Dr. Sara Pereira

Dr. Sara Pereira is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah and joined the Division of Cardiothoracic surgery in 2020. She is a Northern California native. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1992 and completed medical school at University of California Irvine School of Medicine in 1997. She completed her residency in general surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 2002 and fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005. Dr. Pereira spent ten years working in private practice in Colorado, prior to returning to academic medicine and joining the University of Alabama faculty as an Associate Professor in 2017. Dr. Pereira is the Program Director of the Integrated and Traditional Cardiothoracic surgery training programs and the Surgical Director of the Structural heart program in Utah. She also serves as the Section Director at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City Utah. Dr. Pereira is passionate about resident education and diversity, equity, and inclusion in surgery. She was the Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Alabama and and serves as a member of the STS Workforce on DEI. Dr. Pereira recently co-founded the Latinos in Cardiothoracic Surgery group with Latino Surgical Society and Women in Surgery group at the University of Utah. She is Vice Chair of the STS Looking to the Future Scholarship Program and Co-Director of the Women in Thoracic Surgery Scholarships and Awards Committee. She remains involved in the Thoracic Residency Directors Association and participates on the Membership, Early Specialization, and Career Development Committees. Her research interests include quality improvement and clinical outcomes in adult cardiac surgery, particularly valve in valve trans- catheter aortic valve replacement, low-flow flow gradient aortic stenosis, perioperative optimization of high-risk cardiac patients, and resident simulation. She is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. She specializes in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery and particularly enjoys complex re-operative surgery, minimally invasive valve operations, and transcatheter procedures. In her free time, Dr. Pereira enjoys mountain biking and camping with her husband and two daughters, ages 14 and 16.