Holy Cross Health Takes Cardiothoracic Surgery to a New Level

Esteemed surgeons Kushagra Katariya, MD, FACS and Marc Gibber, MD to lead CT surgery team

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (January 16, 2026) – As Holy Cross Health celebrates 70 years of serving the healthcare needs of the community, the hospital has elevated its cardiothoracic surgery program to the highest level with the addition of two internationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeons.

Leading the cardiothoracic surgery team is Kushagra Katariya, MD, FACS who was named medical director and chief of cardiothoracic surgery, and Marc Gibber, MD, who has assumed the role of surgical director of the intensive care unit. They join the Holy Cross Medical Group, a multi-specialty physician-employed group of more than 180 physicians providing services throughout Broward County.

This announcement comes at a time when heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. according to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update.

At Holy Cross Health, Dr. Katariya and Dr. Gibber will lead an expert cardiothoracic surgery team that has access to the latest innovations when it comes to techniques and equipment. They will perform a wide range of lifesaving heart surgeries including coronary revascularization, coronary bypass, minimally invasive procedures, aortic and atrial fibrillation.

“We’re offering cutting edge surgery for patients and the compassionate, kind care the community knows Holy Cross stands for,” said Dawn Lacska-Tommerdahl, MBA, BSN, RN, FACHE, Director of Cardiology at Holy Cross Health. “We are escalating our program to continue serving the community for generations to come. When you need cardiothoracic surgery, you need the best. We’re proud to now have Dr. Katariya and Dr. Gibber on our team. As a Catholic health system, when people come here, they expect and deserve to receive a different kind of care they cannot find elsewhere.”

Most recently, Dr. Katariya was with Tenet Healthcare’s Palm Beach Health Network Physicians Group at Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach, Florida. A milestone career accomplishment was returning to his home country of India where he started and led a group of hospitals performing larger numbers of cardiac surgeries than most hospitals in the United States.

With his legacy in place in India, Dr. Katariya is ready to put his lasting stamp on South Florida and grow Holy Cross Health’s cardiothoracic surgery program from 250 surgeries annually to as many as 800. Dr. Katariya himself has performed more than 15,000 heart surgeries, three times more than the average heart surgeon performs in a lifetime.

“I am really impressed with the passion and inclusiveness of Holy Cross Health’s cardiology group. Holy Cross has what it takes already in place to create a great program,” said Dr. Katariya. “Heart surgery is so much more than an individual heart surgeon. If you can collaborate and bring forth a program that puts patients first, I think that’s something that’s very lasting. Holy Cross has been part of Fort Lauderdale and South Florida for so long and has had a legacy of great heart surgery and a great cardiac program. We are assembling a superlative team who will raise the bar for all in South Florida by bringing cutting edge heart surgery and cardiac care to the community and treating our patients as we would our own family members.”

Previously the Medical Director and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baptist Health Bethesda Hospital in Palm Beach County, Dr. Gibber is thrilled to work alongside Dr. Katariya to elevate Holy Cross Health’s cardiothoracic surgery program. The specialty spoke to him when he was in medical school and training because the field touches so many lives.

“I am very excited to join forces with Dr. Katariya. He has a tremendous reputation not just as a physician, but as a human being. He’s a kind, humble individual who is easy to get along with,” said Dr. Gibber. “The community has always supported Holy Cross Health, and our goal is to support the community. So many people are affected by heart disease, so it’s essential for every community’s nearest hospital to provide expert cardiac care close to home. It’s really humbling to be able to help people live longer.”

When patients come to him, Dr. Gibber wants to provide a sense of comfort during what is often a stressful situation. “I take a holistic approach to the care I provide patients, focusing not only on their medical condition, but also the mental health and emotions of my patients and their families,” the Miami Beach resident said. “The procedures are routine to us as surgeons, but to each individual patient, this is one of the most significant times of their lives.”

The cardiothoracic surgery office is located at 4725 N. Federal Hwy., Suite 402, in Fort Lauderdale. To schedule an appointment, call 954-542-6770 or visit holy-cross.com for more information.

Learn More About Dr. Katariya

Dr. Katariya is a second-generation surgeon who began observing his dad in the operating room in India when he was only four or five years old and scrubbed in for the first time at age 11. With this impressive pedigree, it was evident at a young age he had a passion for surgery and would pursue it as a career. He went on to earn his M.B.B.S. and medical degree from University of Delhi in New Delhi, India.

His residency in the Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York is what initially brought him to the U.S. 
During his time as chief resident, Dr. Katariya was presented with the Resident Achievement Award from the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons and the Leon Ginzburg Award.

Dr. Katariya completed a fellowship in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Jackson Memorial Medical Center at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Upon completion, he remained there as an attending physician and associate professor for the next eight years of his career, where he was recognized with the Best Teacher Award in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. He also is a previous recipient of the prestigious State of Florida Governor’s Award.

In the early 2000s, Dr. Katariya was a principal investigator of various studies backed by substantial grants. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, he received a $10 million federal grant for a study that compared on-pump and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Dr. Katariya returned to the U.S. in 2013. He spent nine years at Tucson Medical Center and Pima Heart Physicians in Tucson before taking his career full circle back to South Florida in 2022. Board-certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and American Board of Surgery, Dr. Katariya is licensed to practice medicine in Florida, Arizona, Washington and India. He is a resident of Fort Lauderdale.

Learn More About Dr. Marc Gibber

Since 2021, Dr. Gibber was on staff at various Baptist Health locations throughout Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties. He was previously in private practice in Miami, Aventura and Memphis.

Dr. Gibber has successfully integrated his faith with his professional pursuits. He earned a Bachelor of Talmudic Law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland, while simultaneously completing premedical studies. An active member of his synagogue and local Jewish day schools, and involved with the Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association, Dr. Gibber remains deeply committed to his Jewish values while dedicating his career to improving lives through cardiothoracic surgery. He completed a post-baccalaureate premedical program at Towson University in Towson, Maryland before matriculating at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. At the University of Maryland Medical Center, Dr. Gibber completed his internship, residencies and fellowship in general and cardiothoracic surgery, serving as chief resident during both residencies.

A Diplomat of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Gibber has taught medical, Advanced Practice Provider and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner students and residents at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Kendall, Florida, Aventura Hospital and Kendall Regional Medical Center in Miami and Saint Francis Hospital and Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. Dr. Gibber was recognized with the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute Annual Residents’ Award and The Robert W. Buxton Prize at the Harry L. Sponseller Research Symposia. From 2007 to 2009, with a $100,000 Joseph M. and Corinne C. Schwartz Cardiac Surgery Research Grant, he studied cardiac muscle remodeling after myocardial infarction.

 

ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH

A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, not-for-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for six Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Hospital rankings, was named among the 2024 America’s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek and selected as a Forbes America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals in 2025. Holy Cross has also been designated as a High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for LGBTQ+ health care access. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as the community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also includes Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect with Holy Cross Health on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.