Dr. Romano is a pediatric cardiac surgeon and a surgical intensivist in the Michigan Congenital Heart Center at the University of Michigan. She earned her Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School and her Masters of Science from the University of Michigan in Health and Health Care Research Design. She joined the faculty in 2006 following the completion of her residency and fellowships in Thoracic Surgery, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Extracorporeal Life Support, and Surgical Critical Care at the University of Michigan. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiac Surgery and the Department of Pediatrics. She is the Surgical Director of the Pediatric Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit.
Her interest in both pediatric cardiac surgery and pediatric cardiac intensive care is highly unique in the field making her an asset for bridging the research initiatives for both surgical and medical management of patients with congenital heart disease. Her practice encompasses all elements of pediatric cardiac surgery with a focus on neonatal surgery and hybrid interventions, extracorporeal life support, and intensive care management of congenital heart disease patients.
Dr. Romano’s research interests include long-term quality of life and neurocognitive outcomes for patients with congenital heart disease, national database management, health policy issues relating to congenital heart disease, and improvements in cardiac intensive care management.
She is active nationally on educational and database committees for the Society of Thoracic Surgery. In January 2010, she was awarded the Nina Starr Braunwald, 1st Woman Cardiac Surgeon Honor from the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education. She is a director for the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and Deputy Editor for Annals of Thoracic Surgery.