Department of Surgery
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Specialties

John Stulak, MD

Professor

  • K. Craig Kent, MD Surgery Chair in Strategic Leadership
  • Chair, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery


Education

  • MD, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
  • General Surgery Residency, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester, MN
  • Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Residency, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester, MN
  • Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support Fellowship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Clinical Specialties

Dr. Stulak’s clinical focus includes: management of coronary artery disease, especially coronary artery bypass grafting with multiple arterial revascularization and redo coronary artery bypass surgery, management of patients with valvular heart disease, expertise with specific training in surgical treatment of advanced heart failure including high-risk conventional corrective heart surgery, mechanical circulatory assistance, and heart transplant, special interest in surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation and evolving techniques of alternate energy sources, as well as lesion sets, and management of patients with chronic relapsing or constrictive pericarditis, including preoperative hemodynamic optimization prior to surgical resection.

Dr. Stulak provides a wide range of services including Heart Transplant, Maze Procedure (Surgical), Mitral Valve Repair, Ventricular Assist Devices.

Recent Publications

  • Impact of Effective Orifice Area on Long-Term Survival in Bioprosthetic versus Mechanical Aortic Valves.
    Danesh S, Tam V, Lee A, Sawma T, Arghami A, Stulak JM, Rowse P, Holst K, Todd A, Greason KL, Shrestha M, Bagameri G, Pochettino A, Nkomo VT, Pislaru SV, Eleid MF, Gulati R, Guerrero M, Simard T, Dearani JA, Crestanello JA, Tang PC
    J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2025 Sep 29;
    [PubMed ID: 41033649]

  • Active and Passive Cardiac Index as Complementary Predictors of Outcomes After LVAD Implantation.
    Vincy Tam WS, Calderon R, Lu S, Todd A, Rosenbaum A, Stulak JM, Tang PC
    J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2025 Sep 08;
    [PubMed ID: 40930378]

  • Taken for Granted: An Analysis of Sternal Closure Techniques.
    Chopko TC, Khan FW, Stulak JM
    Ann Thorac Surg 2025 Aug 25;
    [PubMed ID: 40865784]

  • Risk stratification of coronary artery bypass patients using an artificial intelligence electrocardiogram-derived age.
    Sawma T, Arghami A, Schaff HV, Aslahishahri M, Mangold KE, Dearani JA, Stulak JM, Bagameri G, Villavicencio MA, Greason KL, Lopez-Jimenez F, Friedman P, Attia Z, Crestanello JA
    J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2025 Jul 18;
    [PubMed ID: 40684845]

  • Anticoagulation vs No Anticoagulation for Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft: A Meta-Analysis.
    Shariff M, Kumar A, Bagameri G, Kowlgi NG, Deshmukh A, Stulak J
    Am J Cardiol 2025 Aug 15; 249: 16-17
    [PubMed ID: 40180142]

All Publications on PubMed