Dr. Mettler comes to Le Bonheur from Johns
Hopkins Children's Center
MEMPHIS, Tenn., July 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Le Bonheur
Children's Hospital has named Bret A.
Mettler, MD, its new Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and
Executive Co-Director of the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur and the
University of Tennessee Health Science
Center. Dr. Mettler will also hold The Susan and Alan Graf Endowed
Chair in Pediatric Heart Surgery at Le Bonheur.
He comes to Le Bonheur and UT Health Science Center from Johns
Hopkins Children's Center, where he serves as Director of Pediatric
Cardiac Surgery and Co-Director of the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas
Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center.
Before his time at Johns Hopkins,
Dr. Mettler served as the Director of Cardiac Transplantation and
Mechanical Circulatory Support at Vanderbilt
University Medical Center in Nashville.
"I am excited for Dr. Mettler to join our talented and dedicated
team at Le Bonheur and UT Health Science Center," said Le Bonheur
President Trey Eubanks, MD, FACS.
"Bret brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which will
allow us to continue our Heart Institute's mission of
providing excellent care for children with complex heart
conditions."
Dr. Mettler specializes in the surgical repair of complex
congenital heart disease, heart transplantation and mechanical
circulatory support. His research interests include insights into
complex congenital heart defects and the development of an
artificial pulmonary valve using stem cells.
"Le Bonheur is committed to excellence and providing outstanding
care for patients," said Dr. Mettler. "The Heart Institute has a
world-class faculty built by Drs. (Chris)
Knott-Craig and (Jeffrey A.)
Towbin, and I am pleased to be part of building on that
foundation. Le Bonheur really shines for its care for children in
an environment built just for them. I am excited about our
continued vision for growth and service to the community."
Le Bonheur Children's Announces Dr. Brett Mettler, page two of two
Dr. Mettler assumes the chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and
executive co-director of the Heart Institute roles from
Christopher Knott-Craig, MD, who
last year announced he plans to step down as chief and
executive co-director of the Heart Institute. Dr. Knott-Craig,
along with Dr. Jeffrey A. Towbin,
the executive co-director of the Heart Institute and chief of
Pediatric Heart Failure and medical director of Cardiomyopathy,
Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Services, have been responsible
for leading Le Bonheur's Heart Institute to become a Top 10 program
in U.S. News & World Report. They have built the reputation of
Le Bonheur's Heart Institute as an elite surgical and medical
program and developed the new 31-bed Cardiovascular Intensive Care
Unit. Le Bonheur will honor Knott-Craig and his tenure later this
summer.
"I want to thank the medical, surgical and nursing members of
the Heart Institute for their very substantial role in helping to
recruit Dr. Mettler and for their long-term commitment to
excellence and the special care given to their patients," said Dr.
Towbin, who also serves as chief of Cardiology at Le Bonheur and
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and tenured professor,
Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology at UT Health Science
Center. "I am excited for Le Bonheur's future and for the
innovation that Dr. Mettler brings to Memphis. He is a wonderful addition to our
outstanding team."
Dr. Mettler is a native of South
Dakota. He, along with his wife Kelly and their two
daughters, will move to Memphis
later this year.
About Le Bonheur Children's
Le Bonheur Children's, based in Memphis, Tenn., provides expert care for
children in more than 45 pediatric subspecialties, encompassing
robust community programs, a pediatric research institute and
regional outpatient centers in Jackson,
Tenn., Tupelo, Miss., and
Jonesboro, Ark. Le Bonheur also
features a 255-bed hospital in Memphis and a 21-bed satellite hospital
within Jackson-Madison County
General Hospital in Jackson, Tenn.
As the primary pediatric teaching affiliate for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center,
Le Bonheur trains more than 350
pediatricians and specialists each year. Nationally recognized, Le
Bonheur has been named a U.S. News & World Report Best
Children's Hospital for 13 consecutive years and is a
Magnet-designated facility, the ultimate credential for
high-quality patient care and nursing excellence.
For more information, please call (901) 287-6030 or visit
lebonheur.org. Connect with us at
facebook.com/lebonheurchildrens,
x.com/lebonheurchild on Instagram at
lebonheurchildrens.
About University of Tennessee
Health Science Center
The mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is
transforming lives through collaborative and inclusive education,
research, scholarship, clinical care, and public service. With six
colleges – Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions,
Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy – at its main campus in
Memphis, in addition to
educational and clinical campuses at major hospitals in
Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville, and sites across the state, UT
Health Science Center strives to fulfill its vision: Healthy
Tennesseans. Thriving Communities. For more
information, visit www.uthsc.edu. You can find the
University of Tennessee Health Science
Center on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X,
and YouTube.
CONTACT:
David Henson
(423) 304-9400
David.Henson@lebonheur.org
Ariss Arena
(901) 283-5584
Ariss.Arena@lebonheur.org
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SOURCE Le Bonheur Children's Hospital