George Arnaoutakis, M.D.

George J. Arnaoutakis, M.D., is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon with a leading role in the Institute for Cardiovascular Health, a clinical partnership between UT Health Austin, The University of Texas at Austin and Ascension Texas. Arnaoutakis is chief of the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and an associate professor at Dell Medical School. He also serves as director of thoracic aortic surgery, cardiovascular surgery quality and outcomes, and the Transcatheter Valve Program. Additionally, he is the physician executive for adult cardiovascular and thoracic surgery in Ascension Texas.

Arnaoutakis earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He completed a general surgery residency and a postdoctoral research fellowship in cardiac surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also served as administrative chief resident. Additionally, he completed fellowships in cardiothoracic surgery and advanced aortic procedures at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Arnaoutakis’ clinical interests include coronary artery bypass graft, valvular heart disease, aortic valve repair, bicuspid aortic valve syndrome, valve-sparing root replacement, aortic arch disease, thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection.

His research interests encompass aortic aneurysm and dissection, cardiac surgery-related acute kidney injury, cerebral protection in aortic arch reconstruction, bicuspid aortic valve repair and national databases in cardiothoracic surgery. He has held leadership positions in numerous device trials, advancing the care of patients with aortic disease. He is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the American Heart Association and the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. He serves on several national committees and is vice chair of the STS Workforce on Adult Cardiac and Vascular Surgery. Additionally, Arnaoutakis has presented at national and international meetings and authored 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and over a dozen book chapters.