Smidt Heart Institute Welcomes Four New Experts

The Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai has selected four directors who bring expertise in fetal cardiology, cardiac surgery, donor organ preservation and pediatric interventional cardiology.

“We continue to expand the number of clinicians, surgeons and physician-scientists coming together to address the most challenging heart conditions,” said Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, executive director of the Smidt Heart Institute. “As our program grows, we remain committed to delivering care guided by extensive research.”

Fetal Cardiology

Mark Sklansky, MD, is a leader in fetal echocardiography, the detailed evaluation of the heart prior to delivery. He is medical director of Pediatric and Fetal Cardiology Outreach in the Smidt Heart Institute and Guerin Children's, where he uses ultrasound to identify heart conditions before birth and brings his expertise to the broader community.

Prenatal detection of heart problems allows fetal cardiologists, in partnership with obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists and neonatologists, to create a treatment plan for when the baby is born. In some cases, pediatric cardiac interventionalists, working with maternal-fetal medicine specialists, can perform a minimally invasive procedure to correct the heart defect before birth. In other cases, newborns can undergo lifesaving surgery or catheter-based therapies within hours after delivery.

Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Sklansky founded the Children’s Heart Center at UCLA where he was also chief of Pediatric Cardiology. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific papers, including the American Heart Association’s scientific statement on the diagnosis and treatment of fetal cardiac disease.

Cardiac Surgery

Laura DiChiacchio, MD, PhD, is director of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, a form of life support that temporarily does the work of a person’s heart or lungs.

DiChiacchio also directs the Ex Situ Perfusion Program. Under DiChiacchio’s leadership, the team uses specialized machines to keep donor organs alive outside of the body and to improve the function of thoracic organs following transplantation. The team also conducts translational research on thoracic organ recovery and reconditioning. 

DiChiacchio is a cardiac surgeon who focuses on adult heart and lung transplantation. DiChiacchio completed a fellowship in thoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support in the Smidt Heart Institute Department of Cardiac Surgery and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Utah.

Organ Preservation

As director of Heart and Lung Protection and Management, Yoshikazu Suzuki, MD, procures donor organs for patients awaiting transplant, ensuring safety and reliability through each step. He uses the latest technologies to ensure organs are well-preserved, and he is tasked with creating an accessible database of donor hearts and lungs.

Previously, Suzuki was clinical associate professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Pediatric Interventional Cardiology

Stephen Nageotte, MD, is an interventional cardiologist, an expert in using minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat children and adults born with a heart condition. These procedures involve using a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to view the heart and repair anatomical abnormalities, such as narrowed blood vessels or an unclosed hole in the heart. Nageotte directs the Congenital Catheterization Laboratory in the Smidt Heart Institute and Guerin Children’s. 

Nageotte joins Cedars-Sinai from Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, where he was director of the Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and an associate professor. Nageotte also conducts research and has authored several peer-reviewed papers on congenital heart disease and treatments.

The Smidt Heart Institute’s cardiology, heart and vascular surgery programs are rated in the top 10 in the U.S. and #1 in California by U.S. News & World Report.

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Why Accreditation Matters in Choosing a Congenital Heart Program