Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Robert E. Michler, MD is Surgeon-in-Chief at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, New York. He is also the Samuel I. Belkin Chair, Professor and Chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery and Co-Director, Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center. He is known for minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery procedures, and the work of his team led to FDA approval for cardiac robotic techniques including mitral valve repair. He has been principal investigator for numerous clinical trials. In 2007, Dr. Michler received a prestigous multimillion dollar award from the NIH/NHLBI to conduct clinical trial research as part of the the Cardiothoracic Surgical Network. These trials focus on mitral valve repair and the treatment of atrial fibrillation. He has been awarded prizes for his humanitarian surgery missions as part of Heart Care international, a not-for-profit foundation he founded and serves as Chairman.