Dr, Juan P. Umana trained in General Surgery training at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, where he developed and patented the mitral valve repair method that became the Mitraclip. He then moved to Stanford University, where he completed his Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency. In 2002 he returned to the Fundacion Cardioinfantil in Bogota, Colombia, where he holds the position of Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery and Advisor to the Board of Trustees on Innovation and International Affairs. As Professor of Surgery at the University of El Rosario he has pioneered a shift towards an integrated 5 year training program in Cardiovascular Surgery. His clinical interests include mitral and aortic valve repair. He is an active member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, where he has been co-director of the minimally invasive mitral valve surgery course of STS University. He currently holds a leadership position in the Workforce for International Meetings and is co-chair of the LatAm Task Force, where he was instrumental in the creation of the STS/EACTS Latam Cardiovascular Surgery Conference. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and a member of the Board of the Heart Valve Society.