Dr. Mark Bleiweis received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego and completed his thoracic residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following his residency, Dr. Bleiweis fulfilled a fellowship in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery with the University of San Francisco, where he trained with Dr. Frank L. Hanley. He was previously an Assistant Professor of Surgery for the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bleiweis served as the former Director of the CHOC Heart Institute in Orange, California and joined the University of Florida as Director of the Congenital Heart Center in 2005.

His clinical interests and expertise include the operative and preoperative management of neonates, treatment of the single ventricle, thoracic transplantation, adult congenital disease and complex valvular defects.

Dr. Bleiweis is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He also serves at Director of the Congenital Heart Center. He also holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position with the Department of Small Animal Sciences through the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. Dr. Bleiweis is the first appointee to The William G. Lassiter, Jr. and Aneice R. Lassiter Professorship.

In addition to heavy surgical and clinical commitments, D. Bleiweis was awarded The Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education (TSFRE) Career Development Award for “Cell Therapy for Right Ventricular Failure in Tetralogy of Fallot.”

Dr. Bleiweis is an active mentor and teacher for students, residents, and fellows in surgery and pediatrics.

Dr. Barrett joined the University of Florida in 1980 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics’ Division of Infectious Diseases/Immunology. He was promoted to Associate Professor and Division Chief in 1987 and Professor of Microbiology and Pathology in 1991. Also in 1991, Dr. Barrett accepted the position of Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Nemours Eminent Scholar at UF. Under his leadership, the Department of Pediatrics was a consistent winner of medical student teaching awards and enjoyed a 10-fold increase in NIH research funding. In 2002, Dr. Barrett was appointed as Vice President for Health Affairs for the University of Florida and in 2004, was promoted to Senior Vice President, Health Affairs.

Dr. Barrett is active in the Association of Academic Health Centers, American Association of Medical Colleges, American Board of Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Society for Pediatric Research. He serves on the editorial board for Contemporary Pediatrics and is a reviewer for multiple journals. He is the author or co-author of three books, several book chapters and more than 110 journal articles, with particular interest in immunodeficiency disease and transplantation.