Jennifer S. Lawton, MD

• Richard Bennett Darnall Professor of Cardiac Surgery
• Chief, Division of Cardiac Surgery
• Director, Cardiac Surgery Research Laboratory

Jennifer S. Lawton, M.D., is the Richard Bennett Darnall Professor of Surgery and chief of the Johns Hopkins Division of Cardiac Surgery, as well as director of the Cardiac Surgery Research Laboratory.

Dr. Lawton’s clinical area of focus is adult cardiac surgery. She also leads the division’s residency education program, and conduct research in myocyte volume regulation and ATP-sensitive K channels.

She has held important leadership roles in several organizations, including chair of the surgery study section of the American Heart Association, vice-chair of the ACGME residency review committee, and president of the Women in Thoracic Surgery.  Lawton’s achievements also include 81 peer-review publications, 7 book chapters, and 18 abstracts. She has delivered over 50 invited lectures.

• Dr. Jennifer Lawton

• Aortic Dissection | Rodney's Story

• Dr. Jennifer Lawton | Red Chair Series

• Founded in 1942 by surgeon Alfred Blalock and surgical technician Vivien Thomas, the Cardiac Surgery Research Lab at The Johns Hopkins Hospital serves not only to spearhead discovery and innovation in cardiothoracic surgery, but also to train future leaders in the field. Active areas of investigation include the development of novel, nanoparticle-based therapeutics to mitigate acute lung injury, avoid neurological injury during cardiac surgery, and improve organ preservation during heart and lung transplantation. The lab is also active in a variety of clinical research projects aimed at improving outcomes for our patients. Equally important, the lab plays a critical role in training residents for impactful careers in academic cardiothoracic surgery. Medical students, residents, and fellows receive hands-on simulation experiences to hone surgical skills outside of the operating room. The lab also serves as a training ground to develop research and investigation skills as trainees learn methods of advanced statistical analysis and academic writing. Special programs for undergraduates and medical students help develop their passion for cardiac surgery and surgical research, giving unique opportunities to young talent.

• Lawton JS, Barner HB, Bailey MS, Moazami N, Pasque MK, Moon, MR, Damiano RJ, Jr.  Radial Artery Grafts in Women:  Utilization and Results.  Ann Thorac Surg 2005; 80(2):559-63.  PMID 16039204

• Lawton JS, Liu J, Kulshrestha K, Moon MR, Damiano RJ, Maniar H, Pasque MK. The Impact of Surgical Strategy on Survival Following Repair of Type A Aortic Dissection. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2015; 150:294-301.PMID 26005060

• Lawton JS, Moazami N, Pasque MK, Moon MR, Damiano RJ Jr.  Early Stenosis of Medtronic Mosaic Porcine Valves in the Aortic Position.  J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2009; 137(6):1556-7.  PMID: 19464483

• Henn MC, Janjua MB, Zhang H, Kanter EM, Makepeace CM, Schuessler RB, Nichols CG, Lawton JS. Cardiac Expressed Gain – of – Function of ATP –Sensitive Potassium Channel Subunit Kir6.1 is Associated with Increased Tolerance to Myocyte Stress. Accepted J Surg Res August 2016.

• Selected from 89 publications

  Lawton JS, Brister SJ, Petro KR, Dullum M. Surgical Revascularization in Women:  Unique Intraoperative Factors and Considerations. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2003; 126(4):936-8.  PMID 14566226

• Sellitto AD, Al-Dadah AS, Schuessler RB, Nichols CG, Lawton JS. An Open Sarcolemmal Adenosine Triphosphate-Sensitive Potassium Channel is Necessary for Detrimental Myocyte Swelling Secondary to Stress. Circulation 2011;124[suppl 1]:S70-S74.  PMID:  21911821

• Fellow, American Heart Association
• Invited Attendee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Leadership Academy for Division Chiefs/Potential Chiefs
• Invited Attendee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Strategic Planning Retreat
• Named to Best Doctors in St. Louis, 2009 - 2015, St. Louis Magazine
• National Research Service Award, National Institutes of Health; 1994-1996

• American Surgical Association
• Society of Clinical Surgery
• Fellow, American College of Surgeons
• American Association for Thoracic Surgery
• Cardiac Surgery Biology Club
• Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• Southern Thoracic Surgical Association
• Fellow, American Heart Association
• St. Louis Thoracic Surgery Society
• Association for Academic Surgery
• Women in Thoracic Surgery
• Association of Women Surgeons
• International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
• Associate Member, Washington University Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)