Carlos M. Mery, MD, MPH

Dr. Carlos Mery is Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Co-Executive Director of the Pediatric Heart Institute, and Associate Surgeon-in-Chief at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt; and Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Pediatrics and Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He joined Vanderbilt in October 2024 and has led the redesign of the Pediatric Heart Institute to create an integrated heart center focused on clinical excellence and improving short- and long-term outcomes for individuals with congenital heart disease.

Dr. Mery specializes in the surgical management of children and adults with congenital heart disease, with a passion for ensuring access to high-quality, comprehensive, and personalized care. His academic interests include clinical outcomes research and innovations to improve the lifelong journey of individuals affected by congenital heart disease. Dr. Mery has extensive experience in the management of patients with coronary artery anomalies and was instrumental in the development of the Coronary Anomalies Programs at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin.

Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Dr. Mery served as Associate Chief of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the Health Transformation and Design Program at The University of Texas at Austin and Dell Children’s Medical Center. During his tenure in Austin, he helped build an integrated pediatric and congenital heart center, which is now recognized as one of the top pediatric and congenital cardiac programs in the country. As part of the program, he led the creation of a robust infrastructure aimed at identifying, measuring, and improving medical and psychosocial outcomes for individuals with congenital heart disease. He previously served as staff congenital heart surgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Mery is actively involved in national and international societies with leadership roles in the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, and American Academy of Pediatrics. He is passionate about education and helping train the next generation of clinicians caring for children with congenital heart disease. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, serves on editorial boards for leading journals, and is the editor of a review book in cardiothoracic surgery and a handbook in congenital heart disease.

Education

• Doctor of Medicine (MD), Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) Medical School, Monterrey, Mexico, 2000
• Master of Public Health (MPH), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, 2001
• Master of Business Administration (MBA.), Executive MBA, Alliance for Physician Leadership, The University of Texas at Dallas, 2023–present

Postdoctoral Training

• Research Fellowship, Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán," Mexico City, Mexico, 1999–2000
• Research Fellowship (Thoracic Surgery), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, 2000–2001
• Junior Clinical Fellowship (Cardiac Surgery), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, 2001–2002
• Residency (General Surgery), Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, 2002–2009
• Fellowship (Biodesign Surgical Innovation), Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., 2005–2007
• Fellowship (Cardiothoracic Surgery), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va., 2007–2009
• Fellowship (Congenital Heart Surgery), Texas Children’s Hospital / Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 2011–2012