Our Professionals
Each year, UVA's vascular surgeons perform more than 4,500 vascular studies and 700 major vascular operations. And our interventional radiologists perform more than 1,600 diagnostic angiograms and 2,000 interventional procedures, such angioplasty, vascular stent and aortic stent-graft placement and embolizations.
Our team-based approach gives you access to cardiologists, surgeons, interventional radiologists, and other health professionals. All working together to provide you with the answers you want and the care you need.
We’re motivated by the opportunity to learn, teach, and contribute to the advancement of vascular care. And we'll monitor your vascular disease over the long term with you and your primary doctor.
Vascular Surgeons
Kenneth Cherry, M.D.
Kenneth Cherry, M.D., is board certified in vascular surgery. Dr. Cherry was on the staff of the Mayo Clinic for 22 years and served as Program Director and Chair of the Division of Vascular Surgery before returning in 2004 to the University of Virginia, where he received his medical degree and served as a general surgical resident. Dr. Cherry was also an endovascular surgery fellow at the Cleveland Clinic in 2004.
Dr. Cherry is now the Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at UVA and the Edwin P. Lehman Professor of Surgery. He has been chosen as one of America’s Top Doctors® and one of the Best Doctors in America®, and has written more than 250 articles. His primary interests are complex aortic and aortic branch surgeries for a variety of conditions, including thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms; suprarenal aneurysms; type B dissections; diseases of the mesenteric, carotid and subclavian arteries; aortic graft infections; thoracic outlet syndrome; and arterial disease in athletes. He performs both open and endovascular surgical procedures.
Nancy Harthun, M.D.
Nancy Harthun, M.D., is board certified in general and vascular surgery and has received a certificate in endovascular surgery from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She has been recognized as a distinguished fellow of the Society of Vascular Surgery and serves on a study section for the National Institutes of Health. She is an associate editor of the journal Gender Medicine. She has been honored as a visiting professor to the Mayo Clinic by the Association of Women Surgeons and is now President of the Virginia Vascular Society.
Dr. Harthun’s clinical interests include minimally invasive treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms and treatment of cerebrovascular occlusive disease. She sees patients with a wide variety of arterial and venous conditions. She is the medical director of UVA’s noninvasive vascular laboratory and the outpatient clinic for cardiovascular surgery. Her research interests include developing laboratory tests to screen patients for abdominal aortic aneurysms, studying the effects of atrial fibrillation on outcomes in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomies and improving imaging techniques for peripheral arterial disease.
John Kern, M.D.
John Kern, M.D., is board certified in vascular surgery, thoracic and cardiac surgery and general surgery. An Associate Professor of Surgery, he is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha (National Medical Honor Society) and has been chosen as one of the Best Doctors in America®.
Dr. Kern’s interests in vascular surgery include repairing all aspects of aortic disease, including type A and B dissections, ascending aortic aneurysms, aortic arch aneurysms and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. He performs both open and endovascular repairs for these conditions.
Irving Kron, M.D.
Irving Kron, M.D., is board certified in vascular surgery, thoracic and cardiovascular surgery and general surgery. Dr. Kron is Chair of UVA’s Department of Surgery and has been selected as one of America’s Top Doctors®. He has made nearly 250 presentations on cardiac and thoracic surgery and has published more than 300 articles.
Dr. Kron’s interests in vascular surgery include all aspects of vascular disease, including coronary artery disease. His research interests include aortic aneurysms.
Benjamin Peeler, M.D.
Benjamin Peeler, M.D., completed vascular surgery and cardiothoracic surgery fellowships at UVA. He is board certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery. An active member of the Virginia Vascular Society, Dr. Peeler earned a Clinical Excellence Award from the UVA School of Medicine in 2002.
Dr. Peeler’s clinical interests include aortic surgery and the treatment of aneurysms in the aorta and its branches. He participates in several clinical trials examining new treatments for vascular disease, and performs both endovascular and open procedures to treat vascular disease.
Interventional Radiologists
Alan Matsumoto, M.D.
Alan Matsumoto, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine and diagnostic radiology and has a certificate of additional qualification in vascular interventional radiology. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in treating of thoracic and abdominal aortic disease, peripheral arterial disease, mesenteric and renal vascular disease, venous thromboembolic disease, uterine fibroids, pelvic congestion syndrome, vascular malformations, and liver tumors.
He has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in America® by Best Doctors, Inc., and has received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Society of Interventional Radiology, the UVA Outstanding Clinical Faculty Excellence Award and fellowship awards from the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and American College of Radiology. He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha (National Medical Honor Society). He has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than 35 clinical trials involving interventional devices or therapeutic medications.
Dr. Matsumoto has shared his research and experience through more than 250 invited presentations or visiting professorships and by authoring or co-authoring more than 240 peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters and scientific abstracts.
John Fritz Angle, M.D.
John Fritz Angle, M.D., has more than 15 years experience performing interventional radiology procedures to treat vascular diseases and cancer. He is board certified in diagnostic radiology and has a certificate of additional qualification in vascular and interventional radiology. He specializes in minimally invasive techniques to treat peripheral arterial disease, aortic aneurysm disease, venous insufficiency, venous thromboembolic disease, dialysis access maintenance, and cancerous tumors.
Dr. Angle is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the field and has shared his research and experience through 69 invited lectures and by authoring or co-authoring 78 peer-reviewed journal publications, 18 book chapters, and 69 abstracts. He is also a member of Alpha Omega Alpha (National Medical Honor Society) and is a past recipient of UVA’s Outstanding Clinical Faculty Excellence Award. He is the Director of the Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.
Ulku C. Turba, M.D.
Ulku C. Turba, M.D., is fellowship trained in PET-CT, neuroradiology and vascular interventional radiology. Turba specializes in inferior vena cava filters, minimally invasive treatment of venous thromboembolic disease, mesenteric artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, diseases of the thoracic and abdominal aorta, dialysis access maintenance and liver tumors.
Dr. Turba has shared his research and experience by authoring or co-authoring more than 60 peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters, or scientific abstracts.
Bulent Arslan, M.D.
Bulent Arslan, M.D., is board certified in diagnostic radiology and has a certificate of additional qualification in vascular interventional radiology. Arslan specializes in laser and mechanical atherectomy and minimally invasive treatment of abdominal and thoracic aortic disease, peripheral arterial disease, venous thromboembolic disease, dialysis access maintenance, genitourinary and hepatobiliary disease.
Dr. Arslan has shared his research and experience by authoring or co-authoring 24 peer-reviewed journal articles or scientific abstracts.
Saher Sabri, M.D.
Saher Sabri, M.D., is board certified in diagnostic radiology and fellowship trained in vascular and interventional radiology. Dr. Sabri specializes in minimally invasive treatment of liver and kidney tumors, uterine fibroid embolization, thoracic and abdominal aortic disease, peripheral arterial disease, varicose veins, venous thromboembolic disease, dialysis access maintenance, hepato-biliary disease and genitourinary disease.
Cardiologists
Robert W. Battle, M.D.
Robert W. Battle, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases and specializes in adult congenital heart disease, heart valve disease, and diagnostic catheterization and hemodynamics. He is an expert in 3-D echocardiography, which is used to diagnose some vascular conditions.
Dr. Battle is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Society. He has received several teaching awards and has shared his research and experience by authoring or co-authoring more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters or scientific abstracts.
George A. Beller, M.D.
George A. Beller, M.D., has more than 30 years of experience as a distinguished cardiologist. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and nuclear cardiology. He specializes in nuclear cardiology/stress testing, general cardiology and chest pain evaluation. Dr. Beller's clinical interests also include lipids, which are important in the development of atherosclerosis, a major risk factor for vascular disease.
Dr. Beller is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in cardiology and has shared his research and experience through more than 200 invited lectures and by authoring or co-authoring more than 400 peer-reviewed journal publications, several textbooks and more than 300 scientific abstracts.
He has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on clinical trials in the field of nuclear cardiology, with emphasis on developing noninvasive techniques for detecting coronary artery disease and assessing prognosis and heart muscle viability.
He is the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award and the James B. Herrick Award from the American Heart Association and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Paul Dudley White Society of Massachusetts General Hospital. He served as Chief of UVA’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine for 27 years.
James D. Bergin, M.D.
James D. Bergin, M.D., has 18 years of experience as a teacher, researcher and clinical practitioner specializing in heart failure and transplantation. He is board certified in cardiovascular disease, internal medicine and cardiology and as a medical examiner. He is also certified as an Advanced Cardiac Life Support instructor.
Dr. Bergin has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on 45 multi-center clinical trials involving heart failure. He has shared his research and experience through 78 invited lectures and by authoring or co-authoring 37 peer-reviewed journal publications, 15 book chapters or books and 39 scientific abstracts. He is also a member of the Heart Failure Society of America and a past recipient of several teaching awards, including the UVA Department of Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Award. He is the Medical Director of Cardiac Transplant/Heart Failure and the Director of the Coronary Care Unit at UVA.
Dearing W. Johns, M.D.
Dearing W. Johns, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine and is fellowship trained in cardiology/hypertension. She specializes in general cardiology along with hypertension, a risk factor for vascular disease. Dr. Johns also specializes in lipids, which are important in the development of atherosclerosis, a major risk factor for vascular disease.
Michael Ragosta, M.D.
Michael Ragosta, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology. He specializes in interventional cardiology, heart valve disease, general cardiology and peripheral arterial disease.
Dr. Ragosta has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on 10 clinical trials involving myocardial viability, coronary collateral circulation, coronary flow reserve, fractional flow reserve and myocardial contrast echocardiography. He has shared his research and experience through more than 40 invited lectures or visiting professorships and by authoring or co-authoring more than 120 peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters and scientific abstracts. Dr. Ragosta is Medical Director for Interventional Cardiology at UVA.
Brian Annex, M.D.
Brian Annex, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology. Prior to his arrival at UVA in July 2008, Dr. Annex served as Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. While at Duke, he also served as Vice Chief for the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. He initiated and then served as Director of Vascular Medicine at Duke as well as a staff cardiologist at the Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Dr. Annex has a long-standing clinical and research interest in peripheral arterial disease (PAD). In addition, Annex’s research include understanding the impact of diabetes has among the major risk factors for PAD; the genetics of PAD; links between PAD and coronary artery disease; and novel PAD treatments including gene and cell therapy. He has performed and led numerous studies on angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels) and gene therapy to treat several diseases, including PAD. Dr. Annex brings a number of pre-clinical and clinical studies on PAD and angiogenesis, which are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as the American Diabetes Association. He has served on several national programs in PAD. He serves as the Chair on the NIH Study Section on Clinical and Integrative Cardiovascular Sciences.
Alan J. Binder, M.D.
Alan J. Binder, M.D., is board certified in cardiovascular diseases and internal medicine and fellowship trained in cardiology. Dr. Binder has practiced general cardiology for more than 30 years and taught at Cornell Medical College and NYU Medical School before coming to UVA in 2002.
Christopher M. Rembold, M.D.
Christopher M. Rembold, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases and specializes in preventive cardiology, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome and general cardiology.
Dr. Rembold has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on 16 clinical trials involving arterial contraction and relaxation, cytoskeleton, carotid intimal medial thickness as a measure of preclinical atherosclerosis and outcomes research. He has shared his research and experience through more than 30 invited presentations or visiting professorships and by authoring or co-authoring more than 150 peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters and scientific abstracts.