With Expansions in Both the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valleys, the Smidt Heart Institute’s Cardiac Surgery Department Brings Complex, Coordinated Care to More Patients.

The Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai is again expanding its geographic reach and surgical expertise with the faculty recruitment of cardiac surgeon Robbin Cohen, MD. An established surgeon long embedded in the Los Angeles community, Cohen now serves as director of the Cardiac Surgery Program at Huntington Health, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate, and will be practicing out of Huntington Health’s Pasadena campus. 

With the recruitment of Cohen, the Cedars-Sinai Cardiac Surgery Program at Huntington Health now includes a dedicated team of four faculty surgeons, all of whom bring expertise to specialties like robotic mitral valve repair, advanced heart failure therapy and surgery of the thoracic aorta. These expanded services make it easier for San Gabriel Valley residents to access the full spectrum of coordinated care offered at Cedars-Sinai. 

“We selected Dr. Cohen as director of this critical program because of his longstanding commitment to the Los Angeles community, his nationally recognized and respected research, and his superb surgical techniques and approach,” said Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai and the Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery. “We know his leadership will propel lifesaving care and opportunities for patients locally and beyond.”

Cohen, a native of Wyoming, earned his medical degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, followed by training programs in general surgery, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and heart and lung transplantation at Stanford University Hospital. He later went on to complete his master’s degree in medical management at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business. 

With dozens of awards and honors to his name, Cohen has written and lectured extensively on adult cardiac surgery, lung transplantation, and minimally invasive heart and lung procedures. 

Among his accomplishments—including multiple teaching awards from USC—Cohen was recently recognized with the highest 3-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for coronary bypass patient care and outcomes. He comes to Cedars-Sinai from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, where he has served as vice chairman for Clinical Affairs for the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, co-director of the USC Lung Transplant Program, co-director of the Aortic Center at USC, and medical director of the USC Genetic Aortic and Related Disorder Center. 

“My team and I are really excited to continue our work at Huntington Health with the support and backing of the strong academic medical center team in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai,” said Cohen. “This new relationship with Dr. Chikwe and her team will only strengthen our commitment to clinical excellence and surgical education.” 

Cedars-Sinai is ranked #1 in California and #2 in the nation in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” issue. Equally notable, the Smidt Heart Institute is ranked #1 in California and #3 in the nation for Cardiology and Heart Surgery.  

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Aortic Valve Repair