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The Implant Team
Mark B. Anderson, MD, FACS, Chief Surgeon
Dr. Anderson received dual bachelor’s of science degrees in biology and biochemistry from the University of Vermont, followed by a medical degree from New York Medical College. He then completed postgraduate training at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, the University of California San Diego and Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England.
He served as a research assistant at The Rockefeller University in New York, clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Florida, medical director of cardiothoracic surgery at Tampa General Hospital, associate director of cardiopulmonary transplantation and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, and chief of the section of cardiothoracic surgery at Miami Veterans Affairs Hospital before joining the faculty and staff of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in 2000.
Dr. Anderson’s current titles include associate professor of surgery, chief of the section of cardiac surgery and director of the minimally invasive cardiac surgery program at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and chief of cardiac surgery and medical director of the critical care transport service at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Juan Plate, MD, Assisting Surgeon
Dr. Plate completed a bachelor’s of arts degree at the University of Pennsylvania and received his medical degree from UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. His postgraduate internship and surgical residency took place at The Washington Hospital Center, where he served as chief resident and chief administrative resident.
He also completed a residency in thoracic surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Plate joined the faculty and staff of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in 2004.
He is currently an assistant professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and an attending surgeon at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and is board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery.
Alann Solina, MD, Anesthesiologist
Dr. Solina received a bachelor of science degree from the Southern University of New York at Stony Brook and his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in the West Indies. His postgraduate education took place at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson, NJ; Beth Israel Medical Center in New York; and Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA.
Following this training, Dr. Solina served as an instructor in the Department of Anesthesia at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He was then promoted to an assistant professor of clinical anesthesia at the medical school, and currently serves as an associate professor of anesthesiology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In addition, Dr. Solina serves as vice chairman of the Department of Anesthesia, chief of the Division of Cardiac Anesthesia and administrative director of the Department of Anesthesiology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
His current roles at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital include chief of cardiac anesthesia, operating room clinical operations co-supervisor and staff anesthesiologist. Dr. Solina is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and holds perioperative echocardiography certification from the National Board of Echocardiography.
Luis Arroyo, MD, Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Service
Luis Arroyo, MD, associate professor of medicine for UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (UMDNJ-RWJMS), currently serves as Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Service at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH).
Dr. Arroyo received his medical degree in 1987 from the University of Salamanca Medical School in Salamanca, Spain. He completed his residency in 1993 at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ. Dr. Arroyo later completed his fellowship training in cardiology at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in 1997. He also completed fellowship training in echocardiography in 1998 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; and a heart failure and transplant fellowship at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) in Newark, NJ, in 1999. He is board certified is in both internal medicine and cardiology.
Prior to his appointment at RWJUH and UMDNJ-RWJMS, Dr. Arroyo served as Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Unit at NBIMC from 2003 to 2008. Before assuming that position, Dr. Arroyo played a key role in the management and treatment of many heart failure and transplant patients within NBIMC’s Heart Failure and Transplantation program from 1998-2003.
Dr. Arroyo is a member of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplant, the American Society of Echocardiography and the Heart Failure Society of America. He also has served as a regional representative to United Network for Organ Sharing and is the author of numerous medical journal articles, abstracts and books. Additionally, Dr. Arroyo has participated as an investigator in several clinical trials focusing on heart failure and transplant, as well as mechanical assist devices.
Perfusion Team
The perfusion team has three roles during the AbioCor implant – console operator, heart-lung machine operator and checklist reader.
Surgical Nursing Team
The surgical nursing team has two roles during the AbioCor implant – scrub nurse and circulating nurses.
The primary responsibilities of the scrub nurse include being in the surgical field with the surgeons, building the implant, handing surgical instruments to the surgeons, and anticipating the needs of the surgeon.
Circulating nurses are not in the surgical field and are responsible for facilitation of the room as well as coordinating the care of the patient, preparing the surgical supplies, and anticipating the surgical needs.