Children’s Minnesota is pleased to announce that Sarah Blonsky, MD; Cathleen Pruitt, MD; and Neil Zaki, MD, MSCI have joined the expanding cardiovascular department to round out the program’s comprehensive pediatric cardiovascular services, providing everything from routine cardiology care to advanced cardiac surgeries, from before birth and into adulthood.
Sarah Blonsky, MD
Sarah Blonsky, MD completed medical school and residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her pediatric cardiology fellowship training was completed at the University of Michigan. Dr. Blonsky’s research interests include improving family-centered care in the peripartum care of neonates with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease, and has even helped pioneer virtual reality curriculum for teaching medical students about these heart defects. She is a current member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Cardiology and the American Medical Association. When not working, she is an avid hiker and traveler.
Cathleen Pruitt, MD
Cathleen Pruitt, MD completed medical school and residency at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Her fellowship training in pediatric cardiology was completed at the University of Utah, where she advanced her training in fetal and pediatric cardiology, and advanced cardiovascular imaging. Dr. Pruitt’s most recent research has focused on screening for social determinants of fetal cardiovascular disease, longitudinal growth in children with hypoplastic heart syndrome, and fetal environmental influences on postnatal growth in infants with single ventricles. She is a current member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Echocardiography and the Fetal Heart Society. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, being active outside and reading.
Neil Zaki, MD, MSCI
Neil Zaki, MD, MSCI completed medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School. His residency was completed at Emory University School of Medicine. Both his fellowship in pediatric cardiology and in pediatric critical care were at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he also completed a Master of Science in clinical investigation. Dr. Zaki’s research interests include predictors of low cardiac output after cardiopulmonary bypass, caring for children with congenital heart disease, treatment and prevention of ICU-related delirium, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and other heart assist devices. He is a current member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Outside of work, Dr. Zaki has three daughters, two dogs and a cat with his wife. He enjoys gardening, home improvement, the New York Times crossword, podcasts and local live music.
Dr. Blonsky, Dr. Pruitt and Dr. Zaki join a team that treats the most pediatric cardiology patients in Minnesota and has some of the best outcomes in the country. The Children’s Minnesota cardiovascular program is the only one in the region that is part of a health system dedicated exclusively to children.