Alan ODonnell, PA-C

I was inspired to pursue my career as a physician assistant by Dr. James Tweddell. I work in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Heart Institute, and my care philosophy is holistic. It is easy to have tunnel-vision in surgery, but I think it’s important to help educate the patient, as well as the patient’s family, both pre-operatively and well into the post-operative period.

I have won several awards for surgical videos I have created for The Cardiothoracic Surgery Network (CTSNet) and other venues. I also love to draw and create easy-to-understand pre-and post-operative anatomical illustrations for patients, families and all those along the spectrum of care. I'm always available to put together a diagram for a patient or family.

In my research, I am studying two main topics. One is creating a durable and reproducible small (5mm, 6mm and 8mm) tri- and bi-leaflet polytetrafluorethylene (ePTFE) for use as a right-ventricle-to-pulmonary-artery conduit in neonates and infants. I am also interested in creating novel editing techniques for surgical videos to educate all providers along the spectrum of care—even the most complex congenital heart surgeries.

When I’m not working, I love to spend time with my wife and four dogs! I have a lab mix (Remington) and three English Bulldogs (Guadalupe, Winnie and Pooh). I also enjoy photography, hiking and playing video games.