Dr. William Brinkman is a Cardiothoracic surgeon at Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano. Dr. Brinkman specializes in the treatment of thoracic aortic disease, heart transplantation, and minimally invasive surgical techniques for Cardiac surgery. He focuses on hybrid approaches to the management and treatment of thoracic aortic disease; valve-sparing aortic root surgery; and the employment of stroke and spinal cord protection technologies, to improve the quality of heart surgery. He has completed specialty certification training with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ (STS) Thoracic Endografting program; and the Gore TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis program. Dr. Brinkman participates in clinical research, and is a frequent presenter on the topic of endovascular techniques for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, and thoracic aortic surgery. He maintains hospital privileges at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, and Medical City in Dallas.Dr. Brinkman completed his undergraduate years in Washington and Lee University, then continued to study medicine in Emory University School of Medicine. Furthermore, he completed his residency in Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship in the field of Thoracic aortic surgery in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Brinkman is also a member of the American College of Chest Physicians and is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Personally, I chose Dr. Brinkman to be my mentor because he motivated me to stay focused and be realistic with my goals.