Robert J. Sommer

Dr. Bob Sommer trained in Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology, and started the first Pediatric Interventional Catheterization Laboratory in New York City in 1991, and has been Board Certified in Pediatric Cardiology since 1991. In 1999, Dr. Sommer redirected his focus to the adult patient with Congenital Heart Disease, first by starting his own practice to care for this underserved population, then joining the faculty of Columbia University Medical Center in 2005. In 2017, Dr. Sommer was Board Certified in the new ABIM sub-specialty of Adult Congenital Heart Disease. Dr. Sommer performs catheter intervention for a wide array of congenital and structural disease, in “babies” of all ages including over 200 atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect and patent foramen ovale (PFO) closures annually. Dr. Sommer was an investigator in the CLOSURE I, RESPECT and REDUCE PFO/Stroke Trials, and was the National Cardiology PI for the ESCAPE Migraine-PFO trial. He was the Co-National PI on the ASSURED Trial which led to the recent FDA approval of the Cardioform ASD Occluder. He will be the National Cardiology PI on the upcoming RELIEF Migraine-PFO Trial, based on groundbreaking research done with NP Barbara Robbins. Two manuscripts on this topic were published in the journal NEUROLOGY in November 2018. Dr. Sommer directs the Left Atrial Appendage Closure Team at Columbia, having participated in the PREVAIL Trial and the CAP2 registry using the Watchman device. He is an investigator in the Amulet and Conformal LAA device trials. He is the local PI for the COMPASSION S3 Trial, using the Edwards Sapien 3 valve in the pulmonary position. Dr. Sommer and Ms. Robbins are the primary cardiac caretakers for over 300 pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease, with more than 1500 office visits each year. Dr. Sommer is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.