Dr. Lima joined our surgical faculty in the Department of Cardiac Surgery from Dallas, Texas, where he was the Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support for Medical City Healthcare and one of the National Physician Directors for Cardiothoracic Surgery with HCA Healthcare. His efforts led to the development of early identification tools for patients with cardiogenic shock across HCA Healthcare, as well as the first successful DCD (donation after circulatory death) heart transplant program in the state of Texas. Dr. Lima was previously at Northwell Health in New York as the inaugural Surgical Director for the first and only heart transplant program on Long Island.

With nearly 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Lima has extensively investigated clinical outcomes related to heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support, including left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECM). Beyond research, Dr. Lima is most passionate about clinical care and treats patients with heart failure, cardiac valve and coronary heart disease.

Education:

• Executive MBA in Health Care Management, Naveen Jindal School of Management, University of Texas, Dallas, TX 2024
• M.D., Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 2002
• B.A., Chemistry, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 1998

Post Graduate Training:

• Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 2009-20012
• General Surgery Residency, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 2002-2009

Clinical Interests:

• Heart Transplant
• Mechanical Circulatory Support
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Cardiac Valve Disease
• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement/TAVR
• Aortic Aneurysms

Contact:

Department of Cardiac Surgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vanderbilt Medical Center East
1215 21st Ave, South, Suite 5025
Nashville TN 37232

Phone (615) 343-9195

Education

• Fellowship Training: Bruce Connell Fellow of Aesthetic and Breast Plastic Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
• Mark A Codner Aesthetic and Breast Fellowship Grant Recipient from the Southeastern Society of Plastic Surgery. 
• Residency Training: Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery (Integrated) 
• Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner a college of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University

Patient Care Emphasis

• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Aesthetics
• Body Contouring
• Breast Augmentation
• Breast Reconstructive Surgery
• Reconstructive Microsurgery

Dr. Johnson joined our surgical faculty in the Department of Pediatric Surgery as Assistant Professor after serving as an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery at University of Chicago, Comer Children’s Hospital. He specializes in pediatric surgery including surgical critical care, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), trauma, complex interventions such as chest wall deformity, and image-guided surgical techniques in children.

Research
Dr. Johnson has dedicated himself extensively to advancements in minimally invasive surgery, including image-guided surgical techniques and interventions. Pediatric surgery innovations and technologies are a primary focus of his research and have involved the use of both ultrasound and ECMO. Included among his recent publications in numerous peer-reviewed journals is "Ultrasound-guided enteropexy for repair of ostomy prolapse," Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques. Additional publications include: "Ultrasound-guided gastrostomy tube placement: An evaluation of postoperative complications in the pediatric population," also in JLAST, and "Evaluating the risk of peri-umbilical hernia after sutured or sutureless gastroschisis closure," Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

Memberships, Awards and Honors
Dr. Johnson is board-certified in General Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, and Pediatric Surgery. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Pediatrics, and the American Pediatric Surgery Association. He received a Faculty Teaching Award at the University of Chicago and two Fellow Teaching Awards at the University of Florida.

Education
Dr. Johnson earned his bachelor of science degree at the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. He received his medical degree at Emory University, Atlanta, GA. His internship and residency in General Surgery were completed at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Scottsdale, AZ. This was followed by fellowships in Pediatric Innovations, Pediatric Surgical Critical Care, and Image Guided Surgery at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Dr. Johnson also completed a fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Contact
Department of Pediatric Surgery
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
Doctor’s Office Tower
2200 Children's Way, Suite 7100
Nashville, TN
Phone: (615) 936-1050

Patient Appointments and Clinic
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
Doctor’s Office Tower
2200 Children's Way, Suite 7100
Nashville, TN
Pediatric Appointments: (615) 936-1050

WEBSITE:  Department of Pediatric Surgery