Jason W. Smith, M.D., FACS

Biography

Jason W. Smith, M.D., is Professor of Surgery at UCSF, Surgical Director of the Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program. He was trained at Loyola University Medical Center, completing a surgical residency and cardiothoracic surgery fellowship, followed by an advanced fellowship in heart and lung transplant and artificial heart support at Stanford University. He practiced all aspects of general cardiac surgery with a focus on heart transplant at the University of Washington before becoming the surgical director of heart transplant at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Smith joined the faculty at UCSF in 2022 to lead the heart transplant and artificial heart support program.

Dr. Smith has been instrumental in the national effort to increase access to heart transplantation through improving donor organ utilization and was a primary investigator on the national donation after cardiac death trial.

Dr Smith serves on the national organ donation professional standards committee. He is a frequent presenter on issues related to transplantation and organ utilization, and holds membership in numerous professional and honorary societies. Dr. Smith specializes in heart transplantation and the use of artificial heart pumps and left ventricular assist devices, as well as other complex cardiac surgery procedures including mitral valve repair and replacement, aortic valve surgery, transcatheter aortic valve procedures, complex aortic operations of the ascending aorta and aortic arch, endocarditis, operations for atrial fibrillation, complex sternal repair and reconstruction, and the management of extracorporeal membrane support (ECMO).