Professional Bio
Robert N. Piana, MD, is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt.
He completed internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School, followed by fellowships in cardiovascular medicine and interventional cardiology at the Beth Israel Hospital-Harvard Medical School.
From 2000-2005 he directed the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship training program at VUMC, and from 2003-2008 he served as associate chief of cardiology. In his current role he directs the Adult Congenital Interventional Cardiology program with a particular focus on implantation of transcatheter pulmonary valves and closure of atrial septal defects and patent foramen ovale. He is very active in complex coronary intervention, left atrial appendage closure, pulmonary vein and pulmonary artery interventions, hemodynamic support for cardiogenic shock, balloon pulmonary artery intervention and advanced assessment of hemodynamics. In recognition of his clinical expertise, he was elected to the inaugural class of the Academy for Excellence in Clinical Medicine at VUMC in 2022.
Dr. Piana's research has focused on clinical topics in interventional cardiology and he has served as site principal investigator for multiple clinical trials in interventional cardiology. He has published over 80 original manuscripts on a variety of topics, including ischemia-reperfusion, coronary no-reflow, coronary stenting, catheter-based closure of patent foramen ovale to prevent recurrent cryptogenic stroke, identification of stiff left atrial syndrome, clinical predictors for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and the impact of acute kidney injury in acute coronary syndromes. He has served on the Writing Committee, Interventional Section Leadership Council, American College of Cardiology and the Steering Committee, American College of Cardiology, National Cardiovascular Data Registry.
Dr. Piana has played a leadership role in education in interventional cardiology as well. He serves on the American Board of Internal Medicine Item Writing Task Force for the board certification examination in interventional cardiology. He has also authored multiple chapters for the Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology Self-Assessment Program and leading textbooks of interventional cardiology and cardiovascular surgery.
As a member of the Schaffner Society since 2011, Dr. Piana serves to mentor clinical faculty in professional development. He is also a nationally recognized expert and invited speaker on medical coding and reimbursement, having chaired the American College of Cardiology's Coding Task Force, serving on the American Medical Association CPT panel, and serving on the Contracts Committee and Coding, Documentation and Clinical Excellence committee at VUMC.
Relevant Links
Publications
Education
MD - University of Pennsylvania, 1987
Internship - Massachusetts General Hospital, 1988
Residency - Massachusetts General Hospital, 1990
Fellowship - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1994
Fellowship - Harvard University, 1994
Contact
Email
Kimryn.Rathmell@Vumc.Org
Address
777 Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307