UPMC Announces Leadership for Center for Heart Valve Disease

The UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) is pleased to formally announce leadership for the Center for Heart Valve Disease (CHVD). Formerly functioning separately as the Center for Mitral Valve Disease and the Center for Aortic Valve Therapies, the overarching mission of the newly created CHVD is to offer innovative minimally invasive and transcatheter heart valve therapies and outstanding outcomes to patients suffering from heart valve disease.  

A.J. Conrad Smith, MD, will serve as medical director for the Center for Heart Valve Disease. Dr. Smith earned his medical degree at the University of California San Francisco and completed subsequent internal medicine residency, cardiology fellowship, and interventional cardiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Since joining the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute faculty in 1994, Dr. Smith has ascended to associate professor of medicine and currently serves as associate chief of cardiology for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Additional leadership roles include director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Dr. Smith is extremely active in the Pennsylvania chapter of the American College of Cardiology serving as a past chapter governor and previously receiving a distinguished service award. He has been a principal investigator on numerous interventional cardiology device trials.

Ibrahim Sultan, MD, will serve as surgical director for the Center for Heart Valve Disease. Dr. Sultan earned his medical degree at Weill Cornell Medicine and completed his general surgery residency at John Hopkins School of Medicine, followed by a cardiothoracic surgery and advanced aortic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania. Since joining the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, Dr. Sultan has been appointed to several leadership roles, including the director of the Center for Thoracic Aortic Disease and senior director of HVI Clinical Transformation and Quality. He is currently an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Sultan has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, given over 80 invited talks, is a principal investigator on several industry studies, and holds a Virginia Military Institute and Department of Defense grant. He has served in leadership positions for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American Heart Association, and American College of Cardiology.