Saroja Bharati, M.D.
Director, The Maurice Lev Congenital Heart and Conduction System Center
The Heart Institute for Children, Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital
Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois;
Professor of Pathology, Rush Medical College,
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois;
Clinical Professor of Pathology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science,
Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, Illinois and
Visiting Professor of Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois
Dr. Bharati is considered as one of the world authorities in pathology of congenital heart disease and the conduction system of the heart. She has authored or co-authored more than 400 publications on the above subjects in peer reviewed journals including the following 3 original books:
Bharati S, Lev M: The Pathology of Congenital Heart Disease. A Personal Experience With More Than 6,300 Congenitally Malformed Hearts. Published by Futura Publishing Company, Armonk, NY, Volumes I and II, pp 1-1608, March 1996.
Bharati S, Lev M, Kirklin JW: Cardiac Surgery and the Conduction System. Second Revised Edition. Published by Futura Publishing Co., Inc., Mount Kisco, New York, pp 1-176, 1992.
Bharati S and Lev M: The Cardiac Conduction System in Unexplained Sudden Death. Published by Futura Publishing Co., Mt. Kisco, New York, pp 1-416, October 1990.
She teaches at all six medical schools in the metropolitan Chicago area, as well as elsewhere in the country and abroad. As such has organized numerous conferences and seminars on Pathology of the Heart in and outside of the country. She conducts yearly exhibits on Pathology of Congenital Heart Disease at the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Meetings. She has won numerous awards for Congenital Heart Exhibits from the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Clinical Pathologist/College of American Pathologists (ASCP/CAP) Annual Meetings. She has served and continues to serve as Editorial Board Consultant to cardiology and pathology journals.
Dr. Bharati is currently the Immediate Past President, Chicago Medical Society (CMS) 2008-2009. She has been a member of the CMS for several years, served as Secretary of North Side Branch, Vice-President, and President. She then served as the President Elect 2006 and President 2007-2008 of CMS. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Society for a number of years. She has also served on the Continuing Medical Education Committee from 1989 to 1995 and continues as a consultant to the committee. Dr. Bharati was vice-chair of the Subcommittee on Joint Sponsorships and Chair of the Midwest Clinical Conference Committee of the CMS for the years 2003-2006. She developed and was course director for “The Changing Face of Women Physicians” at the 2001 Midwest Clinical Conference in Chicago.
In addition to her CMS activities, Dr. Bharati was the Second Vice President of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) 2003-2004 and is a Board of Trustees of the ISMS. She served on the ISMS Committee on CME Activities, Council on Communication, Council on Education and Health Workforce and Chair, Medical Legal Council 2001-2002. She also served as a Board Consultant to CME Accreditation Committee, Membership and Advocacy Committee, Council on Medical Service, Governmental Affairs Committee and Committee on Communications. She currently serves as a Board Consultant on CME Accreditation Committee. She also has served as a delegate to the ISMS House of Delegates and its Reference Committee for several years. Currently she is an alternate delegate for American Medical Association, House of Delegates.
At the National level she currently serves in the Exhibitor Advisory Council of the American Heart Association.
At the National level she served in the American College of Cardiology Continuing Medical Educational Committee for Extramural Programs 1984-1990 and Fellowship Research Award Committee of the American College of Cardiology 2005-2008.
National Institute of Health (NIH) Cardiology Advisory Committee 1986-1990, Parent Review Committee for SCOR 1988-1990 and Research Training Review committee 1993-1996.
Heart Rhythm Society, Fellowship Committee 1994-1997, and Co-Chair Fellowship Committee 1996-1998 and Ethics Committee Co-Chair 1998-2001.
Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago, IL, presented Outstanding New Citizen Award of 1976-1977 to Dr. Bharati. The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) in 1992 presented Dr. Bharati with the Community Service Award for the State of Illinois. In 1999, Today’s Chicago Woman magazine honored Dr. Bharati as one of 100 women making a difference in Chicago. In 2003 she was awarded Fellow of the American Heart Association and the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young. She also serves on Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism, and Interdisciplinary Working Group on Functional Genomics & Translational Biology. She was AMWA’s recipient of the Woman in Science Award for the year 2004. Elected to Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 2007.
She is also a member of Service Clubs such as Rotary One Chicago.