General Info

Dr. Downs is a cardiac surgeon specializing in the care of children and adults with congenital heart disease. She attended the University of Michigan, where she studied oboe performance and biomedical engineering as an undergraduate. She then went to the University of Virginia for medical school. Dr. Downs did her residency for adult cardiothoracic surgery at UVA. Then she completed training with a fellowship in congenital cardiac surgery at Children's Hospital of Colorado. Dr. Downs enjoys cardiac physiology and the complexity and variety of heart anatomy found in congenital cardiac surgery. She studied engineering as a "pre-med" major and appreciates the heart's function as a pump, with mechanical, chemical, and electrical components.