Benjamin Mantell, MD, PhD

I am a pediatric cardiologist with a special interest in cardiomyopathy, heart failure and heart transplant. I entered this field with a passion for working with infants, children and adolescents who have severe heart disease. My team and I specialize in ways to improve heart function. These patients can often be supported with medications, although they sometimes require machines called ventricular assist devices to help the heart pump. In cases where medicines and machines are not enough, we support patients and their families to evaluate whether a heart transplant is the appropriate next step. It is a privilege to take care of these children and help them and their families through this often-times arduous journey. Supporting the entire family unit is as important as the medicines or devices that keep my patients alive.

I did not always know I wanted to become a doctor. I was exposed to doctors early in life; my grandmother was one of the first women physicians, a pediatrician who helped formulate the concept of family-centered care. However, I started toward this field with an interest in scientific research. During college, I developed a strong interest in understanding how the immune system works and interacts with many other normal functions of the body. Around this time, I was fortunate to work with Michael Sack, an MD, PhD cardiologist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We performed research on cells in culture, and he also ran clinical trials. This experience put much meaning behind our work at the bench and helped me decide to seek my own MD and PhD training.

In medical school, I combined all these experiences into an interest in heart transplantation. I subsequently trained in pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's, then specialized in pediatric cardiology and advanced heart failure/transplantation at Columbia University, New York, NY, where I was able to train under Dr. Linda Addonizio, one of the pioneers of pediatric heart transplantation.

My research aims to improve clinical outcomes for children with heart failure, pre- and post-heart transplantation, including those considered high risk for heart transplant. Specifically, I investigate various mechanisms of transplant rejection and the clinical outcomes of transplant patients who have pre-formed antibodies against their donor hearts (a process called pre-sensitization).

When I'm not at work, I love spending time with my wife, daughter and our puppy, playing tennis and exploring Cincinnati. I'm excited to return after a seven-year hiatus and show my family my favorite places from my training.