About Me
My father was a psychiatrist, and I saw firsthand how he made a difference in people’s lives. I decided I wanted to help people as well, but I became especially interested in cardiac surgery when I discovered that heart problems—unlike brain problems—are essentially mechanical. A faulty valve or inadequate blood supply, for instance, can be diagnosed and precisely addressed so that a patient can go on to have a relatively normal life.
I manage a variety of cardiac conditions, such as aortic and mitral valve disorders, coronary artery disease, ischemia, tricuspid valve disease, and ascending aortic aneurysm and dissection.
I perform coronary artery bypass graft surgery and repair and replace heart valves and the ascending aorta, which carries blood from the heart to the body. I collaborate with cardiologists, anesthesiologists, critical care doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to ensure comprehensive and high-quality care.
My goal is to help patients achieve the best possible outcomes. I present treatment options and explain the risks and benefits. I encourage patients to make the right choice for them. One of the most rewarding highlights of my job is seeing a patient, a few weeks after surgery, run up a flight of stairs without becoming short of breath.
When I became board-certified in thoracic surgery in 2000, I was the 100th woman in the United States to do so. Today, only several hundred women are board-certified thoracic surgeons, and just a few are Black women.
I train residents in cultural competence to improve their interactions with people from different backgrounds. I am also developing a program that would allow college students from underserved communities to observe cardiac surgeons in the summer. My goal is to help people who might never have believed that a career as a surgeon was possible for them see the steps they can take to make it a reality.
Conditions and Treatments
Treatments
- pericardiectomy
- repair of tricuspid valve
- resection of external cardiac tumor
Credentials
Positions
- Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Board Certifications
- American Board of Thoracic Surgery - Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, 2000
Education and Training
- Fellowship, New York Univ Downtown Hosp, Thoracic Surgery, 1999
- Residency, Lincoln Med & Mental Hlth Ctr (Bronx, NY), Surgery (General), 1997
- MD from Jefferson Medical College, 1990
Is this your profile?
Edit profileInsurance Plans Accepted
This provider accepts the following insurance plans.
-
Aetna
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Indemnity
- Aetna Medicare
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO/EPO
-
Agewell
- Agewell
-
Amidacare
- Amidacare
-
Centerlight
- Centerlight
-
Cigna
- Cigna EPO/POS
- Cigna PPO
-
ElderPlan
- ElderPlan
-
Emblem
- Emblem Select Care Exchange
-
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield EPO
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus Essential
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Indemnity
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield MediBlue
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield POS
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
-
Fidelis
- Fidelis Child Health
- Fidelis Essential
- Fidelis Exchange
- Fidelis Medicaid
- Fidelis Medicare
-
GHI
- GHI CBP
- GHI HMO
-
HIP
- HIP Access I
- HIP Access II
- HIP Child Health
- HIP EPO/PPO
- HIP Essential
- HIP HMO
- HIP Medicaid
- HIP Medicare
- HIP POS
-
Healthfirst
- Healthfirst
- Healthfirst Essential
-
Hotel Trades
- Hotel Trades
-
Humana
- Humana Medicare
-
Local 1199
- Local 1199 PPO
-
MagnaCare
- MagnaCare PPO
-
Medicaid
- NJ Medicaid
- NY Medicaid
-
Medicare
- Medicare
-
MetroPlus
- MetroPlus Child Health
- MetroPlus Essential
- MetroPlus Exchange Plans
- MetroPlus Medicaid
- MetroPlus Medicare
-
MultiPlan/PHCS
- MultiPlan/PHCS PPO
-
NYS Health Insurance Plan
- The Empire Plan
-
Oxford
- Oxford Freedom
- Oxford Liberty
- Oxford Medicare
-
PHP
- PHP
-
Railroad Medicare
- Railroad Medicare
-
Senior Whole Health
- Senior Whole Health
-
Tricare
- Tricare
-
UHC
- UnitedHealthcare EPO
- UnitedHealthcare HMO
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare
- UnitedHealthcare POS
- UnitedHealthcare PPO
- UnitedHealthcare Top Tier
-
VNS
- Visiting Nurse Service (VNS) Medicare
-
Village Caremax
- Village Caremax
-
WellCare
- WellCare Medicare
Jennifer L. Ellis, MD does not accept insurance.
Publications
-
Port, J L; Ng, B; Ellis, J L; Nawata, S; Lenert, J T; Burt, M E
Annals of thoracic surgery. 1996 Sep ; 62(3):848-52
-
Ng, B; Lenert, J T; Weksler, B; Port, J L; Ellis, J L; Burt, M E
Annals of thoracic surgery. 1995 Jan ; 59(1):205-8