A Quiet Goodbye for the `Prince of Hearts," Phoenix Children's Dr. Michael Teodori

We have met many a character during our long tenure here at New Times, but none more memorable or valuable to our community than Mike Teodori, the longtime chief of pediatric heart surgery at Phoenix Children's Hospital. We spent months with the good doctor, the smiling dude in the photo, reporting...

By Paul Rubin

August 14, 2009

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We have met many a character during our long tenure here at New Times, but none more memorable or valuable to our community than Mike Teodori, the longtime chief of pediatric heart surgery at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

We spent months with the good doctor, the smiling dude in the photo, reporting a story we entitled "Prince of Hearts," It spoke of a soft-spoken gentleman who went about trying to fix little hearts for a living.

In fact, some time after the story was published, Dr. Teodori successfully repaired the tiny ticker of the daughter of good friends of ours. The little girl's name is Sophie, and these days she is a vibrant six-year-old.

Well, a few weeks ago, Dr. Teodori quietly left his post at PCH for a new gig at University Medical Center in Tucson. His departure clearly is a huge loss for our community.

Teodori's replacement is Dr. Jeffrey Pearl, who has some impossibly huge shoes to fill. We wish both of them well.

Paul Rubin

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