Bart A Chess, MD

Carissa Cetra is a certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP) who specializes in nephrology. Her clinical interests include treatment for acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, dialysis, electrolyte disorders, hypertension, proteinuria, and kidney stones. She practices a holistic, patient-centered approach to patient care, working with patients to create a plan of care that will manage their renal-related issues and also work best for them individually. She sees patients ages 13 and older and speaks English. Carissa Cetra earned both her Bachelor of Science in nursing and her Master of Science in nursing from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is board-certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner and as an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner.

AHN Nephrology Associates is a specialized medical practice located in Pittsburgh, PA, focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of kidney-related conditions. The team aims to provide comprehensive care for patients with various nephrological needs. Dedicated to advancing kidney health, AHN Nephrology Associates brings together expert physicians equipped with the latest medical knowledge and technologies. Their commitment to patient care emphasizes individualized treatment plans designed to improve outcomes and quality of life. Generated from the website

Dr. Halbreiner is the Director of Research in Cardiac Surgery and has been widely and nationally published in the field, including presentations at national conferences. He serves as the primary investigator (PI) in many international and national clinical trials as well as the PI for the largest multi-institutional collaborative research effort in cardiac surgery – Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN). Dr. Halbreiner earned his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. He completed his general surgery internship at Boston University Medical Center in Boston, Mass., and his residency at SUNY - Stony Brook in New York serving as administrative chief resident and as a research fellow in cardiac surgery. He then trained in cardiothoracic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as administrative chief resident where he had a heavy focus on aortic surgery. He has held academic appointments as clinical instructor in surgery at SUNY - Stony Brook and at Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery at Drexel College of Medicine and has appointments as an Adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University through which he has ongoing NIH and State funded research with the Biomedical Engineering Department. He currently serves as the Director of the Aortic Center for AHN with expertise in complex aortic surgery and specialized care in patients with connective tissue disorders. He is a clinical leader in this field and performs both complex open-heart procedures as well as minimally invasive endovascular procedures for aortic diseases. The aortic center has joined efforts with other institutions across the country in treatment of aortic dissections through the International Registry for Aortic Diseases, through which Dr. Halbreiner is the PI. He is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons.