Castigliano Murthy Bhamidipati, DO

Get to Know Me

I am the surgical director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) at Nemours Children’s Health, where I co-lead the development of a comprehensive regional program for adolescents and adults living with congenital heart disease. I joined Nemours from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, bringing extensive experience in program development, multidisciplinary care, and complex cardiovascular surgery.

At OHSU, I helped build a successful ACHD Surgery Program while developing a comprehensive aortic surgery practice serving patients with congenital heart disease and those with genetic, familial, hereditary, and connective-tissue disorders of the thoracic aorta. My practice sits at the intersection of adult congenital and complex aortic surgery — an increasingly important area as more patients with congenital heart disease live well into adulthood.

Originally from India, I moved to Virginia as a teenager. Before entering medicine, I worked as a firefighter-paramedic, an experience that shaped my commitment to leadership, teamwork, service, and caring for others. I am a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology. My goal is to help establish Nemours Children’s Health as a nationally recognized center for adult congenital heart disease and complex aortic surgery, improving cardiovascular health across the lifespan.

Why Am I an Adult Congenital Surgeon?

As children and adolescents with congenital heart disease grow into adulthood, they often require lifelong care from clinicians who understand both the complexity of their anatomy and the unique challenges of living with congenital heart disease.

My practice encompasses intracardiac and extracardiac congenital heart disease, genetic and connective-tissue aortopathies and arteriopathies, complex structural valve disease, and advanced aortic reconstruction. I have particular interests in valve-preserving strategies, including the Ross procedure; coronary surgery for conditions such as anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA); and hybrid and transcatheter approaches for complex congenital patients.

Ultimately, my goal is to give every patient the opportunity to live their best life — with congenital heart disease becoming a small part of their story.

What I'm Passionate About

I am deeply focused on quality, patient safety, and clinical outcomes. My leadership and academic interests include health services research, quality improvement, innovative models of care, and regional integration of services for patients with congenital and complex cardiovascular disease.

I believe that excellent care is not defined only by a successful operation. It is also about creating a healthcare experience that is coordinated, accessible, thoughtful, and centered on the individual patient.

How I Try to Make A Difference

I believe patients should be treated like family.

Congenital heart disease is a lifelong journey, and I want to build relationships with patients that extend well beyond a single operation or clinical encounter. My goal is to make a meaningful difference in each patient's life — to help them understand their disease, navigate their care, and pursue the life they want to live.

I want congenital heart disease to be a part of your life — not what defines it.

Fellowship

• Thoracic Surgery - University of Washington, 2017

Internship

• General Surgery - State University of New York Upstate Medical University, 2008
• Surgery - State University of New York Upstate Medical University, 2007

Residency

• General Surgery - State University of New York Upstate Medical University, 2015

Medical/Dental School

• PhD - University of Virginia, 2012
• DO - University of New England, 2006