For close to two decades, Donald B. Williams, M.D., has been building his reputation in cardiac surgery; in Miami Beach and beyond, his work is synonymous with excellence. Now this top heart surgeon is calling UHealth, the University of Miami Health System, home.

In September 2008, Williams, along with two partners, moved a thriving practice from Mount Sinai Medical Center to the Miller School’s Cardiovascular Division, one of the fastest-growing areas of UHealth, which is home to numerous other nationally known cardiovascular experts.

“I came to the Miller School,” Williams says, “because UM is really committed to being a center of excellence.” He says there is a clear mission and strategy to accomplish that goal, and there was a need for the expertise of his practice.

Williams’s specialties are coronary bypass, valve repair, and aortic surgery. He has published studies in such journals as the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He has ongoing studies in prosthetic valve replacement and mitral valve repair, and has published authoritative studies on coronary bypass and valve replacement in the elderly.

Besides his support staff, Williams also brought to UHealth the expertise of Roger G. Carrillo, M.D. Renowned in surgical electrophysiology, Carrillo is now an associate professor of medicine. Andres Medina, M.D., who specializes in minimally invasive approaches, also joined Williams. All three will operate at University of Miami Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Williams comes from Hazleton, a small Pennsylvania town, and was an engineering student at Cornell University, which he says made him a “student of efficiency.” He intends to put processes and protocols in place to allow surgeons to operate more efficiently. That translates to less time under anesthesia and on the heart and lung machine, explains Williams. “Patients recover better if the operation is shorter,” he notes.

The challenge ahead motivates Williams, who says he is happiest when he “is making a difference.” He admits he was “swept away” by Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., and William O’Neill, M.D., executive dean for clinical affairs and chief medical officer of UHealth, when they described their plans for the Miller School. That tipped the scales. “It was a good decision for me to join UHealth to be a small part of something special in South Florida.”