Our team, led by Co-Physician in Chief Sabet Hashim, MD and Co-Physician in Chief (Interim) James Cardon, MD, provide care to a wide range of patients – young or old, athletes or weekend warriors.
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Dr. Sabet Hashim
Chairman of Cardiac Surgery
Co-Physician in Chief, Heart & Vascular Institute
Dr. Sabet Hashim is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive aortic and mitral valve surgery and repair.
Dr. Hashim earned his medical degree from St. Joseph’s University School of Medicine, Beirut, in 1975. He received his general surgical training from Columbia University at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City.
He joined the Yale University faculty after his cardiothoracic residency at Yale New Haven Hospital.
He is presently the chairman of cardiac surgery and co-physician-in-chief of the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute.
A Pioneer in Heart Transplantation
In 1984, while co-directing the Heart Transplant Program at Yale New Haven Hospital, Dr. Hashim performed the first heart transplant in the state of Connecticut. Dr. Hashim also developed multiple programs at Yale New Haven Hospital, including the Mitral Valve Repair Program (one of the first mitral valve repairs centers in the United States), the Atrial Fibrillation Surgery Program and the Minimally Invasive Aortic and Mitral Valve Surgery Program.
An Innovator in Mitral Valve Repair
Dr. Hashim performed the first mitral valve repair in New England. Since then, Dr. Hashim has consistently held the largest mitral valve practice in Connecticut and has performed over 2,000 mitral valve repairs. Today, he is internationally recognized as an innovator and expert in valve surgery.
Dr. Hashim currently specializes in minimally invasive mitral valve repair, having developed novel techniques in this operation. Dr. Hashim pioneered the discrete sub-mammary incision for young women and has perfected the right anterior thoracotomy approach, which eliminates the need for sternotomy and shortens recovery time.
Dr. James Cardon
Chief Clinical Integration Officer & CEO, Integrated Care Partners
Co-Physician in Chief, Heart & Vascular Institute
Dr. James P. Cardon is Hartford HealthCare’s (HHC’s) chief clinical integration officer and CEO of Integrated Care Partners, a clinical integration organization, which includes HHC-employed physicians (Hartford HealthCare Medical Group), as well as private-practice physicians. Integrated Care Partners is responsible for improving access to care; developing and implementing evidence-based best practices; reducing variability of care; and defining, measuring and managing clinical excellence for member physicians. Integrated Care Partners will engage with payers and employers to develop innovative payment methodologies to align financial incentives with clinical objectives.
Dr. Cardon, a cardiologist for more than 20 years, is a senior staff member of Hartford Hospital’s Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology. Dr. Cardon graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Boston College and earned his M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Cardon is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and in Cardiovascular Disease. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the Connecticut State Medical Association and the Hartford County Medical Association.
Wheatley Wentzell MBA-HCM, MT (ASCP)
Senior Vice President, Operations, Heart & Vascular Institute
Wheatley Wentzell is a proven healthcare leader with nearly 20 years of experience. In her role as Senior Vice President of Operations for Hartford HealthCare’s Heart & Vascular Institute, she works closely with physician and system leadership to grow and establish the Institute as a statewide and national leader in cardiovascular care. Her focus is on operations management, strategic planning and physician alignment and recruitment. Prior to her role as Senior Vice President, Wheatley served as Director of Planning and Communications for the Heart & Vascular Institute and Hartford HealthCare’s Hartford Region, which includes Hartford Hospital. She joined Hartford HealthCare in 2015 after serving in leadership roles in Urgent Care Operations & Project Management at Middlesex Health. Wheatley earned a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of Vermont and a Master in Business Administration in Health Care Management from Quinnipiac University. She also holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate from Villanova University.
Dr. Howard L. Haronian, MD, FACC
Chief Quality & Innovation Officer, Heart & Vascular Institute
Chief, East Region, Heart & Vascular Institute
Dr. Howard Haronian leads clinical integration, performance improvement, data reporting and analytics efforts to ensure the highest quality and safety care standards throughout our Institute. He also guides our innovation, informatics, digital health, and clinical intelligence initiatives.
Since joining Hartford HealthCare in 2017, Dr. Haronian has been instrumental in the Institute’s growth through recruiting, program development, and leveraging digital innovation. He continues to serve in his role leading our East Region, from Putnam to RI. Dr. Haronian maintains a clinical practice in Mystic and Westerly, RI.
Dr. Haronian graduated from Brown University with a BA, Honors in Biology, magna cum laude. He earned his MD at Weill-Cornell Medical College in NYC. After completing a medicine residency at The New York Hospital and fellowships in cardiovascular medicine, nuclear cardiology, and interventional cardiology at Yale School of Medicine in 1994, he remained on the faculty as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), while founding a specialty private practice in the RI / CT shoreline region. Dr. Haronian also completed the Yale Management Program for Physicians at Yale School of Management. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology.