Our team, led by Co-Physician in Chief Sabet Hashim, MD and Co-Physician in Chief Faisal Hasan, MD, FACC, provide care to a wide range of patients – young or old, athletes or weekend warriors.
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Dr. Sabet Hashim
Chairman of Cardiac Surgery
Co-Physician in Chief, Heart & Vascular Institute
Dr. Sabet Hashim is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive aortic and mitral valve surgery and repair.
Dr. Hashim earned his medical degree from St. Joseph’s University School of Medicine, Beirut, in 1975. He received his general surgical training from Columbia University at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City.
He joined the Yale University faculty after his cardiothoracic residency at Yale New Haven Hospital.
He is presently the chairman of cardiac surgery and co-physician-in-chief of the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute.
A Pioneer in Heart Transplantation
In 1984, while co-directing the Heart Transplant Program at Yale New Haven Hospital, Dr. Hashim performed the first heart transplant in the state of Connecticut. Dr. Hashim also developed multiple programs at Yale New Haven Hospital, including the Mitral Valve Repair Program (one of the first mitral valve repairs centers in the United States), the Atrial Fibrillation Surgery Program and the Minimally Invasive Aortic and Mitral Valve Surgery Program.
An Innovator in Mitral Valve Repair
Dr. Hashim performed the first mitral valve repair in New England. Since then, Dr. Hashim has consistently held the largest mitral valve practice in Connecticut and has performed over 2,000 mitral valve repairs. Today, he is internationally recognized as an innovator and expert in valve surgery.
Dr. Hashim currently specializes in minimally invasive mitral valve repair, having developed novel techniques in this operation. Dr. Hashim pioneered the discrete sub-mammary incision for young women and has perfected the right anterior thoracotomy approach, which eliminates the need for sternotomy and shortens recovery time.
Dr. Faisal Hasan
Co-Physician-in-Chief, Heart & Vascular Institute
Dr. Faisal Hasan is Hartford HealthCare’s (HHC’s) Co-Physician-in-Chief for the Heart and Vascular Institute. He brings a distinguished record of clinical expertise, academic leadership, and a strong commitment to advancing cardiovascular medicine.
Prior to joining HHC, Dr. Hasan served as Chief of Cardiology and Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Service Line at Rush University Medical Center, where he was also a Professor of Medicine and the James B. Herrick, MD Endowed Professor of Cardiology.
Dr. Hasan has been recognized for excellence in clinical care, research, and education, including the Clinical Excellence Award from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and the Best Clinical Proctor Award at Yale. His research interests include artificial intelligence–based predictive analytics in cardiac catheterization and advanced imaging for the diagnosis of limb-threatening ischemia. Throughout his career, he has focused on leveraging big data to develop team-based cardiovascular care models that break down silos and deliver truly patient-centered precision medicine.
Wheatley Wentzell MBA-HCM, MT (ASCP)
Senior Vice President, Operations, Heart & Vascular Institute
Wheatley Wentzell is a proven healthcare leader with nearly 20 years of experience. In her role as Senior Vice President of Operations for Hartford HealthCare’s Heart & Vascular Institute, she works closely with physician and system leadership to grow and establish the Institute as a statewide and national leader in cardiovascular care. Her focus is on operations management, strategic planning and physician alignment and recruitment. Prior to her role as Senior Vice President, Wheatley served as Director of Planning and Communications for the Heart & Vascular Institute and Hartford HealthCare’s Hartford Region, which includes Hartford Hospital. She joined Hartford HealthCare in 2015 after serving in leadership roles in Urgent Care Operations & Project Management at Middlesex Health. Wheatley earned a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of Vermont and a Master in Business Administration in Health Care Management from Quinnipiac University. She also holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate from Villanova University.