About
George Tellides, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Surgery (Cardiac) and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT. He holds appointments at Yale School of Medicine and is affiliated with the Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program. His clinical focus is on cardiac surgery for patients with heart failure and cardiac disease.
**Education**: MD from University of Witwatersrand (1983), PhD from University of Oxford (1988), postdoctoral training at John Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford). Surgical residencies and chief residencies at Yale-New Haven Hospital (1992–1995) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (Harvard Medical School).
**Research**: Focuses on vascular biology, aortic disease mechanisms, and tissue engineering. Key interests include TGFβ signaling in vascular remodeling, biomechanics of aortic aneurysms, and engineering biologic vascular grafts. His work integrates computational modeling and animal studies to advance therapies for congenital and acquired vascular disorders.
**Grants & Collaborations**: Received NIH funding for vascular conduit engineering. Collaborates with experts like Jordan Pober, John Elefteriades, and Jay Humphrey. Research highlights include developing antithrombotic vascular grafts and understanding age-related pulmonary artery stiffening.
**Labs/Teams**: Active in the Yale Vascular Biology Program and contributes to translational research through Yale Ventures. His lab explores stem cell-derived vascular tissues and molecular pathways in vascular inflammation.