The Smidt Heart Institute is expanding its expertise in pediatric and congenital heart disease care with the selection of Richard Kim, MD, as director of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery and surgical director of the Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program.

Unlike traditional congenital heart disease programs that treat either children or adults, the Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program treats patients from prenatal diagnosis through childhood and over the course of their entire adult lives.

Together with the Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program team, led by director Evan Zahn, MD, Kim will help provide congenital cardiac patients of all ages with the full spectrum of interventional, open-heart, hybrid and minimally invasive procedures.

“Dr. Kim is widely regarded as an exceptional surgeon, educator and mentor,” said Joanna Chikwe, MD, the Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery in honor of Alfredo Trento, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute. “His appointment is a crucial component in our ability to offer the full spectrum of advanced heart care at a state-of-the-art level.”

The Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program also offers fetal diagnostic services, complex cardiac imaging and 3D modeling, advanced catheter interventions and clinical research programs. Its physicians have pioneered hybrid procedures that combine surgery and cardiac catheterization, reducing the need for open-heart procedures.

The congenital cardiac intensive care unit supports extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and ventricular-assist devices, advanced heart failure therapies, mechanical-assist devices and heart transplantation.

  The recruitment of Dr. Kim signals our seriousness of purpose in expanding the scope of cardiac services at Cedars-Sinai such that we can offer all heart patients, regardless of age, the very best care,                                                                                                                                                          Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD

“The recruitment of Dr. Kim signals our seriousness of purpose in expanding the scope of cardiac services at Cedars-Sinai such that we can offer all heart patients, regardless of age, the very best care,” said Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, executive director of the Smidt Heart Institute and the Mark S. Siegel Family Foundation Distinguished Professor.

Kim is an expert in the surgical repair of congenital heart defects, with extensive experience performing complex neonatal procedures. His research focus is on the genetic determinants of congenital heart disease, identifying gaps in treatment, and pursuing strategies to improve surgical outcomes.

“I am excited to be part of this nationally recognized program, where we treat patients from prenatal diagnosis through their childhood years and bring them the specialized care that they need throughout their lives,” said Kim. “It is a privilege to bring our patients the most sophisticated treatment available, and to work with this team of pioneering physicians.”

Kim comes to Cedars-Sinai from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He has co-authored nearly 100 abstracts, book chapters and scientific publications in medical journals including Nature Genetics, Science, Nature Communications, and Nature.

A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Kim completed his general surgery residency and post-doctoral research fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his cardiothoracic surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his pediatric cardiothoracic fellowship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Women in Surgery at Cedars-Sinai