Lauren Barron

This interview focuses on tracking burnout and recovery in surgical trainees. At the 2026 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting, CTSNet JANS Editor Ali Mashadi, a medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland—Bahrain, spoke with Dr. Lauren Barron, a cardiothoracic surgery Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Heart Institute, TX, USA, to discuss this important topic.

Dev Madhubala earned BSc (biotechnology) in 2015 from St. Xavier College, Ranchi University, Ranchi, India, and MSc (life science specialization in biochemistry) in 2017 from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab, India. Currently she is enrolled in the PhD program in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, at Tezpur University. Her research interest is snake venom nerve growth factor-derived peptide therapeutics in preventing neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF), cardiac surgery, cardiac arrhythmia prevention, rate control, rhythm control Abstract Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after cardiac surgery is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. Although current prediction models have limited efficacy, several perioperative interventions can reduce patients' risk of POAF. These begin with preoperative medications, including beta-blockers and amiodarone.