Dr. Sundt's clinical focus has been on surgery for the correction of acquired cardiovascular conditions in adults. He is an internationally recognized thought-leader on thoracic aortic aneurysms and other aortic diseases, having written and lectured extensively on the subject. He is also widely recognized as an expert in reparative procedures for vascular heart conditions, including mitral regurgitation and aortic valve regurgitation. He has also contributed to the literature on the optimal use of arterial conduits to improve the long term durability of coronary bypass procedures.
His research interests have ranged from organ transplantation to the genetics and genomics of bicuspid aortic valve disease. He has received funding by the National Institutes of Health, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Mayo Foundation for this work. Most recently, he collaborated with investigators in the disciplines of human factors and systems engineering to improve the safety and efficiency of healthcare delivery. On a national level, he was the first chair of the Workforce on Patient Safety for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He is actively collaborating with members of the Mass General Physician Organization in the development of tools to enhance patient centered and shared decision making.