Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Program

Residency
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Graduate School
University of Pennsylvania (Biomedical Informatics)

Medical School
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Soegaard Ballester is the Inaugural Thoracic Surgery Fellow at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. She was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering. She then attended the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her medical degree,  completed a general surgery residency, earned a Master of Biomedical Informatics degree and board certification in Clinical Informatics.

Dr. Soegaard Ballester holds a longstanding interest in clinical informatics. Her research has primarily focused on the development and implementation of various EHR- and non-EHR-based digital tools for providing decision support and improving clinician workflow, and on the appropriate uses of telehealth for transforming pre and post-operative care. She has contributed to several award-winning informatics solutions within the Penn Medicine Health System. After completing her Thoracic Fellowship training, she plans to practice as a general thoracic surgeon and continue to leverage her clinical informatics expertise to enhance surgical science and patient care.

Throughout her career, Dr. Soegaard Ballester has received 13 awards, honors, and memberships in honorary societies. Her leadership is evident through her founding of the Surgical and Procedural Informatics Working Group of the American Medical Informatics Association. She has published 22 peer-reviewed research articles; 6 editorials, reviews, and book chapters; as well as 45 presentations and abstracts.

Fellowship
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Surgical Critical Care)

Residency
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Medical School
University of Virginia

We are excited to announce that beginning in 2026, Shawn Tsutsui, MD, will be joining Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University as our Thoracic Surgery Fellow.

Dr. Tsutsui graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics. He earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he was honored with the E.W. Hook Scholar in Medical Humanities and Ethics Award as well as the Japanese Medical Society of America’s Honjo Scholarship. Dr. Tsutsui completed his general surgery residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he was named Intern of the Year in 2021, and pursued a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, earning certification from the American Board of Surgery in 2024.

Dr. Tsutsui’s passion for cardiothoracic surgery, particularly in extracorporeal life support, heart failure support, and cardiac transplantation, is evident in his academic and clinical pursuits. His research includes computational cardiology projects at Columbia University and publications in peer-reviewed journals such as Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Respiratory Research, and American Journal of Transplantation. He has presented at prestigious forums, including the Ohio State University ECMO Symposium in 2024, and contributed to quality improvement initiatives enhancing ICU patient mobility. Dr. Tsutsui’s background in applied mathematics brings a rigorous analytical approach to his work, positioning him to advance surgical science and patient care, while committed to being a compassionate clinician.

Dr. Tsutsui is an accomplished cellist, having studied under professionals from the New York Philharmonic, and volunteers as a musician to enhance patient wellness. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, exploring specialty coffee shops, visiting museums, alpine skiing, distance running, and cooking.

Dr. Tsutsui’s leadership shines through his roles as Administrative Fellow at Ohio State, where he managed schedules for critical care fellows, and as a critical care educator at Mount Sinai, developing lectures for residents. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Japanese Medical Society of America. With 5 peer-reviewed publications, 2 oral presentations, and 9 awards, Dr. Tsutsui is poised to become a pioneer in cardiothoracic surgery.