Mary Lou Hart

Mary Lou Hart is currently a staff perfusionist at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. She has been involved in perfusion for 40 years and her entire career has been at St. Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute.  While it may seem unusual to work in the same hospital for so long, Mary Lou took advice from her instructors when she first entered the field. That advice was to always work for a skilled surgeon and your perfusion career would reflect that. She still gives her students the same advice.

Mary Lou served as the Chief of Perfusion at St. Luke’s Hospital from 1993 through 2000. During that time, St. Luke’s Cardiovascular Surgery Department became a clinical perfusion education site for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Since then, many Missouri perfusionists have done a clinical rotation during their education completion at the Mid-America Heart Institute of St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. Mary Lou is extremely proud to have contributed to the number of excellent perfusionists that serve the people of Missouri.

Mary Lou received her American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion certification in 1980. At that time, a written exam was required to sit for the oral examination the following year.

Mary Lou has served on The Missouri Perfusion Society’s board of directors since 2001. Through The Missouri Perfusion Society, she has come to personally know and work with many of the perfusionists in the State of Missouri which has been privilege and a pleasure. She feels very connected to her fellow perfusionists in the state and encourages every perfusionist to take the opportunity to become a board member and find out for themselves. The Missouri Perfusion Society has provided excellent opportunities for education and camaraderie for all perfusionists.