Dr. Fedson is a Professor of Medicine and Clinical Ethics, and director of the Advanced Heart Failure Program at Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology. She is faculty in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Previously, Dr. Fedson practiced advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology at the University of Chicago. While there, she also established the advanced heart failure fellowship program and led two medical school courses in cardiovascular pathophysiology. At the University of Chicago, Dr. Fedson was elected to be a Bucksbaum Institute Senior Faculty Scholar. These scholars are selected based upon recommendations from the chair, peers, junior faculty and medical students as outstanding physicians and teachers at the university.

Dr. Fedson has been an active member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and the Heart Failure Society of America, and has been a contributing writer to national practice guidelines related to transplantation, mechanical circulatory support and heart failure. She has served on the ACC Committee for Question Writing for heart failure/transplantation as well as on the ACC Workforce on Professional Competency. Her clinical and academic work blends cardiovascular medicine with clinical ethics including aspects of end-of-life care, discontinuing mechanical support and allocation of resources.

Dr. Fedson received a joint bachelor's and master's degree in intellectual history from the University of Chicago with general honors. She received her medical degree from the University of Virginia. She completed her internal medicine training at the University of Chicago Medical Center, followed by a chief residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. She completed her cardiovascular fellowship at the University of Chicago and an advanced heart failure fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

As of October 2024, Dr. Fedson reported no ongoing external relationships.

Dr. Eisen is a tenured Professor of Medicine, Medical Director of the Heart Transplant, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Advanced Heart Failure Program, and Director of Diagnostic Cardiology at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology.

Dr. Eisen is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, the American Heart Association, the American Society of Transplantation, the Heart Failure Society of America and the European Society of Cardiology.

Dr. Eisen received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Cornell University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the cardiovascular diseases fellowship at Washington University in the Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

As of May 2025, Dr. Eisen reported no ongoing external relationships.

Dr. Johnson is Professor of Medicine and a heart failure/transplant cardiologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology.

Previously, Dr. Johnson served as Medical Director of Heart Failure and Transplantation at the University of Wisconsin, Medical Director of Heart Failure and Transplantation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Associate Medical Director of Heart Failure and Transplantation at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and Loyola University Medical Center, and Medical Director of Heart Transplantation at the University of Iowa.

Dr. Johnson served as a resident member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Advisory Council and has been a member and chair of National Institutes of Health review committees. She is a past-president of the American Society of Transplantation and has served as chair of the Heart Failure and Transplant Committee of the American College of Cardiology. She a past chair of the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (UNOS/OPTN) Thoracic Organ Committee, past secretary of the UNOS/OPTN Board of Directors and current chair of the UNOS/OPTN Data Advisory Committee. She is currently the president of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and is past chair of the Standards and Guidelines Committee of that society. She serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Dr. Johnson received her bachelor's degree in zoology at Iowa State University and her medical degree from the University of Iowa School of Medicine. She trained in internal medicine and cardiovascular medicine at the University of Iowa, where she also served as chief medical resident.

As of April 2025, Dr. Johnson reported the following external relationships:

Consulting for the following companies, with honoraria:  

• CVS, for heart failure programs

• Optum Rx, for heart transplant and LVAD programs

Dr. Johnson serves in significant roles with the following organization, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed: 

• The United Network for Organ Sharing, member, Corporate Affairs Committee, receiving reimbursement for travel expenses

Dr. Kao is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Medical Director of the Heart Transplant Program at Saint Luke’s Hospital Mid America Heart Institute. He is also Medical Director of the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Laboratory. He was previously an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in the Division of Cardiology, Section of Heart Failure and Transplant. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences University, Division of Cardiology, Section of Heart Failure and Transplant. He is ABIM Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology.

Dr. Kao has been actively involved in all aspects of heart failure and transplant clinical research. He was on the Steering Committee of the HF-ACTION study and will be on the Steering Committee of the PARACHUTE-HF study. He was one of the co-chairs of an International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant (ISHLT) Academy Core Competency Course for Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Medicine in 2016. Dr. has been an abstract reviewer for the American College of Cardiology, ISHLT and the American Heart Association. He has given numerous lectures on heart failure and transplant regionally and nationally, and has also served on several United Network of Organ Sharing committees.

Dr. Kao graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He earned a medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed internal medicine residency at the University of Minnesota, a cardiovascular fellowship at Duke University in North Carolina, and training in heart failure and transplant cardiology at Oregon Health & Science University.

As of October 2024, Dr. Kao reported the following external relationships:

Service on a research-related expert panel or advisory board for the following company, with compensation for travel expenses and honoraria:   

• CareDx 

Dr. Yip is a consultant in the Department of Transplantation, Division of Heart Failure and Transplant, at Mayo Clinic Florida and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He serves as the Medical Director for Patient Experience Research, assisting with optimizing the patient experience, and as a member of the Mayo Clinic Communication in Health Care faculty, teaching communication skills to physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Previously, Dr. Yip was on faculty at Saint Louis University until 2001, when he joined the Mayo Clinic to start the advanced heart failure and heart transplant program. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology.

Dr. Yip received his medical degree at the American University of the Caribbean and completed a residency in internal medicine at Saint Louis University, including a year as chief resident. He completed fellowships in cardiovascular disease and advanced heart failure and heart transplant cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

As of October 2024, Dr. Yip reported no ongoing external relationships.