Javier Jorge Lasa, MD
Pediatric Cardiologist and Critical Care Specialist
Associate Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Languages Spoken:
- English Spanish
Biography
Javier Lasa, M.D., is board certified in pediatrics, pediatric cardiology and pediatric critical care medicine. He works with children and young adults experiencing cardiac critical care conditions who have congenital and acquired heart disease and those undergoing heart transplantation. Dr. Lasa is an expert in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation and mechanical circulatory support devices, such as ventricular assist devices. He is an Associate Professor in the Divisions of Cardiology and Critical Care at UT Southwestern. He also serves as the Executive Director of Informatics and Innovation within the Heart Center at Children’s Health℠.
Dr. Lasa earned his medical degree at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. He completed his residency training in general pediatrics as well as dual-fellowship training in cardiology and critical care medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
His research focuses on preventing and managing cardiac arrest in children with congenital heart disease. Dr. Lasa’s work has led to formal invitations to join national and resuscitation guidelines recommendations groups. He serves as the 2025 Co-Chair of the American Heart Association Pediatric Advanced Life Support Writing Group. Dr. Lasa has also received many honors and awards, including the Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching and the STAR Oral Abstract Award from the Critical Care Congress.
Dr. Lasa serves on the editorial board for the journal Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. He is a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society member and an invited member of the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Subcommittee. He is also an invited lecturer and presenter at regional and national industry events.
During his free time, Dr. Lasa enjoys spending time with his family, grilling and BBQ’ing, working on rehabbing homes, brewing beer and playing golf.
Education and Training
- Medical School
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2005)
- Residency
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2008), Pediatrics
- Fellowship
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2014), Pediatric Critical Care
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2011), Pediatric Cardiology - Board Certification
- American Board of Pediatrics/Pediatric Cardiology,
American Board of Pediatrics/Critical Care
Conditions
Treatments
Departments and Programs
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Research Interests
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for patients with congenital heart disease
- Pediatric cardiac arrest
- Pediatric cardiac critical care medicine
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
- Pediatric heart transplantation
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Publications
- Risk Factors for Perioperative Morbidity in Adults Undergoing Cardiac Surgery at Children's Hospitals. Jain PN, Salciccioli KB, Guffey D, Byun J, Cotts TB, Ermis P, Gaies M, Ghanayem N, Kim F, Lasa JJ, Smith A, Fuller S, The Annals of thoracic surgery 2022 06 113 6 2062-2070
- Critical Care Unit Organizational and Personnel Factors Impact Cardiac Arrest Prevention and Rescue in the Pediatric Cardiac Population. Lasa JJ, Banerjee M, Zhang W, Bailly DK, Sasaki J, Bertrandt R, Raymond TT, Olive MK, Smith A, Alten J, Gaies M, Pediatr Crit Care Med 2022 04 23 4 255-267
- Cardiovascular sequelae from COVID-19: perspectives from a paediatric cardiac ICU. Lasa JJ, Alali A, Anders M, Tume SC, Muscal E, Tejtel SKS, Shekerdemian L, Cardiol Young 2022 Feb 1-8
- Intubation in the Cardiac ICU: Highway to the Danger Zone?Elhoff JJ, Lasa JJ, Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies 2020 12 21 12 1102-1103
- Interim Guidance for Basic and Advanced Life Support in Children and Neonates With Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19. Topjian A, Aziz K, Kamath-Rayne BD, Atkins DL, Becker L, Berg RA, Bradley SM, Bhanji F, Brooks S, Chan M, Chan P, Cheng A, de Caen A, Duff JP, Escobedo M, Flores GE, Fuchs S, Girotra S, Hsu A, Joyner BL, Kleinman M, Lasa JJ, Lee HC, Lehotzky RE, Levy A, Mancini ME, McBride ME, Meckler G, Merchant RM, Morgan RW, Nadkarni V, Panchal AR, Peberdy MA, Raymond T, Roberts K, Sasson C, Schexnayder SM, Sutton RM, Terry M, Walsh B, Wang DS, Zelop CM, Edelson DP, Pediatrics 2020 May
- Epidemiology and Outcomes of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure in Children. Lasa JJ, Gaies M, Bush L, Zhang W, Banerjee M, Alten JA, Butts RJ, Cabrera AG, Checchia PA, Elhoff J, Lorts A, Rossano JW, Schumacher K, Shekerdemian LS, Price JF, Circulation. Heart failure 2020 04 13 4 e006101
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Professional Activities
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American College of Cardiology
- American Heart Association
- Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society
- Society of Critical Care Medicine
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Awards and Honors
- Finalist, “Hospital of the Future” Hackathon App Development Challenge (2021), Texas Children's Hospital
- STAR Oral Abstract Award Recipient (2020), 49th Annual Critical Care Congress
- Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching and Evaluation (2019), Baylor College of Medicine
- Fellow’s Research Day Poster Presentation Award Recipient (2010-2011), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute
- Nancy Elizabeth Barnhart Pediatric Resident Award (2008), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia