Dr. Katherine Stevens is a highly specialized, board-certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP-BC) and Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) with an extensive clinical pedigree in advanced open aortic surgery. Guided by a rare cross-disciplinary background spanning biomedical engineering, investment banking, and high-acuity surgical practice, Dr. Stevens has dedicated her clinical career to mastering complex reconstructive procedures of the root, ascending, arch, and thoracoabdominal aorta.

In 2025, she founded the Cardiac Surgery Academy, an elite educational institution specifically engineered to address the steep learning curve faced by Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) entering the field of complex cardiac and aortic surgery.

Clinical Expertise & Surgical Experience

Dr. Stevens began her clinical trajectory at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she developed foundational technical skills as a perioperative scrub nurse. After securing her Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) designation and completing advanced training to become a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA), her technical precision and academic drive led to her being hand-picked to join the Aortic Team at the world-renowned Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston.

During her tenure at the Texas Heart Institute, Dr. Stevens operated at the highest tier of the scope of practice for surgical APPs. Her primary milestones include:

• First-Assisting on 200+ Open Aortic Procedures: Directly involved in complex reconstructions, including David valve-sparing aortic root replacements, Bentall procedures, total aortic arch replacements with elephant trunk techniques (both traditional and frozen), and open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repairs.

• Connective Tissue Disorder Specialization: Developed deep clinical expertise managing the unique, fragile tissue anatomy associated with genetic aortopathies, specifically serving a high-volume cohort of patients presenting with Marfan Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, and vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Educational Background & Academic Credentials

Dr. Stevens’ approach to surgical education and patient care is informed by an elite academic foundation that bridges quantitative engineering principles with advanced clinical practice.

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) | Johns Hopkins University

  • Focus: Translational healthcare delivery, clinical quality improvement, and the standardization of high-acuity surgical training models.

• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) & Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) | University of Pennsylvania

  • Focus: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track, specialized in adult-gerontology acute care with a sub-specialty emphasis on cardiothoracic surgery.

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biomedical Engineering and Biology | Stanford University

  • Focus: Fluid dynamics, biomaterials, and cardiovascular tissue engineering—principles she directly applies to the understanding of aortic hemodynamics and graft selection.

The Origin of the Cardiac Surgery Academy

Before her transition into medicine, Dr. Stevens utilized her analytical skills in the corporate sector, working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. However, a profound personal turning point occurred when she witnessed a close friend navigate the severe systemic and cardiovascular challenges of Marfan Syndrome. Motivated by the critical need for specialized surgical care for patients with connective tissue disorders, she pivoted away from finance to dedicate her life to the cardiothoracic operating room.

Recognizing a critical gap in standardized, highly technical intraoperative training for surgical APPs, Dr. Stevens established the Cardiac Surgery Academy. The Academy delivers rigorous, anatomically precise curricula, advanced simulation labs, and structural training protocols designed to elevate the technical capabilities of physician assistants and nurse practitioners to the highest standards of first-assisting in advanced open aortic surgery.

The Origin of the Cardiac Surgery Academy

Outside of her professional endeavors, Dr. Stevens maintains the fitness discipline that enabled her to play one year of D-1 collegiate volleyball. In 2018, she signed with Wilhelmina Fitness Models and has since done print campaigns for lifestyle apparel brands including Figs, Alo Yoga, and Lululemon.