By Haley Tenore and Sara McCloskey-Nieves 

The hands of Josue “Josh” Chery, M.D., are an uncommon pair: one half surgeon, one half artist. 

Science and art are two fields that often get pitted against each other, with one often seen logical and the other as creative and emotional. But both coexist seamlessly within Josh, by the patience and precision of each movement of his hands. 

“I see a lot of similarities between art and surgery,” Josh said. “For me, they're the only 2 activities that I can perform with absolute focus for a long period of time.” 

Each day brings new challenges for Josh as the surgical director of heart transplantation at VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center. Managing a hectic schedule, Josh oversees and leads technically difficult surgeries for heart patients, including transplants and installing implants. 

“To be a cardiac surgeon, one has to have some level of innate skills of great hand eye coordination, imagination and innovation,” Josh said. “In as much, one has to practice, practice and practice. There is no substitute for doing the work and putting in the time. That is the beauty of cardiac surgery and art – the pursuit of greatness by continuous refinement of one's craft.” 

Josh Chery and his siblings were all interested in art from a young age; his father was a sculptor. He says can’t remember a time when he didn’t draw. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

When he isn’t rushing through the hospital to the operating room, he dedicates time to photography and painting. Josh can’t remember a time when he didn’t draw. 

“I probably started drawing as early as I was able to write,” Josh said. “Growing up in Boston in the early 90s, graffiti art, doing sports art, all of that was a thing. So, I used to do graffiti art or draw sports figures for kids. I used to make money out of that.” 

Josh’s dad was a sculptor. All his siblings took up art, which sometimes caused competition over who was the best artist in the family. 

“In my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I worked for the Somerville Arts Council in Massachusetts, which was a summer job for high school students, and did murals around the Boston area,” Josh said. “So, pretty much, coming from high school, I was debating between art school and regular college, and I decided on the latter.” 

And it was that summer in Somerville, Massachusetts, when Josh met David Fichter, a world-renowned muralist, who influenced his path and passions.

“[David] told me that being a professional artist a lot of times means doing artwork that sells and pays the bills and not necessarily a reflection of the artist’s creativity and interest. He recommended that I go into a field that I find interesting and would help pay the bills and continue to do art for enjoyment,” Josh explained. “Therefore, I decided to major in biology in college to pursue science and medicine and to do art as a creative outlet.” 

... One has to practice, practice and practice. There is no substitute for doing the work and putting in the time. That is the beauty of cardiac surgery and art – the pursuit of greatness by continuous refinement of one's craft. 

Josue “Josh” Chery, M.D., surgical director of heart transplantation at VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center 

During his third year of medical school at the University of Massachusetts, Josh witnessed the “most amazing thing” he had ever seen – a mitral valve replacement. While watching a surgeon intricately replace a heart’s damaged valve with a new one, restoring blood flow, Josh knew what he wanted to do with his career. That’s when he decided to become a cardiac surgeon. 

After finishing a residency with New York Methodist Hospital, he first came to VCU for training. He returned to VCU Health in 2022 to work as a full-time cardiac surgeon after stints at Emory University and the Veterans Affairs Health System.

Josh Chery, M.D., is the surgical director of heart transplantation at VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center.  (Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Josh was drawn back to Richmond because of the opportunity to continue to be mentored by Vigneshwar Kasirajan, M.D., FACS, chair of the Department of Surgery at VCU Health, and other physicians who trained him in heart surgery. He also knew VCU could open the door to unlimited possibilities.

“I knew that VCU was fertile ground to help me grow to be a fantastic cardiac surgeon,” Josh said. “I would only be limited by my imagination at VCU. I just happen to have a big imagination.”

A pursuit for perfection and absolute beauty in both art and surgery 

One might think it would be difficult to dedicate time to painting when you live the fast-paced lifestyle of a heart surgeon. But Josh has come up with an easy way to ensure that he has enough time. 

“I don't necessarily watch television or use social media. So, you end up having a lot more time than you think. It’s surprising how much time you can waste on watching television and social media,” Josh said.

“Sons of Tomorrow,” a painting by Josh Chery, includes depictions of his sons riding a sea turtle and a couple, Josh and his wife, fishing on a boat. (Contributed photo)

Two of Josh’s favorite things to paint are landscapes and portraits. Many of his paintings include forests, trees and bodies of water like rivers and oceans. His landscape drawings also tend to feature people interacting with the ecosystem.

One of his paintings, "Sons of Tomorrow," depicts a river running through a jungle with people fishing and riding boats. Toward the front of the painting, two boys – modeled off his sons – are riding a sea turtle. Josh and his wife are fishing on the boat. Another painting depicts a boy paddling on a kayak toward sailboats on the sea, with a crocodile swimming below. 

For many people, art can be a way to relax. For Josh, his passion for art and drive for high-quality work means his painting is more intense. 

“To be honest, art, for me, is not a relaxing thing. I usually have a project in my mind that I want to complete, or I have a way I want my paintings to come out. If it doesn't or if it’s not coming out that way, it's very frustrating.” 

Art is also a way for Josh to connect and build relationships with people outside of the hospital. 

“I can relate and have conversations with other people outside of my field, and it doesn't always have to be about medicine,” Josh said. “Whenever I travel I always go to art museums. It allows me to explore the city, the area, and get to know local artists and that community.” 

Josh Chery’s artwork incorporates people interacting with nature. His favorite things to paint are landscapes and portraits. (Contributed photo)

The phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is commonly tossed around by art aficionados. Josh believes there’s an “absolute beauty that everyone can attest to” that crosses “time and culture.” 

“One cannot say that the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel do not meet what I believe to be absolute beauty. That is what I hope to achieve in my art,” Josh said.

For Josh, this concept also spans other disciplines, connecting beauty to spaces that are not always recognized for creativity.

“In the operating room, you know you've done a perfect repair when it looks absolutely beautiful,” he said. “The other similarity between the two lies in the marriage between innate ability and relentless pursuit of perfection through practice that creates magic once achieved.” 

This story is part of a VCU Health News series called “At the Heart of Health,” which spotlights VCU Health and VCU team members whose passions outside of the workplace inspire and support the community. 

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