Specialties
Education
- MD, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- MBE, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Integrated Thoracic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Integrated Thoracic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
- Congenital Cardiac Surgery Fellow, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York, New York, NY
Clinical Specialties
Dr. Blitzer specializes in the full spectrum of congenital heart disease, spanning from patients requiring surgery as newborns in the neonatal period to re-do operations in adults. He has specific expertise in robotic cardiac surgery and has extensive experience with robotic repair of mitral valve disease as well as a wide variety of congenital heart defects.
Research Interests
Dr. Blitzer is interested in the use of robotic surgery platform as a tool for research and resident education. In addition, he has an interest in sustainability and the intersection of environmental factors and patient health/outcomes.
Recent Publications
Domo Arigato, Mr Roboto.
Blitzer D, Goldstone AB
Ann Thorac Surg 2026 Jul 04;
[PubMed ID: 42401221]Primer for the current and future congenital cardiac surgery fellow.
Blitzer D, Oh N, Nguyen S, Keizman E, Devlin P, Fynn-Thompson F, Bacha E
JTCVS Open 2026 Aug; 32: 101881
[PubMed ID: 42604177]Robotic correction of a congenital mitral valve cleft and concomitant annuloplasty.
Ramos-Lemos G, Blitzer D, Nguyen S, Lalonde M, Bacha E, Geirsson A
JTCVS Tech 2026 Aug; 38: 102389
[PubMed ID: 42577106]Robotic Cardiac Surgery Training: The Trainee's Perspective.
Blitzer D, Amabile A
Ann Thorac Surg 2026 Apr 12;
[PubMed ID: 41974332]Early outcomes of a formal robotic congenital cardiac surgery program.
Scala JJ, Blitzer D, LaLonde M, Hing S, Goldstone AB, Bacha E, Geirsson A, Kalfa DM
JTCVS Open 2026 Feb; 29: 101564
[PubMed ID: 41960109]