Sara J. Pereira

Sara J. Pereira is a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah, joining the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2020. She serves as Program Director for the Integrated and Traditional Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Programs, Surgical Director of the Structural Heart Program in Utah, and Section Chief at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City. Dr. Pereira is a leader in resident education and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in surgery, co-founding the Latinos in Cardiothoracic Surgery group and the Women in Surgery group at the University of Utah.

• Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley (1992)
• Medical School: University of California Irvine School of Medicine (1997)
• Residency: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (2002)
• Fellowship: University of Alabama at Birmingham (2005)

Dr. Pereira’s research focuses on quality improvement and clinical outcomes in adult cardiac surgery, with specific emphasis on valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), low-flow gradient aortic stenosis, perioperative optimization of high-risk patients, and resident simulation. She has led the ROMA Multi-Arterial grafting study in women and a TAVR quality-of-life study for low-flow aortic stenosis.

Her recent articles highlight trends in cardiovascular surgery, including TAVR complications predicted by aortic shape, DEI disparities in cardiothoracic medicine, salary analyses of academic surgeons, and gender/racial representation studies. She also contributes to professional development resources for women in cardiothoracic surgery.

Scientific Awards:

• Latino Surgical Society National Mentor of the Year (2023)

Dr. Pereira is a Principal Investigator on multiple TAVR and DEI-related projects. She chairs the STS Looking to the Future Scholarship Program and co-chairs the Women in Thoracic Surgery Scholarships and Awards Committee. Her leadership extends to the Thoracic Residency Directors Association and the STS Workforce on DEI.

She directs the Structural Heart Program at the University of Utah and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams, including the Women in Thoracic Surgery Scholarships and the Latino Surgical Society. Her work emphasizes resident simulation, DEI advocacy, and transcatheter procedure advancements.