Eric Etchill joined the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute in August, bringing expertise in heart and lung transplants and general cardiac surgery, along with a history of research and education, driven by his desire to help the highest-risk patients.

His is a familiar face at Johns Hopkins Medicine, where he completed his general surgery residency in 2023. He is back in Baltimore after a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Etchill treats patients with both acute and end-stage heart and lung failure. He is experienced in heart and lung transplants, as well as mechanical circulatory support, including left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). His research includes studying these methods and improving outcomes and recovery, as well as donor preservation strategies and expanding donor and recipient pools.

He also practices the full spectrum of adult cardiac surgery, with expertise in coronary artery disease, structural and valvular heart disease, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections, atrial fibrillation and reoperative surgery.

Etchill was inspired to pursue heart transplant during his Johns Hopkins residency. While in the operating rooms and cardiovascular intensive care unit, he was drawn to the combination of the physiology involved, the technical aspects of the operations and the dramatic difference treatment can make in patients’ lives.

“Taking care of the sickest patients in the hospital and seeing them do really well afterward was really fulfilling,” he says. “Getting them from a place where they’re in heart failure, reliant on chemical or mechanical support, and then giving them a new heart or watching them recover from an operation and leave the hospital and return to a meaningful quality of life, I thought was really special.”

During his residency, Etchill conducted research alongside former Johns Hopkins Medicine cardiac surgery chiefs William Baumgartner and Jennifer Lawton, as well as cardiothoracic surgeon Glenn Whitman. During his University of Colorado fellowship, Etchill researched heart failure and transplantation and performed the full spectrum of operations for patients with complex heart and lung disease.

Since rejoining Johns Hopkins Medicine, Etchill has taken part in several multivisceral transplants, including the first triple-organ transplant (heart-liver-kidney) in Maryland. He and the heart transplant team are also finding ways to improve and extend the donor pool, increasing available organs and bridging the gap between organ supply and demand. Etchill is also involved in surgical education and mentorship, teaching fellows and residents.

“Johns Hopkins is a place that really emphasizes and values institutional and divisional support in order to take care of the sickest patients in the best way possible. It is a really exciting time to be part of this division generally and the heart failure program specifically. We are actively and continuously building and growing what we have here.” Etchill says. “I’m excited to be back in Baltimore.”