Physician, Professor
Cardiac Surgery
Department: Surgery
I am a cardiothoracic surgeon at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Division of Cardiac Surgery and serves as their lead lung transplant surgeon. A native Hoosier, I completed my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue University, my medical doctorate at Indiana University and my PhD at the University of Minnesota in Surgery, investigating the immunobiology of minimally invasive surgery. My general surgery training was at the University of Minnesota where I also completed a Clinical Fellowship in Surgical Infectious Diseases. I subsequently completed my cardiothoracic surgery training at the University of Minnesota.
In my free time, I enjoy being with my family and experiencing the outdoors during all seasons.
My personal treatment philosophy is:
'I believe that each patient, his or her condition and his or her situation is unique. While we have many advanced therapies that can help treat these conditions, we have to match therapy to the patient's wishes. Major illness can be overwhelming and life changing. I work with my colleagues in pulmonary and cardiac medicine to create personalized treatment plans for patients with advanced lung and heart diseases. Each plan is tailored to meet each patient’s specific needs, which may include specialized medical management, cardiothoracic surgery, thoracic transplantation or mechanical support. We do our best to meet the patient’s emotional needs, as well as his or her medical condition.'
Please note: Not all physicians schedule patients at each listed location.
I have 30 United States and international patents, several grants and more than 100 publications. I have presented nationally and internationally. I serve on several committees both locally and nationally. I direct The Collaboration for Organ Perfusion, Protection, Engineering and Regeneration (COPPER) Laboratory at Ohio State, which brings together transplant surgery, endothelial cell biology and biomedical, mechanical and chemical engineering experts. My clinical and research interests include lung and heart transplantation, ECLS/ECMO and mechanical circulatory support.
Solid organ transplantation is limited by a donor organ shortage and the long-term consequences of immunosuppression on the recipient and rejection of the transplanted organ. Approaches to expand the donor organ pool and to mitigate acute organ injury related to transplant will improve overall success. Our research focuses on the identification of molecular mechanism of transplant procurement related ischemia reperfusion injury and approaches to mitigate reperfusion injury in lung (as well as liver and heart) transplantation. Ex-vivo organ perfusion technology serves as a platform to:
As these mechanisms are elucidated, the use of molecular or gene delivery approaches to modify the allograft through the use of ex-vivo perfusion, as a platform for organ modulation and regeneration, enables us to repair damaged organs and thus improve outcomes and expand the lung donor pool. A more thorough understanding of the ex-vivo organ perfusion and the ability to modulate organs has cross applicability to cardiopulmonary bypass, cancer, trauma, vascular surgery and other solid organ transplantation.
The overall patient satisfaction rating is an average of all patient responses to the six doctor communication related questions shown below from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. For additional information about the patient satisfaction survey, please visit our Patient Satisfaction Survey page.
The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their view and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we support a faculty member’s research and consulting in collaboration with medical device, research and/or drug companies because a faculty member’s expertise can guide important advancements in the practice of medicine and improve patient care. In order to provide effective management of these relationships, the University requires annual disclosures from all faculty members with external interests related to their University responsibilities.
As of 11/3/2025 Dr. Whitson has reported relationships with the companies or entities listed below. If you have questions about the relationships listed below, please ask the faculty member. If you have questions about how these relationships are monitored by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, please contact our Compliance Office.
Better than expected. Made me feel comfortable. Trust this provider.
I was very well cared for
Dr.Whiston was great and very knowledgeable
Very professional
He did a great job at making me feel comfortable with the with what is going to be done.
Good interaction. Thouroughly explain procedure.
Dr Whitson had Dr Boudoulas join us, which saved me a future appointment. Necessary testing was then able to be scheduled more promptly. They worked together to help me sooner. So appreciative
Great experience
He was very professional. Made feel comfortable that Dr W knows what needs to take place to make me healthy again.
Very knowledgable and open to discussion.
Very good
Very friendly and professional
All great
Seems very knowledgeable about what's going on and how to remedy it
Good.
Excellent professional, very friendly and prepared
Good experience
I chose Dr. Whitson because he was recommended by a friend who had this same procedure done by him 2 years ago. He was very patient and compassionate. He explained the procedure, what to expect and answered the questions I had.
I thought he was detailed and informative. He outlined options and made sure I understood the process.
He was excellent. He spent a great deal of time with me. I came to him as a second opinion for my health diagnosis. He answered all my questions and gave me good information to think about.
My provider was very good
He clearly explained my situation and the surgery he will perform. He also listened and answered my questions in a friendly and conversational manner.
Both nurse practitioner and doctor were very knowledgeable.
Listened and answered our questions.