Mir Timo Nazari-Shafti, MD

Timo Z. Nazari-Shafti, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, specializes in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery, with a particular focus on coronary artery bypass surgery, including off-pump coronary artery surgery. He has a strong interest in advancing new technologies for minimally invasive bypass grafting, such as minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass and totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass. Originally from Lübeck, Germany, Dr. Nazari-Shafti earned his medical degree from the Otto-von-Guericke-University in Magdeburg, Germany. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships in the U.S., one at Tulane University and the other at Houston Methodist Research Institute. He then completed an integrated residency at the German Heart Center Berlin, one of Europe’s leading cardiac surgery hospitals. During his residency, he set up his own research group at Charité University and the Berlin/Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, where he served as a junior faculty member and a steering committee member. He also qualified for the prestigious Berlin Institute of Health Junior Clinician and Clinician Scientist Program and secured a European Government Grant to support collaborative projects between academic researchers and industry partners across Europe. Dr. Nazari-Shafti’s research focuses on enhancing various aspects of coronary artery bypass grafting. His work spans endothelial biology at the bench, preclinical large-animal studies, and clinical trials. This broad scope reflects his commitment to translating basic scientific discoveries into clinical innovations.