Travis M. Rosenkranz, MD

Travis Rosenkranz, MD, credits a number of injuries as a young athlete and some early encounters with sports medicine physicians for initially piquing his interest in the idea of medical school. Once he got there, he gravitated toward cardiothoracic surgery and found his calling.

"I'm still in awe when you get in there, see a heart that is sick or ill, do work on it and then see the heart rebound to what it was supposed to look like prior to having issues," said Dr. Rosenkranz, who sees patients at Methodist Physicians Clinic. "Seeing the fruit of your work and seeing the patient do well afterward is very rewarding."

Dr. Rosenkranz has strong interests in open-heart procedures – especially coronary artery bypass surgery, valve replacements and aortic aneurism repairs ñ as well as minimally invasive lung cancer resections.

He's proud to be part of Methodist's well-established cardiothoracic surgical program and grateful to be learning from some of the best in the field. But The Meaning of Care, he said, is what really drew him to Methodist.

"It's the meaning of what we do," he said. "It's the foundation of who we are as providers and what we were trained in. Reinforcing what it means to really care through your decisions and actions is important. And while I think some of us were born to do this, I also think it gets lost in society and health care today."

Dr. Rosenkranz wants his patients to know that with him, they're getting someone who's trustworthy, down to earth and relatable.

"Especially in moments where patients are very vulnerable and the families are very confused," he said. "I can provide that atmosphere of trust and education while really putting the patient and family at ease with what they're going through."

Dr. Rosenkranz, who's married to his high school sweetheart, stays busy in his free time keeping up with three young children. Together, they enjoy exploring Omaha and everything it has to offer.