Last summer, the first pediatric “domino” partial heart transplant in the Midwest saved the lives of two young patients. As the clinical program manager of the heart and lung transplant team at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, University of Tulsa exercise and sports science alumna Sarah Margherio (B.S. ’08) was instrumental in achieving this groundbreaking procedure.
Highly complex and requiring more than 20 specialists working in two operating rooms, the domino procedure has been performed at only seven other hospitals in the United States. “A domino transplant occurs when one donor’s organ is transplanted into a patient, who then becomes a donor for another patient,” explained Margherio. In this case at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and WashU Medicine Heart Center, one child received a new heart from a deceased donor while the aortic valve from their old heart was transplanted into another patient whose own valve was failing. Through this procedure, two children received lifesaving treatment.
As a clinical program manager, Margherio leads a team that provides care to pediatric transplant patients from across the region. Her main focus is helping to implement innovations in the transplant department while also streamlining processes. “The overarching goal is always to improve patient outcomes,” Margherio noted.
For the recent domino transplant, she collaborated with leadership teams at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and partnered with WashU Medicine physician colleagues to build the program from the ground up. Margherio played a key role in steering process and policy development, helping to align clinical pathways, regulatory requirements and operational workflows to support sustainable implementation. She also engaged key stakeholders – including transplant coordinators, surgical leadership and nursing leadership – to ensure broad awareness, role clarity and operational readiness during all phases of transplantation.
“To see a family’s decision to give the gift of life through organ donation that, ultimately, saves two lives is immensely rewarding,” Margherio said. “I’m honored to be part of the teams that provide this exceptional care and to work in a field that is constantly evolving.”
For Margherio, the road to her current position began during her time as student in Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences. “Both in the classroom and outside, my UTulsa experiences laid the foundation for my passion and drive to pursue health care leadership,” she remarked. “My involvement in Greek life enabled me to hold multiple leadership positions and to lean in to tough conversations, while the various clinical rotations associated with my coursework guided me to future endeavors within a hospital setting. As I look back on my UTulsa studies, I particularly recall the impact of courses I took with Greg Gardner and Robin Ploeger, two really outstanding professors.”
With the knowledge and skills she developed at UTulsa, Margherio next completed a bachelor of nursing degree at St. Louis University in 2011. Building on her experience working as a registered nurse, Margherio graduated in 2024 from Webster University’s master of health administration program. “Throughout the various stages of my education and career, I have appreciated the way health care enables people to incorporate their personal interests,” she said. “For anyone seeking meaningful, impactful work, I recommend following your passions and looking for ways to join diverse teams that come together to provide excellent care within the community.”
As committed as she is to her profession, Margherio also has a rich life outside work with her husband, UTulsa alumnus Justin Margherio (B.S.B.A. ’08). The two are proud parents of Miles (6) and Kennedy (4), whom, she says, “keep us happily racing to catch up with all their busy activities!”
Chart your path
If you share Margherio’s determination to transform the well-being of your community and beyond, Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences has an array of majors and minors to launch you directly into a health profession, pursue medical or graduate school or conduct leading-edge research.