Written by Michelle Abt | Photographed by Peter Cooper
Since Torrance Memorial affiliated with Cedars-Sinai in 2018, the two organizations
have been working to bring outstanding care to the local community. More
recently, they announced a further extension of this partnership: the
Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute cardiothoracic surgeons will practice
alongside Torrance Memorial's exceptional surgical team to provide
the latest and best cardiac surgery options to patients in the South Bay.
This partnership is a welcome expansion of the Torrance Memorial Lundquist
Lurie Cardiovascular Institute. It is made possible with the addition
of respected Cedars-Sinai surgeons Joanna Chikwe, MD, Wen Cheng, MD, Dominic
Anthony Emerson, MD, Fardad Esmailian, MD, Dominick J Megna, MD, Danny
Ramzy, MD, Aamir Sayeed Shah, MD, and Alfredo Trento, MD.
These surgeons will join the newest Cedars-Sinai cardiovascular surgeon
and director of Torrance
Memorial’s cardiac surgery, Aziz Ghaly, MD, to strengthen the existing
Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Ghaly provides further expertise
in a variety of procedures such as complex valve repair and replacement,
heart transplant, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic root and arch
surgery, mechanical assist devices, surgical treatment of arrhythmias
and minimally invasive valve surgery.
While these procedures—as well as diagnostics and treatment—have
always been available at the medical center, the addition of Dr. Ghaly
to the surgical team will allow for the growth and expansion of the program
in the South Bay.
Dr. Ghaly explains: “Cedars-Sinai has a nationally recognized cardiac
program, ranked #3 in the nation and #1 in California, performing a high
volume of cases that require advanced clinical expertise. Our goal is
to merge our experience and expertise with Torrance Memorial, partnering
with their physicians to make more of these services available to patients
at the Torrance Memorial campus.”
“This partnership builds on what is already an excellent program
at Torrance Memorial and a strong relationship between the two medical
centers,” says Craig Leach, president/CEO of Torrance Memorial Medical
Center. “By working together we add important resources to our program,
and the additional surgical coverage will ensure community members have
a highly skilled team available in an emergency, able to treat highly
complicated cases of heart disease and structural heart defects.”
Mark Lurie, MD, medical director of the Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular
Institute, is looking forward to taking the Cedars-Sinai partnership to
the next level. “The Cedars-Sinai relationship has been extremely
productive in terms of providing enhanced cardiovascular care for our
patients at Torrance Memorial,” he says. “Adding extra surgical
resources means even better access for our patients without having to
travel out of the South Bay. It’s a win for our program and a win
for the community.”
Dr. Aziz Ghaly is a Cedars-Sinai cardiovascular surgeon on staff at Torrance
Memorial and can be reached through his office at (310) 784-6946.