Peter D. Wearden, MD - Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Peter D. Wearden, MD Cardiothoracic Surgery (407) 650-7715 Primary Office Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida 6535 Nemours Parkway Orlando, FL 32827 Get Directions Appointment: (407) 650-7715 Other Offices Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville 807 Children's Way Jacksonville, FL 32207 Get Directions Appointment: (904) 697-3600 Nemours Children's Health, Prudential Drive Nemours Children's Health, Prudential Drive 841 Prudential Drive Suite 280 Jacksonville, FL 32207 Get Directions Appointment: (904) 697-4300 Nemours Children's Health, Panama City Nemours Children's Health, Panama City 2202 State Ave. Suite 102 Panama City, FL 32405 Get Directions Appointment: (850) 505-4700 Nemours Children's Health, Pensacola Nemours Children's Health, Pensacola 8331 N. Davis Highway Pensacola, FL 32514 Get Directions Appointment: (850) 505-4700 Nemours Children's Health, Southeast Pensacola Nemours Children's Health, Southeast Pensacola 5153 9th Avenue Pensacola, FL 32504 Get Directions Appointment: (850) 505-4700 Get to Know Me My interest in medicine began at college with a summer job in a hospital supply room. I changed to pre-med and that was it. I’ve been a pediatric cardiac surgeon for more than 15 years, and I appreciate the relationships with my patients and their parents. Every year they send me photos of their growing kids; it’s exciting to see them doing well — going to school, playing sports, living full lives. It’s very rewarding. Why I Treat Children The ability of kids’ hearts to recover is truly amazing. I am here to help them along by performing the surgery, getting things how they are supposed to be — then their bodies do the rest. Their ability to heal, their resilience, is just fantastic. They are really champions. What I'm Passionate About I’m always looking for ways to do what we do better, and I’m learning all the time — I learn from colleagues, from nurses and from parents. The nurses are with patients so much, and of course parents know their children better than anyone else, so when a parent says “something’s different,” or “I’ve noticed something,” my ears perk up. Nobody knows what’s normal for their child better than they do.That’s why it’s important to look at the care of kids with heart disease as truly a team effort. It has to be integrated from beginning to end. The best outcomes depend on everyone performing at their best, so that’s what we do. Most of our patients can’t talk yet, but parents, nurses, staff and doctors — every bit of input matters — and a big part of my job is listening. How I Try to Make A Difference We’re dedicated to the quality, safety and outcomes of what we do, and that can’t be compromised. We’re dedicated to caring for parents as well as children. That’s our promise.Many heart defects are discovered during prenatal ultrasounds, so it’s my goal to talk with parents before their child is born. I can’t take away all of their anxiety, but I can let them know that we can fix almost all heart problems, and there’s a really good chance their child is going to be okay. It’s a huge event in their lives, and it can be beyond heart-wrenching to deal with. The more they understand that this is what we do every day — and we do it well — it doesn’t make it easy, but it can make it better. Education & Training Fellowship Cardiovascular Surgery - Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 2005 Cardiothoracic Surgery - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2003 Residency General Surgery - West Virginia University Hospital, 2001 Medical/Dental School PhD - West Virginia University School of Medicine, 1999 M.D. - West Virginia University School of Medicine, 1993 Board Certifications American Board of Surgery/Congenital Cardiac Surgery American Board of Thoracic Surgery/Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery-Gen Awards & Recognition 2015 Best Doctor, Pittsburgh Magazine 2015 Best Doctor® designation, U.S. News & World Report 2014 Best Doctor, Pittsburgh Magazine 2014 Best Doctor® designation, U.S. News & World Report 2013 Best Doctor, Pittsburgh Magazine 2013 Best Doctor® designation, U.S. News & World Report 2012 Best Doctor, Pittsburgh Magazine 2012 Best Doctor® designation, U.S. News & World Report 2011 Best Doctor® designation, U.S. News & World Report Insurance Accepted Aetna Better Health FL Medicaid and Healthy Kids Aetna HMO Aetna HMO/POS/PPO/EPO Alabama Medicaid/Patient First AmeriGroup GA MCAID HMO JAX/GA AmeriGroup GA PeachCare For Kids Jax/GA AvMed Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO Blue Cross and Blue Shield Non HMO Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida Blue Select Cigna PPO/EPO/HMO/POS/OPEN ACCESS Community Care Plan Medicaid Emerging Therapies Transplant Employers Health Network PPO Evolutions Healthcare First Health Aetna PPO/EPO Florida Community Care Florida Medicaid Florida Medicare Geisinger Health Plan Commercial Georgia Medicaid/Georgia Better Health/Peachcare Health First Health Plans HealthSmart Health Plans PPO HUMANA HEALTHY HORIZONS (FKA HUMANA MEDICAID) Independance Blue Cross/Amerihealth/Keystone Health Plan Molina Healthcare Medicaid Multiplan PPO Olympus Managed Healthcare PPO ORL Prime Health Services PPO Specialty Florida Seminole Tribe of Florida Simply Healthcare Healthy Kids Simply Healthcare Medicaid HMO Star Healthcare Network Sunshine SMI/CMS 19 & 21 Sunshine State Health Plan Medicaid Three Rivers Provider Network Tricare/Humana Military Health Services/CHAMPVA United Healthcare Commercial Products United Healthcare Community Plan Medicaid Volusia Health Network PPO/EPO Chest Wall Disorders Research Activities Aortic translocation technique Artificial hearts and lungs Pediatric medical device development Pediatric ECMO support Tissue engineering in congenital heart surgery Neonatal heart surgery Medical Interests Congenital heart surgery Heart transplantation Pediatric mechanical cardiopulmonary support