About Dr. Raman
Dr. Raman's Bio
Dr. Jai Raman is a cardiothoracic surgeon and a global citizen. He was born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and grew up in different parts of India. He completed his medical education at the St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India, graduating with the MBBS in 1985. He moved to Australia in 1985, training in Internal Medicine and Microsurgery at the Royal Darwin Hospital in 1985 & 1986. Thereafter, he completed his basic surgical training along with a year in research at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney from 1987 to 1990. He was exposed to Cardiothoracic Surgery and worked with pioneering surgeons in the national transplant center including Doctors Victor Chang, Alan Farnsworth and Mark Shanahan. Thereafter, he completed his cardiothoracic surgery training at the Austin Hospital, Melbourne with a year-long training in Thoracic Surgery. An additional year was spent in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne and New Children’s Hospital, Westmead, Sydney.
Dr. Raman was appointed a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Melbourne in 1997 with appointments at the Austin Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Western General Hospital. He rose to become principal professorial fellow and Associate Professor of Surgery by 2000. During this period he developed expertise in surgery for heart failure and developed the concept of ventricular containment. This new technique was studied in large animal models of heart failure and was responsible for a PhD thesis. This concept also launched a startup company called Acorn Cardiovascular, which went on to worldwide multi-center clinical trials. Between 1998 and 2002, Dr. Raman also helped developed the first surgical ablation devices for atrial fibrillation and oversaw the first multi-center trial of the use of the Cobra multi-electrode radiofrequency ablation probe.
This work on Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure prompted recruitment to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Between 2002 and 2011, Dr. Raman worked to develop minimally invasive cardiac surgery as a viable platform at the University of Chicago. He also helped expand the heart failure surgery expertise allowing the University of Chicago to become the busiest heart transplant and VAD center in Chicago. He also developed new techniques in subclavian artery balloon pump implantation and complex valve repair in heart failure patients.
Rush University Medical Center in Chicago recruited Dr. Raman in 2011 to help them restart their heart transplant and VAD program, and head their adult cardiac surgery program. Between 2011 and 2016, he developed the ECMO (Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) capabilities at Rush, such that it became an ELSO center of excellence and the busiest center for ECMO transfers in Chicago. Research collaborations with the engineering groups at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign were developed extensively. One of these projects focuses on computational chemical imaging that may transform microscopy and pathology evaluation of tissue. One other explores safety of medical devices. The third project is working to develop a vascular access simulator for ECMO support along with the Jump Center for Simulation at Peoria, Illinois.
Dr. Raman moved to the Knight Cardiovascular Institute at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon in 2016 with a view to expand on some of the research collaborations. He has been a professor of cardiothoracic surgery for 9 years with a busy clinical practice that includes complex cardiac surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, arterial grafting in CABG, complex aortic & mitral valve repair, surgery for heart failure, arrhythmia surgery, etc. He hopes to work with his colleagues to build the section of cardiothoracic surgery – and echo the pioneering efforts of Dr. Albert Starr, who developed heart valve replacement as a viable option in the early 1960s and paved the way for growth of adult cardiac surgery. Dr. Starr continues to be affiliated with OHSU as co-CEO of the Knight Cardiovascular Institute and provides ongoing inspiration to Dr. Raman and his colleagues.
The great outdoors and verdant hills of Portland provide a great work-life balance to help Dr. Raman expand on his research projects, while OHSU provides a great clinical crucible and research environment.
