Thomas Michael Zellers, MD
Pediatric Cardiologist
Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center
SVP of Medical Staff Affairs at Children's Health
- Languages Spoken:
- English
Biography
Thomas M. Zellers, M.D., is a pediatric interventional cardiologist at Children’s Health℠ who specializes in caring for newborns, children and adults with congenital heart disease. He is also a professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
After earning his medical degree at UT Southwestern Medical School, he completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Virginia hospitals in Charlottesville, Virginia, a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and an interventional cardiology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
We are working with kids and their families and I get to see them grow up and become wonderful members of society.
“Patients with congenital heart disease just make sense to me,” says Dr. Zellers. “The presentation of symptoms, the physical findings, the physiology, the imaging evaluations, the variety of therapies and the instant gratification of the therapies combined make it a great specialty. Plus, we are working with kids and their families and I get to see them grow up and become wonderful members of society.”
Dr. Zellers is board certified in both pediatric cardiology and in adults with congenital heart disease. He is designated the Pogue Family Foundation Master Clinician in Pediatric Cardiology. His clinical interests include interventional cardiology in newborns to adults, adult congenital heart disease and transition from pediatric to adult care, high risk neonates with single ventricle cardiac anomalies and the Safe at Home program.
Dr. Zellers participates in multicenter research trials to explore new devices for treating congenital heart disease. He also studies the role of the heart care team in interventions and how to improve the quality of care for patients in the Safe at Home, cardiac neurodevelopment program, and adults with congenital heart disease program.
Dr. Zellers also serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Children’s Health Plano and the Executive Medical Director for Medical Affairs at Children’s Health. In his free time, he spends time with his wife and family, including playing golf with his father. He also cycles and is learning to paint and cook.
Education and Training
- Medical School
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (1983)
- Residency
- University of Virginia Health System (1986), Pediatrics
- Fellowship
- Baylor College of Medicine - Interv. Cardio Fellow (1997), Pediatric Interventional Cardiology
Mayo Graduate School of Medicine (1989), Pediatric Cardiology - Board Certification
- American Board of Pediatrics/Pediatric Cardiology
Treatments
Departments and Programs
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Research Interests
- Physician leadership development
- Quality and safety interventions in high risk babies with complex congenital heart disease
- Transcatheter delivered devices in the treatment of congenital and structural heart disease
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Publications
- Acute and Midterm Outcomes of Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement for Treatment of Dysfunctional Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Conduits in Patients With Aortopulmonary Transposition and a Systemic Right Ventricle. Whiteside W, Tretter JT, Aboulhosn J, Aldoss O, Armstrong AK, Bocks ML, Gillespie MJ, Jones TK, Martin MH, Meadows JJ, Metcalf CM, Turner ME, Zellers T, Goldstein BH Circ Cardiovasc Interv 2017 Sep 10 9
- Invasive Hemodynamics of Adult Congenital Heart Disease: From Shunts to Coarctation. Veeram Reddy SR, Nugent AW, Zellers TM, Dimas VV Interv Cardiol Clin 2017 Jul 6 3 345-358
- Initial Experience With the Pediatric Impella Device: A Feasibility Study in a Porcine Model. Webb MK, Wang J, Riegel MS, Guleserian KJ, Forbess JM, Zellers TM, Dimas VV Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2016 May
- Intermediate Outcomes in the Prospective, Multicenter Coarctation of the Aorta Stent Trial (COAST). Meadows J, Minahan M, McElhinney DB, McEnaney K, Ringel R Circulation 2015 May 131 19 1656-64
- One-year follow-up of the Melody transcatheter pulmonary valve multicenter post-approval study. Armstrong AK, Balzer DT, Cabalka AK, Gray RG, Javois AJ, Moore JW, Rome JJ, Turner DR, Zellers TM, Kreutzer J JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2014 Nov 7 11 1254-62
- Management and Outcomes of Heterotaxy Syndrome Associated With Pulmonary Atresia or Pulmonary Stenosis. Sebastian VA, Brenes J, Murthy R, Veeram Reddy S, Dimas VV, Nugent A, Zellers T, Huang R, Guleserian KJ, Forbess JM Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2014 Apr
- Closure of patent foramen ovale versus medical therapy after cryptogenic stroke. Carroll JD, Saver JL, Thaler DE, Smalling RW, Berry S, MacDonald LA, Marks DS, Tirschwell DL N. Engl. J. Med. 2013 Mar 368 12 1092-100
- Comparison of surgical, stent, and balloon angioplasty treatment of native coarctation of the aorta: an observational study by the CCISC (Congenital Cardiovascular Interventional Study Consortium). Forbes TJ, Kim DW, Du W, Turner DR, Holzer R, Amin Z, Hijazi Z, Ghasemi A, Rome JJ, Nykanen D, Zahn E, Cowley C, Hoyer M, Waight D, Gruenstein D, Javois A, Foerster S, Kreutzer J, Sullivan N, Khan A, Owada C, Hagler D, Lim S, Canter J, Zellers T J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2011 Dec 58 25 2664-74
- Stenting of aortic coarctation: acute, intermediate, and long-term results of a prospective multi-institutional registry--Congenital Cardiovascular Interventional Study Consortium (CCISC). Holzer R, Qureshi S, Ghasemi A, Vincent J, Sievert H, Gruenstein D, Weber H, Alday L, Peirone A, Zellers T, Cheatham J, Slack M, Rome J Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2010 Oct 76 4 553-63
- Stent implantation for coarctation of the aorta in a premature infant through carotid cutdown as a bridge to surgical correction. Dimas VV, Leonard SR, Guleserian KJ, Forbess JM, Zellers TM J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 2010 Apr 139 4 1070-1
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Professional Activities
- Congenital Cardiovascular and Intervention Study Consortium (2002-2019)
- Congenital Cardiovascular and Intervention Study Consortium, President (2005-2016)
- Dallas County Medical Society, Board of Trustees (2007-2019)
- Pediatric Society of Greater Dallas (2006-2019)
- Pediatric Society of Greater Dallas, Editorial Board (2008-2019)
- Society for Cardiac Angiography and Intervention, Fellow (1999-2019)
- Texas Medical Society (2007-2019)
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Awards and Honors
- Pogue Family Foundation Master Clinician in Pediatric Cardiology (2015-2020), Children’s Health
- D Magazine Best Pediatric Specialist (2003-2020)
- Texas Super Doctors (2005-2020), Texas Monthly Magazine
- Kathryne and Gene Bishop Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Care (2004-2015), UT Southwestern
- Texas Hospital Association Leadership Fellow (2014-2015), Texas Hospital Association
- Patient's Choice Award (2002), Mended Hearts Parents Group
- Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award (1991), Awarded by Children’s Medical Center of Dallas