Biography

Rafael Zonana Amkie, M.D., is a Pediatric Cardiologist at Children’s Health℠. He specializes in fetal cardiology and prenatal counseling, echocardiography and complex congenital heart disease. His care philosophy is to support patients and their families in the face of complex diagnoses and to provide specialized and comprehensive care throughout their heart journey, giving weaker hearts a chance to beat longer and stronger.

“I believe one of the greatest strengths of a pediatric cardiologist is the ability and willingness to meet all of a patient's medical and psychological needs,” he says. 

Dr. Rafael Zonana Amkie was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. He received his medical degree from Anahuac University School of Medicine. He then moved to the United States and completed his residency in pediatrics at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, followed by a fellowship in pediatric cardiology and advanced training in fetal cardiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He is fluent in English and Spanish.  

His research activities encompass numerous publications related to advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, include examining the effectiveness of CT scans to evaluate childhood heart tumors in patients not suitable for cardiac MRI, better understanding the development of branch pulmonary artery stenosis in babies with right-sided congenital heart defects, as well as why some babies experience jaundice after heart surgery and how that impacts their outcome.  

During his free time, he enjoys spending quality time with friends and family. He enjoys being outdoors, discovering new restaurants, and reading.

Biography