Awais Ashfaq, MD, FACC, FACS
- Congenital Cardiac Surgeon, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery
- Assistant Professor, UC Department of Surgery
- awais.ashfaq@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
I’m a pediatric cardiac surgeon specializing in heart failure, aortic valve problems and single ventricle patients. Combining care coordination, integrated care and attention to detail are hallmarks of my practice. I am honored to work with an upstanding talented group of individuals.
Great mentors and role models influenced my interest in medicine and cardiac surgery. I enjoy making a difference in someone’s life at an early age. I am also intrigued by the variations in pathologies that I see.
I like combining critical and artistic thinking as part of my patient approach. I respect the family’s needs and values and encourage open communication and knowledge-sharing for patient and family education.
As a researcher, I aim to discover innovative ways to utilize organs or parts of organs for transplant and improve and optimize approaches to aortic valve repair.
I am honored to have received the Vivien Thomas Early Career Investigator Award from the American Heart Association (2021) and the Mayo Brothers Distinguished Fellowship Award from the American Association of Thoracic Surgery.
When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two kids. When not with family, I like to watch Cricket and read biographies about founders and inventors.
MD: Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan, 2011.
Residency: General Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, 2017.
Fellowship: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, 2019.
Fellowship: Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, 2020.
Interests
Neonatal cardiac surgery; heart failure and transplantation; aortic valve repair
Interests
Ex-vivo perfusion; partial heart transplant
Research Areas
Insurance Information
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
Publications
Stabilizing the Unstable: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database of Children Supported With Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Before Cardiac Surgery. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2025; 120:1125-1133.
Personalized Patient-Specific Patch Augmentation Using Virtual Surgical Planning. JACC: Case Reports. 2025; 30:105765.
The Increasing Utilization of the Impella Device as a Bridge-to-Transplantation in Pediatric Heart Centers Across the United States. World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Hearth Surgery. 2025; 16:769-775.
Transposition of the Great Arteries With Intact Ventricular Septum and Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (STS-CHSD). World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Hearth Surgery. 2025; 16:751-760.
Can Children With a VAD Overcome Intellectual and Motor Disabilities After Heart Transplantation in the United States?. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2025; 120:957-966.
A structured institutional framework for establishing a living allogenic valve transplant program. 2025; 10:100384.
Aspirin Use Following the Arterial Switch Operation in the United States: Variability, Trends, and Perioperative Outcomes. World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Hearth Surgery. 2025; 16:736-743.
Valve Sparing Aortic Root Replacement in Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Type II: Is It Ever Too Early?. JACC: Case Reports. 2025; 30:104798.
Tracheostomy in patients with a single ventricle during stage 1 palliation hospitalization: Prudent?. JTCVS techniques. 2025; 33:225-229.
Contemporary Practice of Native Coarctation in Children Greater Than One Year of Age: A Society of Thoracic Surgeons Analysis. World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Hearth Surgery. 2025; 16:439-445.
3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
© 1999-2025 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. All rights reserved.
Patient Ratings and Comments
All patient satisfaction ratings and comments are submitted by actual patients and verified by a leading independent experience management company, Qualtrics. Patient identities are withheld to ensure confidentiality and privacy. Only those providers whose satisfaction surveys are administered through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center are displayed. Click here to learn more about our survey