Children’s Hospital New Orleans Announces Dr. Melvin C. Almodóvar as Director of its Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Co-Director of the Children’s Heart Center

Prominent pediatric cardiac intensivist, Dr. Melvin C. Almodóvar, to join Children’s Hospital New Orleans this summer as the hospital expands specialized pediatric heart care for children across the Gulf South.

NEW ORLEANS – Children’s Hospital New Orleans is proud to announce that Melvin “Mel” Almodóvar, MD, a leading pediatric cardiac intensivist, will join the hospital’s Heart Center as a Co-Director and as Director of its Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in August. He will also be appointed Professor of Pediatrics at Louisiana State University, serving as Chief of the Division of Cardiac Intensive Care for LSU Health Sciences Center.

“Dr. Almodóvar is a nationally recognized expert in Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care,” said Dr. Mark Kline, Chief Medical Officer and Physician-in-Chief for Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “As leader of our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Almodóvar will amplify the specialized care provided 24/7 by our entire team of physicians, allied health professionals, and nurses for some of our most fragile and vulnerable patients. Dr. Almodóvar will serve as an integral leader for the Heart Center, which serves as the destination center for congenital heart disease for the patients, parents, and providers of the Gulf South.”

Dr. Almodóvar has held leadership positions at Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and Johns Hopkin’s All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the management of complex congenital heart disease, has authored more than 50 peer reviewed publications and book chapters, and has mentored many trainees and junior faculty now practicing in or leading cardiac intensive care units across the country.

“The growth of our Heart Center team over the last several years has allowed Children’s Hospital New Orleans to provide highly specialized pediatric cardiology services for more children and families from across the State of Louisiana and the Gulf South, including those who require intensive care,” says Lou Fragoso, President and Chief Executive Officer for Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “Dr. Almodóvar will bring more than 23 years of academic and clinical expertise to his role in leading our growing Cardiac Intensive Care team.”

Dr. Almodóvar is joining the Children’s Hospital New Orleans Heart Center from the University of Miami and Jackson Health System, where he has served as the George E. Batchelor Chair in Pediatric Cardiology, Director of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, and Co-Director of the Children’s Heart Center since 2018. He attended medical school at Stanford University School of Medicine and completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowships in pediatric cardiology and cardiac intensive care at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The Heart Center at Children’s Hospital New Orleans is a regional leader in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a wide variety of congenital and acquired heart conditions. Children’s Hospital’s pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons provide expert surgical care in collaboration with the hospital’s cardiology and cardiac intensive care teams. The Heart Center has nationally recognized expertise in diagnosing and treating all forms of congenital heart disease, from the most common and simple forms, to the rarest and most complex. The Center cares for patients of all ages, from premature babies to adults with congenital heart disease.

The Heart Center provides care from its state-of-the-art facilities that match those of top children’s hospitals across the country. This includes a dedicated, 28-bed Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, which is staffed 24/7 by board-certified cardiac intensivists, and a new 70,000 square foot perioperative suite that features a 42-room same day surgery unit, 12 operating rooms, two new cardiac catheterization laboratories, and an adjacent post anesthesia care unit. Learn more at www.chnola.org/heartcenter.

###

About Children’s Hospital New Orleans

Children’s Hospital New Orleans is a 263-bed, non-profit academic pediatric medical center that offers comprehensive healthcare services, including over 40 pediatric specialties, delivered just for children. With more than 600 pediatric providers, Children’s offers a comprehensive array of pediatric healthcare services in Louisiana and the Gulf South. In addition to its main campus located in New Orleans, the hospital operates a network of specialty clinics across Louisiana, including in Covington, Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Lafayette, and Diamondhead, MS. Children’s offers primary care services at 12 convenient locations and remotely via its Virtual Care for Kids program. Children’s is a proud member of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system which also includes New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, West Jefferson Medical Center, East Jefferson General Hospital, Tulane Medical Center, Lakeview Hospital, and Lakeside Hospital. Learn more at chnola.org.