Pediatric cardiology chief named by UofL

A United States Army Medical Corps veteran with eight years of experience at the University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics has been named division chief of pediatric cardiology.

Brian Holland, M.D., has been serving as interim chief since 2017 and practices with UofL Physicians-Pediatric Cardiology.  The UofL Board of Trustees approved his appointment in March.

“Dr. Holland relentlessly pursues quality improvement initiatives, research projects and growth opportunities to enhance and improve pediatric cardiovascular services, both in UofL pediatric clinics and at Norton Children’s Hospital,” said UofL Department of Pediatrics Chair Charles Woods, M.D.

Holland is board-certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology and American Society of Echocardiography. He joined UofL as a pediatric cardiologist in 2010. In 2015, he became the medical director for echocardiography, which is the use of ultrasound to obtain images of the structure and function of the heart. He also is chief of cardiology at Norton Children’s Hospital.

Holland specializes in fetal, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. Fetal echocardiography uses ultrasound to find details of heart defects before birth. Transthoracic echocardiography looks through the patient’s chest wall to see the heart, while transesophageal echocardiography uses a device that passes through the mouth into the esophagus to obtain images.

Holland attended the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in bioengineering and then received his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, where he was awarded membership in Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Following his graduation from medical school, Holland served seven years with the U.S. Army Medical Corps. While in the Medical Corps, he completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu and served as a pediatrician in Germany. He also earned the Bronze Star for exceptional service while deployed as a U.S. Army physician during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

After finishing his military service, Holland completed a three-year fellowship in pediatric cardiology at New York-Presbyterian, the training hospitals of Columbia University and Cornell University, before coming to UofL.