LMF Board

Christopher K. Zarins, MD – Chairman

Graduated from Lehigh University and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. After surgical residency at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor he joined the faculty at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he started the Vascular Surgery Service and was its Chief for 18 years. In 1993 he moved to California to become the Walter Clifford and Elsa Rooney Chidester Professor of Surgery at Stanford School of Medicine and Chief of Vascular Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center. As the fruit of 35 years of research, Dr Zarins developed a method for computing patient-specific coronary blood flow using computational fluid dynamics and coronary CT angiography imaging data. This provides a non-invasive measure for assessing the functional significance of coronary artery lesions and helps physicians decide on how best to treat patients with coronary artery disease. In 2010, Dr Zarins co-founded a company, HeartFlow, to make this ground-breaking innovation available to patients. Over the past four decades, Dr. Zarins has authored more than 360 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, as well as six books and more than 130 textbook chapters. He has lectured widely at hundreds of regional, national, and international medical meetings and served as President of the Society for Vascular Surgery, President of the International Society for Endovascular Specialists and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Surgical Research. Dr. Zarins co-organized the First Latvian Medical Congress in 1989 and co-founded the Latvian Medical Foundation a year later. He was awarded the Latvian Republic’s The Order of the Three Stars (Triju Zvaigžņu Ordenis), Latvia’s highest civilian honor for service to the nation in improving healthcare.

Bertram Zarins, MD

Graduated from Lafayette College and the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. After internship and assistant residency in surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he completed the Combined Harvard Orthopedic Residency Program in Boston. He did a fellowship in Sports Medicine and then joined the staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital. At MGH he established the Sports Medicine service. He was the Head Physician for three professional sports teams, the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins and New England Revolution, as well as the United States Winter Olympic team in 1984. Dr. Zarins conceived of and co-organized the First Latvian Medical Congress in Latvia in 1989. He was the President of the Latvian Medical and Dental Association. In 1990 he co-founded the Latvian Medical Foundation. In 2003 he was awarded The Order of the Three Stars (Triju Zvaigžņu Ordenis). He is the first Augustus Thorndike Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Chief of Sports Medicine Emeritus at MGH.

Aleksandrs Kalnins, MD, MBA

Received his undergraduate degree in economics at the University of Chicago, and M.D./M.B.A. degrees at the University of Illinois, Medical Scholars Program. After completing a radiology residency at UNC Chapel Hill he did a neuroradiology fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. He was a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Washington. Dr. Kalnins is a neuroradiologist on the faculty of the University of Chicago Medical Center

Dainis Krievins, MD, PhD

Graduated the Latvian Medical Academy (MD) and received his PhD from Riga Stradins University. He was exchange student at University of Chicago School of Medicine. Research fellowship in vascular surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Professor Krievins is Director of the Institute of Research and Chief of Endovascular Program at Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital. He is a member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

Janis Tupesis, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Received his medical degree from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and did his residency training at the University of Chicago Hospitals. He is a member of the Emergency Medicine faculty at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health and was the Residency Program Director until 2014. He is the Chairman of UW Health’s Graduate Medical Education Global Health Committee and one of the Associate Directors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Global Health Institute.  Dr. Tupesis is involved in graduate medical education projects in Africa and is a volunteer consultant to the World Health Organization and the World Bank. He serves on multiple international global health education committees, including the International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM), African Federation of Emergency Medicine (AFEM), American College of Emergency Medicine (ACEP) and the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine – Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA). In 2018, he was awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award by GEMA for his work on emergency care health/education systems development.

Christopher A. Zarins,  BME

Christopher A. Zarins graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in biomedical engineering. He is a senior engineer at Abiomed, Inc., a medical device technology company. He is currently designing a smaller version of the world’s smallest heart pump.

Kamena Kaidaka, MD

The Executive Director of the Latvian Medical Foundation (LMF) and the Latvian Medical and Dental Association (LAZA). She is a graduate of the Riga Medical Institute as an internist, with additional qualifications in journalism, psychology and communication. She was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Latvian Medical Association and the LAZA journal, as well as many other journals and publications. She has organized many medical conferences and projects. In 2010 she received a national award – The Cross of Recognition.