Christina L Greene, MD
VAD Program, Cardiac Surgery, Heart Failure Program, Single Ventricle Program, Fetal Care and Treatment Center
On staff since September 2021
Children's Title: Cardiac Surgeon, Seattle Children’s; Surgical Site Director, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital
Academic Title: Assistant Professor, Surgery UW
Research Center: Center for Integrative Brain Research
"In my first year of medical school, I observed a congenital heart operation and instantly knew this is what I wanted to do with my life. I was smitten with the technical challenge of the operations, the complex physiology and being able to follow the patients throughout their childhood. Now almost two decades later, it is still my life’s work and passion. I sincerely enjoy taking care of our congenital heart surgery patients and gain so much joy from seeing them reunited with their families and being able to go home and thrive."
-
Christina L. Greene, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Seattle Children's Hospital, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Surgical Site Director of Congenital Surgery at Mary Bridge Hospital. Her clinical and research interests focus on complex neonatal and biventricular repair.
Dr. Greene's current research focuses on translational science and the genetics and proteomics of congenital heart disease. She is an investigator at the Seattle Children's Research Institute (SCRI) and member of the Center for Integrative Brain Research (CIBR). Her goal is to better understand what makes certain tissues grow or not grow in patients with common congenital heart diseases like Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Tetralogy of Fallot and Coarctation of the Aorta.
-
-
Our family is forever grateful for Dr. Greene. Bringing our 2 month old son to Seattle for open heart surgery was not something I thought we'd ever have to face. Our son had a large VSD that needed to be closed. When we met Dr. Greene, our eyes were big and our heads were spinning with questions. Our nervousness subsided immediately when we met our calm, cool and collected Dr. Greene. She was kind and patient with our questions. More than anything, she put us at ease with her expertise. Dr. Greene knows what she's doing. Her professionalism and confidence built trust instantly and while we knew she was a brilliant surgeon, she never talked above us or in a way that we couldn't understand. We were in the very best hands. Her direct, clear communication was so appreciated. Our little man is thriving and his heart is fully repaired. Thank you for giving our family a healthy future!
-
We met Dr Greene during one of the most challenging times of our life when our son was seriously ill with endocarditis. Dr. Greene was initially involved with his illness but eventually took over after the 2nd surgery. She not only confidently performed 2 more difficult surgeries but also practiced incredible medicine by waiting for blood markers to be where they needed to be before further surgery. We were so blessed to have her as our son's primary surgeon and will forever be grateful for being so patient with us.
-
Dr. Greene performed a perfect VSD repair on our daughter when she was 1.5 years old. After evaluating facilities across the country, we feel like we put our daughter in the best care for this surgery when choosing Dr. Greene and Seattle Children's Hospital. During every interaction with Dr. Greene it is clear that she knows her stuff and that she loves what she does. Prior to surgery Dr. Greene took the time to explain what would happen during surgery and answer all our questions with a calm and reassuring confidence that we will always remember. One of the best moments of our life is when she came out and told us that the surgery was a success, and everything went as planned. Dr. Greene then visited our daughter for the duration of her stay and took the time to check in with us as well--not all doctors do this, and we were so appreciative. Facing your child’s open-heart surgery is not easy, but Dr. Greene is absolutely the best of the best and it feels reassuring to know that your child’s care is her hands. Our daughter says “Dr. Greene fix heart! All better!” many times a week and she will continue to be a hero in our family forever.
-
Our son was born with a congenital heart issue and needed a surgery within the first week of his birth. Dr. Greene had performed his surgery on the 5th day of his life. She performed it really well and gave us our son in a healthy / normal condition. We will always be ever grateful to Dr. Greene for what she has done to our family. Thank you, Soujanya and Kartik
-
Dr Greene performed open heart surgery on my 4 week old in September of 2022. We had just learned of her congenital heart defect 24 hours prior to surgery so in addition to being terrified, we were also stunned. Dr Greene was both professional and caring. She explained things clearly and answered all of our questions (some of them multiple times). During our time in the CICU after surgery, Dr Greene checked on our daughter frequently and had an easy and kind bedside manner. I will be forever grateful that she was a part of our care team.
-
Overview
- Board Certification(s)
-
Surgery (General Surgery)
Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery
Congenital Cardiac Surgery
- Medical/Professional School
-
Boston Children's Hospital: Harvard University, Boston, MA
Keck School of Medicine at USC, Los Angeles, CA - Residency
-
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Fellowship
-
Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Clinical Interests
-
Complex Neonatal Operations and Biventricular Repair
- Research Description
-
As a congenital heart surgeon and scientist, who bridges the gap between the clinical and basic science worlds, I believe biventricular repair is the future of our specialty. Pressure and flow lead to ventricular and valvular growth. But what are the signals involved? And why do some ventricles/valves grow while others don't? Understanding the genetic and protein response to flow and pressure in the heart is a keystone to transitioning from a palliative strategy to a curative one and the focus of my research.
