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Jonathan Cardella, MD, FRCS

Associate Professor of Surgery (Vascular)
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About

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Associate Professor of Surgery (Vascular)

Biography

Dr. Jonathan Cardella is a vascular and endovascular surgeon who specializes in advanced endovascular and open surgery for critical limb ischemia and diabetic atherosclerotic disease. He also has extensive experience in complex endovascular surgery for aortic aneurysms and lower extremity occlusive disease, as well as hybrid surgical techniques for PVD, varicose veins, and dialysis access.

Dr. Cardella earned his undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University and his medical degree at the University of Toronto. He completed his endovascular surgery training at the Cleveland Clinic and fellowship training in vascular surgery at the University of Toronto. After completing his training, he joined the University of Toronto as a staff vascular and endovascular surgeon.

Dr. Cardella’s research interests include surgical education, simulation, course design, and milestone skill training. He has written numerous research publications and given many presentations on his work. Previously, he chaired the Canadian Endovascular Skills Summits at the University of Toronto as well as served on its residency committee.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

MD
University of Toronto (2004)

Research

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Jonathan Cardella's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    Journal of Endovascular Therapy

  • activity

    Aorta Journal

Clinical Care

Overview

Jonathan Cardella, MD, is a vascular and endovascular surgeon who repairs blood vessels outside of the heart. While he performs many routine procedures, he specializes in highly complex treatments for conditions such as critical limb ischemia and diabetic atherosclerotic disease. He has extensive experience in complex endovascular surgery for aortic aneurysms and lower extremity occlusive disease, as well as hybrid surgical techniques for peripheral vascular disease, varicose veins, and dialysis access.

“If you come in early enough, the treatment may be zero invasive,” Dr. Cardella says. “Vascular surgeons have an extensive toolbox that ranges from exercise programs to medication to lifestyle management.” Some more aggressive treatments can be done through endovascular approaches that involve “literally a pinprick in someone's groin. We can do work from within the blood vessel that we certainly couldn’t do 15 years ago,” he says.

Dr. Cardella grew up in Toronto as part of a medical family—his father was a transplant nephrologist and his mother, an orthopedic head nurse. “As a young kid, I liked to hear my parents talk about the satisfaction they got from helping people and being involved in such an intimate way in people's lives, and that resonated quite strongly with me.”

Two experiences helped shape Dr. Cardella’s approach as a vascular surgeon. One was when he was walking through a crowded part of a hospital with balconies and tiers overhead, and a patient yelled down to get his attention. “The patient remembered the surgical cap I was wearing. He remembered a joke I made. He remembered everything about that day,” he says. The second experience happened when he was a surgical resident in an inner-city hospital, and he was walking to work huddled in his jacket on a dark winter morning. “A homeless man ran out of an alley, and it shocked me,” he says. “Then, he shouted, ‘Dr. Cardella!’ He lifted up his shirt and showed me his scar and said, ‘I'm doing great.’"

Patients remember their surgeries, sometimes down to the smallest details, Dr. Cardella says. “I learned that the privilege to be involved in such an intimate, life-changing event is incredible. Someone shares intimate details with me, and I really appreciate it. It’s a motivator.”

Dr. Cardella advises anyone to see a vascular surgeon if they feel pain in their feet in bed at night or in their calves when they walk, if they have a strong family history of atherosclerosis or cholesterol disease, or a family history of aneurysm disease.

Clinical Specialties

Vascular & Endovascular Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Vascular Surgery

    Certification Organization
    Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of CANADA
    Original Certification Date
    2013
  • General Surgery

    Certification Organization
    Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of CANADA
    Original Certification Date
    2009

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Contacts

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Locations

  • Boardman Building

    Academic Office

    330 Cedar Street

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Patient Care Locations

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