Rochus Voeller, MD

Dr. Voeller was born in Tokyo, Japan and grew up in Sapporo for 10 years. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota in biochemistry, and graduated from the Medical School in 2003. He did his general surgery residency and cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis between 2003 and 2012. He is board-certified in Surgery and Thoracic surgery. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota in 2016, he was in private practice and was the Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota from 2014-2015.

Dr. Voeller is currently an Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He also serves as the Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Site Director for the Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Training Program at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, Minnesota. He is also the Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery for M Health Fairview since 2019.

Dr. Voeller’s clinical focus and expertise include minimally invasive valve surgery, mitral valve repair and aortic valve repair, aortic surgery, atrial fibrillation surgery, and complex reoperative cardiac surgery and heart transplantation. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Voeller has contributed to research in his field, and has authored/co-authored in over 50 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on various subjects in the specialty. His current focus is on minimally invasive cardiac surgery and mitral valve repair techniques. He has also served as a co-Principal Investigator in numerous clinical trials, most recently in the Medtronic APOLLO Trial at his institution.  He is also an active member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and the Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons (ECS) Club.