Leora T Yarboro, MD
Cardiothoracic Surgery
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Bio & Overview
Dr. Leora Yarboro is an associate professor of surgery with tenure at the University of Virginia. She is the chief of the section of cardiac surgery and the surgical director of mechanical circulatory support. She is certified by both the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery.
Dr. Yarboro joined the UVA faculty in 2013. She has a diverse surgical practice, which includes treating heart valve disease, coronary artery disease and aortic aneurysms. She has expertise is in heart failure surgeries, including left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and heart transplantation. Dr. Yarboro performs minimally invasive surgeries and transcatheter valve replacements (TAVR).
Dr. Yarboro’s primary research interests are cardiac surgery clinical outcomes and surgical education. She is a fellow in the American College of Surgeons and an active member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, South Atlantic Cardiovascular Society and The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
Outside of work, Dr. Yarboro enjoys fitness and spending time with her friends and family.
Dr. Yarboro treats patients with the following conditions:
- aorta disease
- aortic aneurysm repair & removal
- aortic arch aneurysm
- aortic stenosis
- aortic valve replacement
- arterial dissections
- coronary artery bypass grafting
- coronary artery disease care
- heart attack
- heart failure
- heart surgery
- heart transplant
- heart valve disease
- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- marfan syndrome
- mitraclip for heart conditions
- mitral regurgitation
- mitral stenosis
- mitral valve prolapse
- mitral valve repair
- reoperative heart surgery
- TAVR
- thoracic aortic aneurysm repair
- tricuspid valve disease
Academic Information
- Department
- Surgery
- Academic Role
- Associate Professor
- Division
- Cardiac Surgery
- Research Interests
- Innovation, Clinical Trials Research, Surgical Simulation, Surgical Education, Clinical Outcomes Research
- Gender
- Female
- Languages
- English
- Age Groups Seen
- Adults (21-65)
Older Adults (65+)
- Primary Education
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
- Residency
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
- Fellowships
- University of Virginia School of Medicine
- Certification
- American Board of Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery), American Board of Surgery (Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery)
- Additional Specialties
- Cardiac Surgery
Highlights
Meet Cardiac Surgeon Leora Yarboro, MD
My name is Leora Yarboro. I'm an adult cardiac surgeon. I specialize in heart failure andtransplantation. I'm the surgical director for those programs here at UVA. I treat all types of patients who have surgical cardiac disease, whether it be coronary artery disease, or valve disease. I am specialized in heart failure therapies, and that includes mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation. I love heart surgery. For me, it's tackling a problem that is really common in the US. It's a big problem that a lot of people have. It's a relatively new field and there's so much exciting new developments that are happening right now. So it's really nice to be part of that. Having heart surgery is a really, can be a scary experience. It's a big operation and we recognize that. So what I really try to do is identify the patient's needs and treat them as an individual. Having been through that really stressful point of time for them, when they come in with a new diagnosis of a problem that needs to be treated surgically, but then seeing them back in clinic, healed up, really ready to start their lives again. And for me, that's the most rewarding experience.
Awards
- 2025 Newsweek's America's Best Cardiothoracic Surgeons
- 2023 Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award, Department of Surgery, University of Virginia
- 2023 Top Performer (>90th percentile) UVA Health Patient Experience Award
- 2019 Best Bedside Manner Awards, OurHealth Charlottesville and Shenandoah Valley Magazine; Third Place, Surgery: Cardiac
- 2018 Best Bedside Manner Awards, OurHealth Charlottesville and Shenandoah Valley Magazine; Second Place, Surgery: Cardiac
- 2015 Bedside Manner Award, Our Health Magazine; First Place
Reviews
133 Patient Satisfaction Ratings
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