ABOUT dr. farkas
Dr. Emily A. Farkas is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon and one of only 3% of cardiac surgeons who are female, also holding the distinction of being the first woman accepted to train in the specialty at Yale University. Following graduation, she spent 5 years on the faculty at Saint Louis University as Assistant Professor of Surgery. A passion for global medicine had been evident from the very start of her clinical training, having delivered her first baby in Kenya and spending her elective time during Medical School on rotation in Sri Lanka.
The desire to pursue humanitarian medicine eventually prompted her to leave the traditional University position to focus on providing free heart surgery overseas. Dr. Farkas has partnered with charity organizations to do this every 6-8 weeks and has directed or participated in over 50 remote surgical missions around the world, including places like Sudan, Nepal, Myanmar, Nigeria, Brazil, Vietnam, Ghana, Mongolia and others.
Due to her extensive community & international volunteer work, she has been honored with a Mayoral Proclamation designating August 3rd “Dr. Emily Farkas Day” in the city of Saint Louis. She has been entitled as an African Chief for doing the first heart surgery in over 10 years at the University of Nigeria, and has been given honorary citizenship in northern Brazil in the state of Amapa to acknowledge her work in the Amazon rainforest region.
Dr. Farkas became an Expedition Medic to raise money for these charities to support surgery overseas, and has served as Lead Medic for events such as the 2-continent, 8- country Budapest-Bamako Off-Road Rally through Europe & the Sahara Desert in West Africa, as well as the Baja XL 4000km Off-Road Rally in Mexico. She has also assisted with Altitude Medicine on multiple mountaineering expeditions, in addition to personally summiting 5 of the Seven Summits, or the highest peaks on each continent, including Antarctica. She has been named an Honorary Fellow of Extreme & Wilderness Medicine by the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Farkas is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Director of Global Health in Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, as well as Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the Richard L. Roudebush VAMC in Indianapolis. She serves on multiple leadership committees and workforces for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons & Women in Thoracic Surgery, is a Featured Expert & Editor for the STS website ctsurgerypatients.org, Associate Editor for CTSNet, Director of Surgical Services for CardioStart’s International Mission Committee, and serves on the Board of Trustees for CardioStart International and EMERGENCY USA.
Key Career Points:
* First female accepted to Yale to train in Heart Surgery
* Half time Cardiac Surgeon appointment in US
Half time doing free heart surgery internationally
* 50+ remote surgical missions globally
* Nigerian Chief
Honorary citizen of the Amazon region of Brazil
EF Day designated by Mayor of City of St. Louis, USA
* Expedition Medic to raise money for charities
Lead Medic for Off-Road rallies through Europe, African Sahara Desert,
Mexico & Baja Peninsula
* Altitude Medic & mountaineer for expeditions on 5 of the Seven Summits including Antarctica
* WEM training in Mountain Medicine on Everest & Polar Medicine in Arctic Circle
* Leadership positions in National Surgical Societies
Board of Directors for International Charitable Organizations
Media Links
Video
Humanitarian Mission Work in Cardiac Surgery: An Interview with Emily Farkas
Photo Gallery
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