Congenital Heart Center Welcomes New Division Chief

Biagio "Bill" Pietra, MD, Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Congenital Heart Center, College of Medicine
Biagio A. “Bill” Pietra, MD Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology UF College of Medicine

Biagio A. “Bill” Pietra, MD, joined the University of Florida College of Medicine faculty on July 1, 2014, as chief of pediatric cardiology.

Dr. Pietra received his bachelor’s degree in microbiology and post-baccalaureate at the University of Florida. He completed medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his internship, residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.

Dr. Pietra most recently was associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, at the University of Colorado, Health Sciences, and Colorado Children’s Hospital, Aurora, where he had been since 1994. While there, he also served as medical director of pediatric cardiac transplant program for the past 10 years.

Dr. Pietra has extensive experience and expertise in pediatric cardiology, especially in the areas of:

  •  pediatric cardiac transplantation, including in clinical care and preoperative and postoperative management of pediatric cardiac transplant patients;
  • pediatric cardiac catheterization, with emphasis on pre- and post-transplantation);
  • management of pediatric patients who are critically ill from their congenital heart disease, and end-stage heart failure;
  • post-operative care of patients after transplant or congenital cardiac surgery; and
  • immune manifestations of cardiac disease such as Kawasaki syndrome, myocarditis and cardiomyopathy, and rheumatic fever.

He is a fellow in the UNOS Certified Transplant Physician and American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Pietra is a member of the American College of Cardiology, American Medical Association, American Society of Transplantation and International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. He also reviews abstracts and manuscripts for the American Journal of Transplantation Circulation, Journal of International Heart and Lung Transplantation, Journal of Pediatrics and Journal of Rheumatology Pediatric Transplantation.