Gary Raff, MD
Board Member
2023–present

“As a member of Heart to Heart’s Board, I feel that I can contribute to the mission of the organization in a more substantial way and increase the impact we have on developing cardiac centers in areas of need around the world.”

Pediatric cardiac surgeon Gary Raff was a veteran of ten Heart to Heart missions before becoming part of our Costa Rica campaign’s leadership. To date, he has volunteered on three surgical-educational missions to the National Children’s Hospital, the only children’s heart center in the country. Dr. Raff leverages every opportunity to emphasize—and model—the importance of teamwork and clear communication.

Dr. Raff was originally recruited by Heart to Heart’s founder & medical director, Nilas Young, MD about a decade after the organization’s founding to lead the development of our second self-sustaining children’s heart program in Russia. Under Dr. Raff’s guidance, our partner site in Samara, located on the Volga River, became the go-to cardiac center in the country’s second most populous district (more than 33 million inhabitants). He led six annual Heart to Heart teams to the Samara Regional Cardiac Center, methodically implementing our stepwise training program to advance the practice of each cardiac subspecialty—and to help build a cohesive team. 

The results of our educational collaboration in Samara have been impressive: patient volume has more than tripled, with the proportion of infant and newborn open heart patients increasing significantly. In addition to introducing newborn surgery and advancing the complexity of open heart cases, the Heart to Heart-Samara team also witnessed the establishment of Samara’s first ever stand-alone pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, a resounding win for the program. Dr. Raff subsequently volunteered at two additional Heart to Heart partner sites in Russia.

Dr. Raff’s style of leadership combines his clinical and teaching skills with an unusual ability to make every team member feel valued, soliciting each person’s input to most effectively provide patient-centric care. We are so grateful to have his talent and his boundless positive energy on our Board.