Meet Our Team

The Center for Advanced Heart Failure at Norton Thoracic Institute physicians work to make sure that all patients are taking the guideline directed medical therapy medications needed to prevent the disease from progressing (and even in special cases help with recovery of function), keep patients out of the hospital, and reduce death.

We work closely with a team of experienced nurses, dietitians and cardiac rehabilitation team counsels’ patients on diet, exercise and lifestyle changes to help patients maintain quality of life and reduce symptoms.

Kevin Brady, MD

Surgical Director, Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices
Surgical Director, Center for Advanced Heart Failure
Chair of the Cardiovascular Surgery

Rajakrishnan Vijayakrishnan, MD FACC

Medical Director, Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices
Medical Director, Center for Advanced Heart Failure
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Creighton Medical School – Phoenix Regional Campus

Linda Staley, RN, MSN, NP

Lead Nurse Practitioner
Center for Advanced Heart Failure/Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices

Kelly Wesselhoff, MSN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, CVN

Advanced Heart Failure Coordinator- Nurse Practitioner
Center for Advanced Heart Failure/Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices

Hursh Naik, MD

Director, Structural Heart Disease Program
Chief of Cardiology Department, Heart and Vascular Institute

Samad Hashimi, MD

Director, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Programs
Director, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Creighton Medical School – Phoenix Regional Campus