Tara Karamlou, MD

Tara Karamlou, MD, MSc, is a pediatric and congenital heart surgeon in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. She sees patients at the Cleveland Clinic main campus.

Specialty Interests: Single ventricle lesions, including pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and hypoplastic left heart syndrome; tetralogy of Fallot; transposition of the great arteries; infants and children with complex congenital heart disease; adult congenital heart disease

Education: Dr. Karamlou earned her medical degree with high honors from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. During her surgical residency at Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Ore., Dr. Karamlou was awarded the Nina Braunwald research fellowship from the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education, and also was appointed as the Congenital Heart Surgeons Society (CHSS) John Kirklin/David Ashburn Fellow. This two-year nonclinical appointment focuses on outcomes research within the CHSS Data Center located at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As part of this fellowship, she earned a master’s degree in biostatistics from the University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Science.

After completing her fellowship in Toronto and her surgical residency in Oregon, Dr. Karamlou continued her training with two residencies in congenital heart surgery, first at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., and then returning to Oregon Health and Science University. She pursued additional subspecialty training as an ACGME-accredited fellow in congenital heart surgery in the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Seattle Children's Hospital. She was named to the Cleveland Clinic Children’s medical staff in 2019.

Experience: Cleveland Clinic congenital heart surgeons annually perform more than 150 adult surgeries and nearly 200 pediatric surgeries. In 2017 the Cleveland Clinic mortality rate was 0% for adult congenital and 2.95% for pediatric congenital surgeries, both lower than the expected rates. In the five years since completing her congenital heart surgery fellowship, Dr. Karamlou has performed more than 800 congenital cardiac surgeries.

Research, Speaking and Publications: Dr. Karamlou ‘s particular research interest is in investigating and improving outcomes in children and adults with complex congenital heart disease. She currently is an investigator on four multi-center clinical studies, including a Children's Heart Foundation study that aims to developing a national model for regionalization of care for children undergoing congenital cardiac surgery in the United States. Dr. Karamlou is a frequently invited presenter at national and international medical meetings, speaking on pediatric and adult congenital heart surgery. She has published numerous papers and abstracts in peer-reviewed medical journals, including Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery and has coauthored more than a dozen chapters in surgical textbooks. She is a member of the editorial board for the two main scientific journals in cardiothoracic surgery, and is the Associate Statistical editor for JTCVS

About Dr. Karamlou: “I am passionate about congenital heart care because it provides an opportunity to impact the lives of patients, from fetal life through adulthood. Children are our most precious resource, and it is a privilege to care for them and their families. As a pediatric heart surgeon, I have the opportunity to innovate and learn in a multidisciplinary environment. My greatest strengths are my ability to communicate effectively with every member of the congenital care team and to always emphasize the critical importance of clinical excellence in a family-centered model.”

Leisure Activities: In her leisure time Dr. Karamlou enjoys long-distance running, ballet and ocean swimming.

Education & Professional Highlights

Appointed
2019

Education & Fellowships

Residency - Seattle Children's Hospital
Congenital cardiac surgery (Thoracic Surgery).
Seattle, WA USA
2012

Residency - Oregon Health & Science University
Adult cardiac surgery
Portland, OR USA
2010

Residency - University of Michigan Health System
Thoracic Surgery
Ann Arbor, MI USA
2009

Residency - Oregon Health & Science University
General Surgery
Portland, OR USA
2008

Fellowship - Nina Braunwald Thoracic Surgery for Research for Research and Education Fellowsh
Congenital cardiac research fellowship
Portland, OR USA
2006

Medical Education - Baylor College of Medicine
Medicine
Houston, TX USA
1999

Undergraduate - University of Washington
Honors Biology

1994

Certifications

Thoracic Surgery - Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery
Thoracic Surgery - Congenital Cardiac Surgery

Specialty Interests

Single ventricle lesions, including pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and hypoplastic left heart syndrome; tetralogy of Fallot; transposition of the great arteries; infants and children with complex congenital heart disease; adult congenital heart disease

Awards & Honors

Nina Braunwald TSFRE Scholar
J. Maxwell Chamberlain Award, Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Hawley Seiler Award, Southern Thoracic Surgical Association
TSDA Award, Society of Thoracic Surgeons
John A. Hawkins Award, CHSS

Research & Publications

See publications for Tara Karamlou, MD.

(Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)

Industry Relationships

Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists may collaborate with the pharmaceutical or medical device industries to help develop medical breakthroughs or provide medical expertise or education. Cleveland Clinic strives to make scientific advances that will benefit patient care and support outside relationships that promise public benefit. In order for the discoveries of Cleveland Clinic physicians' and scientists' laboratories and investigations to benefit the public, these discoveries must be commercialized in partnership with industry. As experts in their fields, Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists are often sought after by industry to consult, provide expertise and education.

To assure professional and commercial integrity in such matters, Cleveland Clinic maintains a program that reviews these collaborations and, when appropriate, puts measures in place to minimize bias that may result from ties to industry. Cleveland Clinic publicly discloses the names of companies when (i) its physicians/scientists receive $5,000 or more per year (or, in rare cases, equity or stock options) for speaking and consulting, (ii) its physicians/scientists serve as a fiduciary, (iii) its physicians/scientists receive or have the right to receive royalties or (iv) its physicians/ scientists hold any equity interest for the physician's/scientist's role as inventor, discoverer, developer, founder or consultant.* In publicly disclosing this information, Cleveland Clinic tries to provide information as accurately as possible about its physicians' and scientists' connections with industry.

As of 9/22/2023, Dr. Karamlou has reported no financial relationship with industry that is applicable to this listing. In general, patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about Cleveland Clinic's policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.

Public Health Service-Reportable Financial Conflicts of Interest. Cleveland Clinic scientists and physicians engage in basic, translational and clinical research activities, working to solve health problems, enhance patient care and improve quality of life for patients. Interactions with industry are essential to bringing the researchers' discoveries to the public, but can present the potential for conflicts of interest related to their research activities. Click here to view a listing of instances where Cleveland Clinic has identified a Public Health Service (PHS)-Reportable Financial Conflict of Interest and has put measures in place to ensure that, to the extent possible, the design, conduct and reporting of the research is free from bias.

* Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists subscribe to the guidance presented in the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals and the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals. As such, gifts of substantial value are generally prohibited.

Coming to a Cleveland Clinic location?

Primary Location

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Treatment & Services

Specialty in Diseases & Conditions

Insurance

Is Cleveland Clinic Part of Your Insurance?