MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital has named Bret A. Mettler, MD, its new Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Executive Co-Director of the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Mettler will also hold The Susan and Alan Graf Endowed Chair in Pediatric Heart Surgery at Le Bonheur.
He comes to Le Bonheur and UT Health Science Center from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, where he serves as Director of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Co-Director of the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center.
Before his time at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Mettler served as the Director of Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
“I am excited for Dr. Mettler to join our talented and dedicated team at Le Bonheur and UT Health Science Center,” said Le Bonheur President Trey Eubanks, MD, FACS. “Bret brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which will allow us to continue our Heart Institute’s mission of providing excellent care for children with complex heart conditions.”
Dr. Mettler specializes in the surgical repair of complex congenital heart disease, heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. His research interests include insights into complex congenital heart defects and the development of an artificial pulmonary valve using stem cells.
“Le Bonheur is committed to excellence and providing outstanding care for patients,” said Dr. Mettler. “The Heart Institute has a world-class faculty built by Drs. (Chris) Knott-Craig and (Jeffrey A.) Towbin, and I am pleased to be part of building on that foundation. Le Bonheur really shines for its care for children in an environment built just for them. I am excited about our continued vision for growth and service to the community.”
Dr. Mettler assumes the chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and executive co-director of the Heart Institute roles from Christopher Knott-Craig, MD, who last year announced he plans to step down as chief and executive co-director of the Heart Institute. Dr. Knott-Craig, along with Dr. Jeffrey A. Towbin, the executive co-director of the Heart Institute and chief of Pediatric Heart Failure and medical director of Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Services, have been responsible for leading Le Bonheur’s Heart Institute to become a Top 10 program in U.S. News & World Report. They have built the reputation of Le Bonheur’s Heart Institute as an elite surgical and medical program and developed the new 31-bed Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. Le Bonheur will honor Knott-Craig and his tenure later this summer.
“I want to thank the medical, surgical and nursing members of the Heart Institute for their very substantial role in helping to recruit Dr. Mettler and for their long-term commitment to excellence and the special care given to their patients,” said Dr. Towbin, who also serves as chief of Cardiology at Le Bonheur and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and tenured professor, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology at UT Health Science Center. “I am excited for Le Bonheur’s future and for the innovation that Dr. Mettler brings to Memphis. He is a wonderful addition to our outstanding team.”
Dr. Mettler is a native of South Dakota. He, along with his wife Kelly and their two daughters, will move to Memphis later this year.
About Le Bonheur Children’s
Le Bonheur Children’s, based in Memphis, Tenn., provides expert care for children in more than 45 pediatric subspecialties, encompassing robust community programs, a pediatric research institute and regional outpatient centers in Jackson, Tenn., Tupelo, Miss., and Jonesboro, Ark. Le Bonheur also features a 255-bed hospital in Memphis and a 21-bed satellite hospital within Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tenn. As the primary pediatric teaching affiliate for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur trains more than 350 pediatricians and specialists each year. Nationally recognized, Le Bonheur has been named a U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital for 13 consecutive years and is a Magnet-designated facility, the ultimate credential for high-quality patient care and nursing excellence.
About University of Tennessee Health Science Center
The mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is transforming lives through collaborative and inclusive education, research, scholarship, clinical care, and public service. With six colleges – Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy – at its main campus in Memphis, in addition to educational and clinical campuses at major hospitals in Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville, and sites across the state, UT Health Science Center strives to fulfill its vision: Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.
