George Van Hare, M.D., has been appointed director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the School of Medicine and the Louis Larrick Ward Chair in Pediatric Cardiology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Van Hare was most recently a professor of pediatrics and medical director of the Pediatric Arrhythmia Center at Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Prior to that, he was director of the pediatric arrhythmia service at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and an associate professor of pediatrics and of medicine at Case Western Reserve University.
Van Hare
“I’m excited to be at Washington University and St. Louis Children’s Hospital,” Van Hare said. “The heart failure and heart transplant programs are among the largest in the country, which means there is an established team taking excellent care of these patients. The environment here is just spectacular for further developing an already very strong pediatric cardiology division. I am looking forward to collaborating with those in the adult cardiology program, which also one of the world’s best.”
An electrophysiologist, Van Hare has a long-standing interest in irregular heart rhythms that can occur in infants and children following surgery for congenital heart diseases.
He is particularly interested in applying new technology to characterize, map and successfully treat these arrhythmias in the electrophysiology laboratory.
He also has extensive experience in organizing and leading multicenter studies of children with heart rhythm disorders.
“George is the real triple threat: an outstanding clinician — indeed a pioneer in pediatric electrophysiology — an acclaimed teacher and mentor and a distinguished clinical investigator,” said Alan L. Schwartz, Ph.D., M.D., the Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor and chair of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “We are truly delighted that he will be leading our Division of Pediatric Cardiology on to the next level.”
Van Hare earned a medical degree from the University of Connecticut. He completed his pediatric residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where he served as chief resident in pediatrics.
Van Hare’s wife, Michele M. Estabrook, M.D., has also joined the School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital as professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases.