Huntington Health, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai, welcomes eight physicians to expanded Cardiac, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery Program

Eight expert surgeons have recently joined the Cardiac, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery Program at Huntington Health, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai, to offer a wide range of lifesaving and life-enhancing surgeries to local patients. New, innovative treatment options include robotic valve repair, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic root and arch surgery, surgical treatment of arrhythmias, and minimally invasive thoracic surgery, making this a state-of-the-art program in the San Gabriel Valley.

“We are thrilled to have created this robust program at Huntington Health to serve our community, as it builds on the promise of Huntington care: ensuring our loved ones have greater access to expert care, close to home – at the hospital they know and trust,” says Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA, President and CEO, Huntington Health. “In addition to the leading interventional and non-invasive options we offer at our Helen and Will Webster Heart & Vascular Center, we now have the best surgical team available around the clock for more complex cases.”

The affiliation between Cedars-Sinai and Huntington Health further enables high-quality care to be offered across the health system.

“We are proud to offer Cedars-Sinai’s world-class clinical programs to the Huntington Health community,” said Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Smidt Heart Institute and the Mark S. Siegel Family Foundation Distinguished Professor. “These highly skilled surgeons and care teams will continue to spur not only surgical innovations, but also leading research and scientific advances.”

Meet the specialists who have recently joined Huntington Health’s Cardiac, Vascular & Thoracic Surgery Program and are now helping patients in the San Gabriel Valley live longer, healthier lives:

Robbin Cohen, MD, is the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Program at Huntington Health, and Professor of Cardiac Surgery in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. He is a board-certified cardiac surgeon specializing in adult cardiac surgery, including coronary artery surgery, cardiac valve surgery and surgery of the thoracic aorta.  He also directs the Cedars-Sinai Cardiac Surgery Residency program at Huntington Health. Dr. Cohen and his family live in Pasadena.

Michael Bowdish, MD, is Vice-Chair and Professor of Cardiac Surgery in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. He is a board-certified cardiac surgeon with a focus on adult cardiac surgery and aortic surgery. He has a special interest in aortic root and arch reconstruction, valve sparing aortic root repairs and hybrid approaches to the aortic arch. Dr. Bowdish is an accomplished clinical investigator funded by the National Institutes of Health and serves as Chair of the National Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database group. Dr. Bowdish and his family live in La Canada Flintridge.

Armin Kiankhooy, MD, is an experienced board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, an Associate Professor in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai and a long-term member of the Huntington Health team. Dr. Kiankhooy is recognized for his expertise in adult cardiac surgery, structural heart surgery, adult general thoracic surgery and minimally invasive atrial fibrillation surgery. Dr. Kiankhooy and his family live in Pasadena.

Dominic Emerson, MD, is a nationally recognized, board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, who has established a new robotic cardiac surgery and mitral valve repair program at Huntington Health. Dr. Emerson specializes in minimally invasive cardiac surgery and mitral valve repair, recently successfully performing the first robotic mitral valve repair in the San Gabriel Valley. Dr. Emerson is the Director of Robotic Cardiac Surgery Program at Cedars-Sinai where he serves as an Associate Surgical Director of the Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and leads the Thoracic Surgery Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency and Fellowship.

Tyler Gunn, MD, is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, Director of the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program at Cedars-Sinai and an Assistant Professor of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Gunn specializes in heart failure surgery, aortic surgery and coronary bypass. He shares his time between Huntington Health and the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.

Amirhossein Paymon Mahfoozi, MD, is a board-certified thoracic surgeon. Dr. Mahfoozi specializes in cardiovascular surgery and robotic minimally invasive thoracic surgery, and he does extensive work with lung cancer patients. He shares his time between Huntington Health and Torrance Memorial Medical Center and is part of Cedars-Sinai’s Thoracic Surgery Program. Dr. Mahfoozi is fluent in English and Farsi.

Sally Schonefeld, MD, is a board-certified vascular surgeon. Dr. Schonefeld specializes in dialysis access and the treatment of endovascular aneurysm repair, carotid artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, mesenteric disease, and venous disease, including the treatment of varicose veins. She serves patients primarily at Huntington Health.

Theodore Teruya, MD, FACS, is a board-certified vascular surgeon. Dr. Teruya works exclusively at Huntington Health, specializing in dialysis access and the treatment of endovascular aneurysm repair, carotid artery disease, peripheral arterial disease and venous disease, including the treatment of varicose veins. Dr. Teruya is a distinguished fellow of the Society of Vascular Surgery.

For more information about the Cardiac, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery Program at Huntington Health go to: huntingtonhealth.org/cardiovascularteam