Deborah Heart and Lung Center appoints former Mount Sinai head as chair of cardiothoracic surgery

Dr. Charles Geller has joined Deborah Heart and Lung Center‘s medical staff and will serve as chair, cardiothoracic surgery, according to an announcement from the facility’s CEO and president, Joseph Chirichella.

Geller previously worked at Crozer Health in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he served as associate chairman of surgery and system chief of cardiothoracic surgery since 2014. A highly experienced surgeon, Geller has completed over 5,000 open heart surgery cases over the course of his career. In addition to bringing his surgical skills to Deborah, Geller will add to Deborah’s medical leadership with his focus on continued improvements in surgical quality through process improvement.

Prior to his employment in Pennsylvania, Geller practiced in Manhattan at Lenox Hill Hospital and Mount Sinai Beth Israel where he was director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Intensive Care Unit.

Geller is board certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Chest Physicians. He is also a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, where he participates in their workforce on critical care, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Heart Association, Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgery Society, New York Society of Thoracic Surgery and Delaware Valley Society of Thoracic Surgery.

An active researcher and educator as well as a clinician, Geller has co-authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications reported in journals such as Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Journal of American College of Cardiology and CHEST. He has delivered over 100 presentations at local, regional and national meetings and served as judge, program committee member and conference co-director at numerous cardiac surgery symposia. Geller currently serves as clinical professor of surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine and clinical associate professor (adjunct) of surgery at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

“We are excited to have Dr. Geller join our nationally-recognized surgical team” Chirichella said. “He brings a wealth of experience and a history of excellent patient outcomes. As one of the region’s preeminent cardiac surgery centers, Deborah maintains a high volume-high quality program, despite often accepting for care patients that other hospitals find too difficult to treat. Dr. Geller will make an excellent complement to our cardiothoracic surgery department and we look forward to the positive impact he will make.”