evolution of thoracic surgery, the demands of academic medicine, and his belief that expert surgeons must become “consciously competent” to effectively teach trainees.
Grounded in mentorship, negotiation, and “teaching to the gap,” he offers thoughtful insights on curriculum design, leadership, and preparing the next generation of surgeons.

In this episode of Same Surgeon, Different Light, Dr. Cherie Erkmen and Dr. Sara Pereira sit down with Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku of the University of Toronto, a global leader in minimally invasive thoracic oncology, to explore a career shaped by discipline, innovation, and cross-cultural experience.
He reflects on his surgical training in Japan’s rigorous, hierarchical system and his academic journey in North America, sharing how these environments informed his approach to patient care and research. Dr. Yasufuku discusses the development of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), from early prototypes to worldwide adoption, transforming lung cancer staging. He also offers insights on perseverance, leadership, mentorship, and the future of increasingly minimally invasive, patient-centered care.

In this episode, hosts Dr. Sara Pereira and Dr. Cherie Erkmen sit down with guest Dr. Stephanie Chang, Surgical Director of Lung Transplant at NYU Langone Transplant Institute, to explore how a childhood dream of teaching evolved into a career in surgical precision and innovation. She reflects on the moment a college biology class sparked her fascination with CABG, the mentorship that shaped her during training at Washington University in St. Louis, and her role in performing the first fully robotic lung transplant at NYU—while sharing insights on leadership, mentorship, and balancing life beyond the operating room.

In this Same Surgeon, Different Light episode, hosts Dr. Sara Pereira and Dr. Cherie Erkmen sit down with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Gianluigi Bisleri to reflect on his early training in Italy, a once-imagined path in music, and his fellowship at Columbia University. He shares insights from leadership roles across Europe and Canada, discussing his work advancing minimally invasive valve and atrial fibrillation surgery, training as a left-handed surgeon, and building programs from the ground up.
In a candid conversation on leading change, he reflects on introducing new technologies in complex academic environments, mentoring the next generation, and embracing resilience, lifelong learning, and balance—lessons shaped by family life in Toronto, skiing Canadian winters, and playing guitar in a band.

Today, co-hosts Dr. Sara Pereira and Dr. Cherie Erkmen sit down with guest Dr. Bo Yang, who shares his remarkable career path from medical school and early cardiothoracic training at Xiangya University in China, to earning a PhD in pharmacology in the United States, to retraining in surgery at the University of Arizona and Stanford and ultimately joining the University of Michigan as a surgeon-scientist.
Along the way, he reflects on the mentors, cultural challenges, and relentless work ethic that carried him through 13 years of retraining.
It’s a compelling chat, as Dr. Yang discusses building a basic science lab, while launching a complex aortic practice, developing the Y-incision aortic root enlargement technique, and learning to become a more patient and intentional teacher. offers words of wisdom on the importance of spending time with your family.

In the Season 6 premiere episode, live from STS 2026, host Dr. Sara Pereira and guest co-host Dr. Fatima Wilder sit down with Dr. Doug Wood, who shares his extraordinary journey—from growing up on a farm in rural Michigan in a family that valued education, to attending the National Science Foundation Summer Science Program at Purdue University, to becoming a national champion rower at Harvard, and ultimately serving as a division chief, department chair, and leader in lung cancer surgery and advocacy. It’s a fascinating conversation, as he reflects on his career with humility and self-deprecating humor.

In this special episode of Same Surgeon, Different Light, hosts Dr. Cherie Erkmen and Dr. Sara Pereira sit down with STS President Dr. Joseph Sabik as he reflects on his early interest science, the mentors who shaped his career, and the pivotal role mentorship continues to play in his leadership within the Society.
He also shares insights into what attendees can anticipate at the 62nd STS Annual Meeting, unpacks the meaning behind this year’s theme—“Teaching for Tomorrow Together”—and offers an exclusive preview of the inspiring speakers and events that will celebrate the specialty’s future.

In the latest episode of Same Surgeon, Different Light, host Dr. Sara Pereira welcomes three recent “You Belong” Scholarship recipients — medical student Manuel De La Garza, Dr. Sanjhai Ramdeen, and Dr. Humberto Rodriguez-Quintero — to discuss the career paths they are forging as future leaders in medicine. 
They also share how attending the 61st STS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles strengthened their commitment to pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery.  Highlights of the three-day event included discussions on the importance of both organic and assigned mentorship, insights on how CT surgeons can benefit from coaching, and a lively debate that presented different perspectives on the Ross Procedure.