Caitlin Theresa Demarest MD PhD

Summary

• Dr. Demarest joined Vanderbilt’s surgical faculty in the Department of Thoracic Surgery after completing a fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI. Prior to that she was a General Surgery resident at Columbia University in New York, NY. Her clinical and research work has focused on innovations and developments in artificial lung technology. She will be joining the Laboratory for Organ Recovery, Regeneration and Replacement to continue an ongoing collaboration with Columbia University Medical Center and Carnegie Mellon University. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to develop a long-term, portable artificial lung for patients with acute and chronic lung failure.
  
  Dr. Demarest’s research has primarily focused on lung failure, lung transplant and artificial lung technology and development. Her PhD in Biomedical Engineering was earned during residency at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, the fourth ranked engineering school in the nation. There she developed her dissertation, “Prolonging the Useful Lifetime of Artificial Lungs” and continues her research into innovations, especially clot prevention with devices, increasing possibilities for long-term use and portability for patients with lung failure.
  
  Her extensive training and patient care interests center on surgery for diseases of the lung, esophagus, mediastinum, rib cage and diaphragm, lung transplantation and robotic surgery.
  
  Dr. Demarest values personalized care and forming lifelong relationships with her patients.