Here you can find information about some of our consultants and surgeons who may be involved in yours or your child’s treatment. Many of our experts work with babies, children and adults.
Ms Carin van Doorn – Consultant Congenital Cardiac Surgeon (Clinical Lead)
Carin is a Consultant Congenital Cardiac Surgeon, Honorary Senior Lecturer and Clinical Lead for Congenital Cardiac Surgery for Leeds Congenital Heart Unit at Leeds Children’s Hospital.
As a senior surgeon and trainer Carin is known for her support for her colleagues and members of the wider multidisciplinary team. At national level Carin has held senior positions in the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery for Great Britain and Ireland, including serving on the Executive Board, Lead for the Congenital Audit Committee and Congenital Subcommittee.
Over her career Carin has been extensively involved in charitable work. She is a long-standing trustee of the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund and has led numerous surgical missions for the Chain of Hope Charity as well as serving on their Medical Referral Board. Carin is a mentor and supports medical students, surgical trainees and young colleagues, but in the UK and abroad.
Mr Giuseppe Pelella – Consultant Congenital Cardiac Surgeon
Mr. Giuseppe Pelella has been a Consultant in Congenital Cardiac Surgery at Leeds Children’s Hospital since 2018. He earned his MD and specialist degree in Cardiac Surgery from the Second University of Naples, Italy. Pursuing advanced training in the UK, he completed fellowships in paediatric cardiac surgery at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. His subspecialty training in congenital cardiac surgery included rotations at leading centres in Newcastle and Liverpool.
Mr. Pelella specialises in neonatal and complex congenital heart surgeries, including the Norwood and Ross procedures, Ozaki valve reconstruction, and the Lugones repair for scimitar syndrome. Notably, he was part of the team at Leeds Congenital Heart Unit that performed the UK’s first innovative scimitar syndrome repairs.
An active clinical researcher and educator, Mr. Pelella holds an Honorary Senior Lectureship at the University of Leeds with work published in medical and surgical journals.
Dr Malenka Bissell – Consultant in Paediatric Cardiology and Congenital CMR
Malenka is a Consultant in Paediatric Cardiology and Congenital CMR at Leeds Children’s Hospital and a Clinical lecturer at the University of Leeds.
Her areas of expertise include Paediatric Cardiology, Cardiac MRI, the high risk home monitoring programme.
Malenka trained at the Charite University in Berlin, Germany, where she qualified in 2006. She undertook her paediatric training in Lincoln, Nottingham and Oxford. She also completed her PhD in Oxford in 2015. She moved to Leeds for her Paediatric Cardiology training and her clinical lecturer role before becoming a Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist in 2023.
Malenka’s special interests include: Rapid and enhanced support cardiac MRI, Non-sedation feed and wrap cardiac MRI and Fetal cardiac MRI.
Dr Daniel Velasco-Sanchez – Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist and Paediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Catheter Interventionalist
Daniel is a Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist and Paediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Catheter Interventionalist with areas of expertise including Children’s and Adult Congenital Cardiac Catheter (key hole) Procedures.
Daniel studied Medicine at the University of La Laguna in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain where he graduated in 2000. He trained in General Paediatrics at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona between 2003-2007.
His training in Paediatric Cardiology and adult and children catheter techniques was completed at three different centres, the San Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, the Sainte Justine Hospital in Montreal, Canada and the Leeds General Infirmary in Leeds, United Kingdom. Since 2015 Daniel has worked as a Consultant at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre in Glenfield Hospital, Leicester and, since 2019 at the Leeds Congenital Hearts Unit based at Leeds Children’s Hospital.
Daniel is one of our senior consultant paediatric cardiologists and cardiac catheter interventionists. He is also the visiting Paediatric Cardiologist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.