Nicholas Andersen, M.D.

Biography

Nicholas Andersen, M.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery, including the treatment of patients of all ages with congenital heart disease, with a particular interest in complex neonatal heart surgery, single ventricle heart defects, and biventricular repair operations.

Dr. Andersen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Utah and earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, where he graduated with honors with distinction in surgical research. He completed his general surgery training at Duke University, where he also finished a cardiothoracic surgery residency. During this time, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and served as a visiting congenital heart surgery fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. He returned to Boston Children’s Hospital for his accredited congenital cardiac surgery fellowship in 2017.

Certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery in congenital cardiac surgery, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2023.

He also is Director of the Complex Biventricular Repair Program and Surgical Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Health. Prior to joining Children’s Health, he was an academic pediatric cardiac surgeon and Co-Director of the Single Ventricle Care and Research Program at Duke University.

Dr. Andersen is a consummate physician and surgeon-scientist with broad clinical interests in pediatric cardiac surgery, as well as specialized expertise in single ventricle heart disease, complex biventricular repair pathways, and neonatal heart operations.

Dr. Andersen has published more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts across all areas of pediatric heart surgery. He participates in numerous research projects, including clinical research, comparative outcomes research, and translational and basic science laboratory endeavors related to furthering the understanding and treatment of children with congenital heart disease. He has also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery since 2015.

The Complex Biventricular Repair Program is aimed at improving the survival and quality of life of children born with single ventricle heart defects. Dr. Andersen says, “The overarching goal of my research is to improve the lives of patients with single ventricle heart disease. I am involved in studies aimed at stimulating growth of small ventricles, which may allow some patients to progress to a biventricular circulation. For patients with established single ventricle heart disease, we are further studying improvements in surgical technique, mechanical device support, and heart transplantation.”

Personal Note

Dr. Andersen says, “I am honored and privileged to be a pediatric heart surgeon and to have the opportunity to care for children with congenital heart disease and their families. My goal as a surgeon is to perform complete anatomic repair of congenital heart defects with as little surgical and physiologic insult as possible. Our multidisciplinary team at Children’s Health includes specialists in all areas of pediatric heart care, and together we work to ensure that the best possible surgical repair and outcome can be achieved for each patient. I provide surgical care for patients of all ages (newborn through adulthood) who have repaired or un-repaired congenital heart disease. I am particularly interested in complex neonatal heart surgery and performing complete repair of congenital heart defects in newborn babies.”