BYLINE: Melinda Krigel

Newswise — UCSF Health’s Heart and Vascular Center is welcoming Sammy Elmariah, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI, as chief of its division of Interventional Cardiology and medical director of the division’s cardiac catheterization lab. Elmariah is a recognized expert in structural heart disease interventions and catheter-based valve therapies.

Elmariah comes to UCSF after ten years at Massachusetts General Hospital where he was director of interventional cardiology research as well as an active interventional cardiologist. While in Boston, he also served as the inaugural director of interventional structural heart disease at the Boston VA Healthcare System. Additionally, he was an associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

Elmariah’s research is primarily focused on valvular heart disease. He has an NIH-funded research program and is a leader in several landmark clinical studies evaluating novel transcatheter devices to treat heart valve disease without the need for open heart surgery. Elmariah and his research team are also researching ways to improve patient access to treatments for heart valve disease and to better involve patients within decisions of how to best manage their valve disease. His team is studying novel circulating biomarkers that may help doctors determine the optimal timing for heart valve procedures. Together, his research seeks to advance the transcatheter and surgical management of heart valve disease to maximize patient health and outcomes. Elmariah’s research team has received support and funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the U.S. Department of Defense, and several industry partners. 

His clinical focus is on the management of valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, and adults with congenital heart disease. He has particular interest and renowned expertise in transcatheter heart valve procedures including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (MitraClip and TEER), mitral valve replacement (TMVR), and the use of investigational devices for repair and replacement of the tricuspid valve.  

“We welcome the addition of Dr. Elmariah to our cardiology team. His expertise will allow us to provide expanded patient access and world-class care for interventional cardiology,” said Jeffrey Olgin, MD, co-director of the UCSF Heart and Vascular Center. “Both his clinical expertise and research leadership will be invaluable to our patients.”

Elmariah is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He subsequently served as chief medical resident at Lankenau Hospital and completed his fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York where he served as chief fellow. Elmariah completed additional fellowship training in interventional cardiology and structural heart disease at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was a MGH Heart Center Hassenfeld Research Scholar. He was awarded the Jeremiah Stamler Distinguished Young Investigator Award and an American College of Cardiology Young Investigator Award. He also holds a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

About UCSF Health: UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide, as well as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit https://ucsfhealth.org. Follow UCSF Health on Facebook or on Twitter.

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