- Fellowship - Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital (1994-1995), Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
- Fellowship - Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital (1992-1994), Thoracic Surgery
- Research Fellowship - Washington University School of Medicine (1990-1992), Research
- Residency - Washington University School of Medicine (1986-1990), Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery
- Medical School - Vanderbilt University Medical Center (1982-1986)
Robert Jaquiss, M.D.
- Pogue Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Research
- Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
Biography
Robert Jaquiss, M.D., is Division Director of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery and Co-Director of the Heart Center at Children’s Health. He is also a Professor of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Jaquiss is a surgeon who specializes in neonatal and pediatric heart surgery, surgery for mechanical circulatory support, and heart transplantation.
After earning his medical degree at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Dr. Jaquiss completed his surgery residency and his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. He then received advanced training in pediatric cardiac surgery through a fellowship at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Prior to joining the team at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health℠, Dr. Jaquiss was a Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine.
Dr. Jaquiss has extensive clinical research experience. As an internationally recognized pediatric heart surgeon, he has authored more than 100 research articles about pediatric heart surgery.
He is a leader in numerous professional organizations, including the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society. In addition, he serves on the editorial board of several scientific journals including The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and the American Society of Artificial Internal Organs Journal.
Dr. Jaquiss was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list for 2018 and 2022 and its Best Pediatric Specialists list in 2020 and 2021.
Meet Dr. Jaquiss
Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon in Dallas
Robert “Jake” Jaquiss, M.D., brings skill, experience, and compassion to his position as a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in neonatal (newborn) heart surgery and surgery for children with heart failure.
As head of the Division of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Co-Director of the Heart Center at Children’s Health, Dr. Jaquiss leads one of the largest and most experienced children’s heart programs in the country.
“We have a program with truly comprehensive capabilities, which ensures we can care for the youngest patients with heart problems – sometimes even before they are born,” Dr. Jaquiss says. “We’re known for early diagnosis with a high degree of precision and accuracy that allows us to plan for therapy at the earliest point and deliver any type of intervention that’s necessary.”
Sometimes children can be treated for their heart problems with medications or other nonsurgical options, including interventional cardiac catheterization. For others, the solution may be reconstructive cardiac surgery. But for children whose heart failure is more severe, Dr. Jaquiss applies his expertise in surgery for mechanical circulatory support (pumps that help the heart) and heart transplantation.
Connecting With Patients
To operate on the tiniest patients successfully, it takes many years of training and experience, which Dr. Jaquiss acquired at prestigious institutions including Vanderbilt, Washington University in St. Louis, and Duke before joining the team at Children’s Health℠ and UT Southwestern.
But his ability to connect with patients and their families at one of the most difficult times in their lives is also an important aspect of the care he provides.
“I’m a parent, as are many of my colleagues on the team at the Heart Center, and that helps remind all of us that our work, however highly specialized and technical it may seem, is ultimately and essentially personal; we are a team of people trying to help other people, some of whom may be very young and small, through a difficult process,” he says.
Education & Training
Honors & Awards
- D Magazine Best Doctor, 2018, 2022
- D Magazine Best Pediatric Specialist 2020-2021