Prior to joining Baptist Health, Dr. Alfonso was an interventional cardiologist and medical director of complex percutaneous coronary intervention and chronic total occlusion at the University of Miami Health System. With its highly specialized techniques and procedures, this program became a referral site for the most challenging cases. He also helped launch a microvascular disease program using invasive and noninvasive techniques to evaluate patients with anginal symptoms in the absence of obstructive coronary disease.

In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr. Alfonso is dedicated to academics and education. He served as professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as well as the director of the cardiology fellowship program based at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Alfonso earned his medical degree at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He remained at the university for seven years of clinical training at Jackson Memorial Hospital, completing a residency in internal medicine and two fellowships, one in cardiovascular disease and the other in interventional cardiology.

Dr. Alfonso’s clinical research has focused on such minimally invasive heart procedures as transcatheter valve replacement, transcatheter aortic valve replacement and other novel structural procedures as well as the use of circulatory support devices for high-risk complex interventions and stem cell therapies for ischemic heart disease.

His research results have been widely published in high-impact scientific publications. Fluent in English and Spanish, Dr. Alfonso also contributes to the scientific community by serving as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous medical journals.

He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Society of Cardiac Angiography and Interventions.

Patient-centered care is important to Dr. Alfonso. With the goal of developing a personalized treatment plan, he evaluates each case individually, has open discussions with patients and their family members and collaborates with a multidisciplinary medical team. He finds that compassion combined with open communication and ongoing counseling helps patients and families navigate difficult decisions and better understand potential benefits and risks of treatment.

Prior to joining Baptist Health, Dr. Hashimoto was director of the Center of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and Robotic Cardiac Surgery, part of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Sapporo Cardiovascular Clinic in Japan.

Dr. Hashimoto earned his medical degree at Shimane University School of Medicine in Izumo, Japan and a Ph.D. in Medical Science at Sapporo Medical University in Sapporo, Japan. He completed two cardiac surgery residencies — one at Sapporo Medical University Hospital and the other at Hokkaido Prefectural Kitami Hospital in Kitami, Japan. He also completed two cardiovascular fellowships — one at Tomishiro Central Hospital in Tomigusuku, Japan and the other at Sakakibara Heart Institute in Fuchu, Japan. During his career, he has published numerous scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Hashimoto is passionate about robotic cardiac surgery because, compared to open-heart surgery, it offers advanced, safe and reliable treatment while also enabling patients to heal faster and return to their normal activities more quickly. “As a cardiac surgeon, I live by the meaning of this phrase by Leonardo da Vinci: ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,’” Dr. Hashimoto said.

Dr. Hashimoto is fluent in English, Japanese and Finnish. When he is not treating patients, he enjoys reading books, exercising and road cycling.