Karianna (Rita) Milewski, MD, PhD is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Milewski became a staff physician were she entered the Clinical Investigator Graduate Degree Program, which allowed clinicians to obtain their PhD while continuing clinical responsibilities. In 2004 she completed her PhD in Molecular Genetics and later received two Business Certificates for Business Essentials and Entrepreneurship, from Wharton Business School, to obtain skills necessary to manage a laboratory. In 2008 she completed an Aortic Surgery Fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Milewski’s main areas of expertise are in aortic surgery, including endovascular and percutaneous valves. She also supervises both heart and lung organ procurements at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently conducting both clinical and basic science aortic research. Dr. Milewski is initiating a Translational Center for Aortic Diagnosis and Therapeutic Intervention.

• American Heart Association
  • Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia
  • Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences
  • Interdisciplinary Working Group on Functional Genomics and Translational Biology
• Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• Heart Failure Society of America

1. Wessels JL, Bourland JD, Babbs CF, Milewski RC, Rockenhauser ME, Geddes LA. Cardiac stroke volume: Calculation from the pneumocardiogram. Medical Electronics Sept. 1980.
2. Wessels JL, Bourland JD, Babbs CF, Milewski RC, Rockenhauser ME, Geddes LA. Correlation of the cardiogenic air flow in the respiratory airway (i.e. pneumocardiogram) with left ventricular stroke volume in dogs. Japanese Heart Journal 26(5):777-785, Sept. 1985.
3. Lang D, Chen F, Milewski R, Li J, Lu M, Epstein JA. Pax3 is required for enteric ganglia formation and functions with Sox 10 to modulate expression of C-Ret. Journal of Clinical Investigation 106(8): 963-971, Oct. 2000.
4. Chen F, Kook H, Milewski R, Gitler A, Lu MM, Li J, Nazarian R, Schnepp R, Kuangyu J, Biben C, Runke G, Mackay J, Novotny J, Schwartz R, Harvey RP, Mullins MC, Epstein JA. HOP is an unusual homeobox gene that modulates cardiac development. Cell 110(6):713-723, Sept. 20, 2002.
5. Lang D, Brown C, Milewski R, Jiang YQ, Lu MM, Epstein JA. Distinct enhancers regulate neural expression of Pax7. Genomics 82(5):553-560, Nov. 2003.
6. Milewski RC, Chi NC, Li J, Brown C, Lu MM, Epstein JA. Identification of minimal enhancer elements sufficient for Pax3 expression in neural crest and implication of TEAD2 as a regulator of Pax3. Development 131(4):829-837, Feb. 2004.

1. Milewski RC, Hamamoto,Hiroitsugu, Kanemoto,Shinya, Immanuel,Camille, Plappert, Theodore, Parmacek, Michael S, Gorman, Joseph, Gorman, Robert. Serum Response Factor Is Regionally Expressed In Ischemic Cardiomyoopathy. Heart Failure Society of America, 2006.