Dr. Christina Vassileva, MD is a cardiac surgery specialist in Springfield, IL and has been practicing for 9 years. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University / School of Medicine in 2002 and specializes in cardiac surgery, adult cardiac surgery, and more.Read her story
Insurance Accepted
- Aetna
- AvMed
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- CorVel
- Coventry Health Care
- Coventry Health Care of Missouri
- HealthLink
- HFN
- + 7 More
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Learn about Dr. Vassileva
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Top Care Areas
See how frequently Dr. Vassileva performs your care needs compared to other doctors.
Valve Repair or Replacement (Aortic, Mitral, Tricuspid, and Pulmonary)
high
more than 83% of peers
Aortic Valve Surgery
high
more than 81% of peers
Heart Surgery
normal
more than 64% of peers
Dr. Vassileva's percentages are based on the rate of treatment compared to peers nationwide from insurance data. Learn more info about our data and this Top Care Areas component.
Dr. Vassileva's bio
This content was provided by Dr. Vassileva "Dr. Vassileva was born and raised in Bulgaria and came to the US after high school at the age of 19. She completed medical school and general surgery at Johns Hopkins and subsequently finished her training in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac track at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in 2009. Throughout her training, she has received multiple awards that distinguish her scholastic achievement. At the end of medical school, she received the William Steward Halsted award for outstanding performance in surgery. At the end of general surgery, she received the John Cameron Technical Excellence Award. At the Brigham, she received the John Collins Cardiothoracic Scholar Award. After completing her training in cardiothoracic surgery in 2009, she took a position at Southern Illinois University as an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery. In recognition of her clinical and scholarly achievements as SIU, in 2014, she was promoted to associate professor with tenure. She is well versed in all aspects of cardiac surgery, but her special interest and expertise are heart valve disease and minimally invasive valve surgery, specifically valve repair, including mitral valve repair, tricuspid valve repair, aortic valve repair and valve sparing aortic root replacement. She has established a Center for Valvular Heart Disease at SIU and currently serves as its director. On a national level, she holds a number of national committee appointments. These include member of the Access and Publications Committee for the Workforce on National Databases in the STS, member of the STS Quality Management Task Force, chair of the Mitral Repair Working Group for the Society for Heart Valve Disease, member of the Editorial Board for the Heart Surgery Forum, member of the Grants and Fellowships Committee of the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS). She also serves as a guest reviewer for premier cardiothoracic surgery journals and she is an active fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Vassileva has authored many publications in top cardiovascular journals, including Circulation, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Journal for Heart Valve Disease and others. She has received multiple grants for her outcomes research in valvular heart disease, especially mitral valve surgery. She is also actively involved in teaching medical students and residents at SIU. In 2010, she was awarded the Clinician Scientist Award for the School of Medicine. In 2011, she received the Junior Faculty Researcher of the Year award for the school of medicine and in 2013, she received the Medical Innovator award for the Sangamon County Medical Society."
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Care Philosophy
This content was provided by Dr. Vassileva "My training at Johns Hopkins for general surgery and Harvard for cardiac surgery has instilled in me a philosophy to treating cardiac surgery patients that emphasizes strict attention to detail in preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care. When I see patients in preoperative consultation, I don't sugar coat the information because I believe that patients who have realistic expectations and are informed about what is going to happen after their surgery recover better and faster."
3 Specialties
- Cardiac Surgery
- Adult Cardiac Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
3 Board Certifications
- General SurgeryAccredited by: American Board of Surgery*
- Thoracic Cardiovascular SurgeryAccredited by: American Board of Thoracic Surgery*
- Thoracic SurgeryAccredited by: American Board of Thoracic Surgery*
53 Conditions Treated
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease
- Aneurysm
- Aneurysm and Dissection of Heart
- Aneurysm of Sinus of Valsalva
- Angina and Acute Coronary Syndrome
- Aortic Aneurysm
- Aortic Diseases
- Aortic Dissection
- Aortic Ectasia
- Aortic Embolism and Thrombosis
- Aortic Stenosis
- Aortic Valve Disease
- Aortic Valve Regurgitation
- Arrhythmias
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Atrial Flutter
- Atrial Septal Defect
- Bacterial Endocarditis
- Benign Tumor
- Cardiac Sources of Embolism
- Cardiomegaly
- Cardiomyopathy
- Cardiomyopathy, Dilated, Idiopathic
- Cardiomyopathy, Familial Dilated
- Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic
- Congenital Aneurysms of the Great Vessels
- Congenital Aortic Valve Disorders
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Congenital Septal Defect
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Coronary Artery Aneurysm
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
- Dissecting Aneurysm
- Endocarditis
- Heart Disease
- Heart Disease in Women
- Heart Tumors, Benign
- Heart Valve Diseases
- Mediastinal Tumors, Not Specified as Malignant
- Mitral Valve Disease
- Mitral Valve Regurgitation
- Mitral Valve Stenosis
- Pericardial Disease
- Pulmonary Disease
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Pulmonary Valve Disease
- Rheumatic Aortic Valve Disorders
- Septal Defect
- Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm
- Thrombosis
- Vascular Disease
- Ventricular Septal Defect
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36 Procedures
- Ablation for Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
- Ablation for Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmias
- Aortic Aneurysm Repair
- Aortic Repair, Open or Repair of Arterial Aneurysm, Open
- Aortic Valve Repair
- Aortic Valve Replacement
- Aortic Valve Surgery
- Aortic Valvuloplasty
- Cardiac Electrophysiology
- Cardioverter-Defibrillator or Pacemaker Insertion, Removal or Repair
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery
- Heart Defect Repair
- Heart Surgery
- Heart Valve Replacement
- Impella Device
- Insertion of Epicardial Lead for Pacemaker or Cardioverter and-or Defibrillator
- Maze Procedure
- Minimally Invasive Aneurysm Repair
- Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery
- Mitral Valve Repair
- Mitral Valve Replacement
- Mitral Valve Surgery
- Multi-Arterial Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery
- Pacemaker Implantation, Permanent
- Pacemaker Implantation, Temporary
- Pacemaker Insertion or Replacement
- Percutaneous Balloon Valvuloplasty
- Pulmonary Valve Surgery
- Removal or Revision of Pacemaker or Cardioverter and-or Defibrillator
- Resection of Cardiac Tumor
- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
- Tricuspid Valve Surgery
- Valve Repair or Replacement (Aortic, Mitral, Tricuspid, and Pulmonary)
- Valvuloplasty
- Vascular Surgical Procedure
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Background Check
0 Malpractice Claims
No malpractice history found for Illinois.
0 Sanctions
No sanctions history found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
0 Board Actions
No board actions found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
Education
- Northeastern UniversityUndergraduate School | Graduated 1998
- Johns Hopkins University / School of MedicineMedical School | Graduated 2002
- The Johns Hopkins HospitalInternship Hospital | Completed 2003
- The Johns Hopkins HospitalResidency Hospital | Completed 2007
- Brigham and Womens HospitalFellowship Hospital | Completed 2009
Awards & Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Healthgrades Honor Roll
Media & Publications
Dr. Vassileva has no media or publications listed.
Languages Spoken
- English
- Bulgarian
- French
Memberships & Professional Affiliations
Dr. Vassileva does not have any memberships or affiliations listed. If you are Dr. Vassileva and would like to add memberships or affiliations, please update your profile.
Dr. Vassileva's Reviews
Likelihood of recommending Dr. Vassileva to family and friends
5 total reviews (1 has a comment)
"
My clinic runs late, takes a long time, but when my patients leave clinic, they understand the problem they have, the treatment options available to them, the risks and benefits of each option and how to determine the timing of their operation if needed.
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Patient Comments (1)