Mount Sinai Heart Director Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology, has made it his mission to assemble best-in-class physicians from here and abroad. Under his leadership, Mount Sinai Heart has earned an international reputation as a premier cardiac care center with a uniquely collaborative atmosphere.

"This is the ultimate team sport," says David H. Adams, MD, Professor and Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center. "It's a culture where the whole team is extremely proud of what we do here."

"The collective wisdom at Mount Sinai Heart makes us special," agrees Paul Stelzer, MD, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery. "Whatever needs to be done for a patient, we work together to make it happen."

A Gateway to the Leading Valvular Specialists

David H. Adams, MD, Professor and Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Program Director of the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center, has developed techniques adopted by surgeons around the world. He studied with Alain Carpentier, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, who is known as the father of mitral valve repair. He and Dr. Carpentier invented the gold standard in valve repair support devices, the Carpentier-Edwards Physio II Annuloplasty Ring. Dr. Adams has been named to New York magazine's "Best Doctors" list every year since arriving at Mount Sinai in 2002. He has written a forthcoming reference text for valve repair with another Mount Sinai Heart valve surgeon, Farzan Filsoufi, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Anelechi C. Anyanwu, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, came to Mount Sinai Heart to work with Dr. Adams. Dr. Anyanwu is one of only a handful of surgeons in the United States to receive intensive formal training in the entire spectrum of mitral valve repair techniques.

Paul Stelzer, MD, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, specializes in aortic disease. He has performed more than 450 Ross Procedures, a unique approach to aortic valve repair. That record makes him one of the most experienced Ross surgeons in the world. Dr. Stelzer also has extensive experience in aortic homograft and valve-sparing root surgery. He has appeared in New York magazine's "Best Doctors" list multiple times.

Joanna Chikwe, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, is an expert in cardiac valve surgery. Dr. Chikwe specializes in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. These techniques reduce postoperative discomfort, speed recovery, and improve the appearance of surgical incisions. Dr. Chikwe has a particular interest in robotic and video-assisted surgery.

Gabriele Di Luozzo, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, is an expert in aortic surgeries, including the aortic valve.

Martin E. Goldman, MD, Professor of Cardiology, has been an innovative force, perfecting echocardiography throughout The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Mario J. Garcia, MD, Professor of Medicine and Radiology and Director of Noninvasive Cardiology, was voted one of the top five cardiovascular imaging specialists in the United States by Diagnostic Imaging magazine.

Dr. Goldman, Eric Stern, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiology, and Lori B. Croft, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, direct our Echocardiography Lab. They are joined in the lab by David Vorchheimer, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiology, and W. Lane Duvall, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology. Together, they analyze high-resolution images produced with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

Samin K. Sharma, MD, Professor of Cardiology and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, works with Annapoorna S. Kini, MBBS, Associate Professor of Cardiology and Associate Director of the cath lab, and their team to perform nonsurgical treatments for mitral and aortic problems.

The cardiac catheterization lab performs an average of more than 100 balloon valvuloplasties every year, including more aortic valvuloplasty procedures than any other center nationwide.

From Groundbreaking Research to Clinical Practice

As part of an academic medical institution, our doctors are dedicated to educating and training the next generation of physicians and scientists. Mount Sinai Heart's doctors also direct research and clinical trials of new drugs and devices.

Members of the valvular heart disease team are part of Mount Sinai Medical Center's Faculty Practice Associates, a multidisciplinary group of more than 800 physicians who provide an extensive network of primary care, ambulatory specialty care, psychiatric care, and rehabilitation services both at Mount Sinai and in the community.

In addition, more than 1,400 private physicians have a close relationship with the hospital, sending patients to Mount Sinai for further testing, procedures, and surgeries.