Colleagues say that Dr. Eric Weiss, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, often tells the story of the first time he saw a beating heart during a procedure.
“From that moment on, he says he knew he could never do anything else but heart surgery,” said Matt Queen, public affairs coordinator for Advocate Health. “His day-to-day work is inspired by his fascination with how the heart functions and the heart’s ability to keep on pumping for a person’s entire life.”
“Whether it’s fitting a patient in for open heart surgery within 48 hours or helping a patient get back to life and family more quickly, his expertise has had a serious impact on the lives of his patients,” Queen said. “Dr. Weiss has pioneered many cutting-edge, minimally invasive surgical techniques. He often talks about minimally invasive operations as a way to make sure that patients have the best possible outcome. Countless patients have expressed their gratitude for him and how his work has improved — and, in many cases — saved their lives.”