Kelsey Gray, MD, assistant professor of surgery (cardiac surgery), has been named surgical director of the Yale Adult Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program, effective June 11, 2026.
Gray succeeds Rita Milewski, MD, associate professor of surgery (cardiac surgery), who will transition to an educational leadership role within the program after helping guide its growth and national reputation.
"Dr. Gray brings unique expertise that will help further integrate ECMO, advanced heart failure and transplantation services for our patients," says Marc Pelletier, MD, chief of cardiac surgery. "We are deeply grateful to Dr. Milewski for her outstanding leadership. Her efforts were instrumental in advancing our ECMO strategy and positioning the program for continued growth."
ECMO is a lifesaving technology that temporarily supports heart and lung function in patients experiencing severe cardiac or respiratory failure, often serving as a bridge to recovery, transplantation or other advanced therapies.
As surgical director, Gray will work alongside a multidisciplinary team that includes anesthesiologist and associate director of critical care medicine Hossam Tantawy, MD, who will continue as ECMO medical director, and Jennifer Grzybinski, APRN, who has been appointed ECMO program manager. Together, they will oversee a program that brings together specialists from cardiac surgery, critical care, heart failure cardiology, and pulmonary and critical care medicine.
Yale’s ECMO program provides advanced life support for patients facing life-threatening heart and lung conditions.