Previously he worked with the Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantation at DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center at the Houston Methodist Hospital, where he developed the current surgical and perfusion techniques for thoracic organ procurement and preservation. He was also an attending surgeon at the Department of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. La Francesca holds UNOS certifications as heart transplant surgeon and lung transplant surgeon and is a certified surgeon for the use of the HeartMate and the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist devices.