Zain Khalpey, MD, PhD

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Get to know Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Zain Khalpey, who serves patients in Tucson, Arizona.

A renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Khalpey is Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Chief Medical AI Officer, and Director of Heart & Vascular Institute at Northwest Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona.

“When I was a young man, I read an article about a Tucson surgeon, Dr. Jack Copeland, and the implantation of the first total artificial heart created in Tucson. I was transfixed. Little did I know that 25 years later, I would be the director of the program he started many years ago and implant the smallest total artificial heart in North America” expressed the doctor. 

Prior to his current endeavors, he served as an Assistant Attending in Cardiothoracic Surgery, (Assist Device Therapy) at Columbia University Medical Center, and as an Associate Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, Regenerative Medicine at the University of Arizona. He also served as Co-Director of the Heart Transplant and Perfusion Science Programs, Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support and Artificial Heart Programs, and Director of Robotic Mitral Valve Program in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson. 

In England, Dr. Khalpey completed medical school at Guy’s, Kings & St Thomas Hospital, London School of Medicine and continued his training in the United States, with a residency and fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. This was followed by a super-fellowship in mechanical circulatory support devices for advanced heart failure at Columbia University’s New York Presbyterian Hospital. He completed a PhD in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Bioenergetics and Cardiac Transplantation through the Imperial College UK in London with work conducted at the University of Gdansk in Gdansk, Poland, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Harvard University in Boston. This helped him focus on a metabolomic approach to heart failure patients undergoing surgery.

Though education, translational research and training is important, Dr. Khalpey believes in putting patients first. He tries to develop an emotional connection with each patient and their family, believing that operating on a heart is more than just science – it requires a personal touch. Many of the patients he works with have advanced heart failure and he has candid conversations with them (and their families) about their illness, their surgical options, and anticipated outcomes. 

As a surgeon, Dr. Khalpey has spent a great deal of time researching atrial fibrillation and how to predict which patients will develop a-fib after surgery and how that can be prevented. Using artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine and precision medicine techniques, he is helping to develop new ways to impact patient outcomes. He has a special interest in sudden cardiac death, robotic mitral valve repair, total artificial hearts, and using short and long term devices in shock and heart failure patients. His work on coronary artery bypass patients evaluates regenerative approaches which can help remodel scar tissue in a patient’s heart, sometimes delaying or preventing the need for heart transplantation. In 2016, he was awarded the Distinguished Fulbright Chair in Medical Sciences, one of the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program, to continue his work to create a Heart Recovery Program using regenerative techniques for damaged, scarred, and failing hearts.

Attributing his success to persistence and curiosity, Dr. Khalpey is board-certified in thoracic and cardiac surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). The ABTS is an American surgical organization devoted to surgery of the chest.

Publishing 20 papers a year, he is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the American Academy of Regenerative Medicine, the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons (Fellow), and the European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons (Fellow).

Alongside his exceptional operative team of perfusionists and clinical fellows, Dr. Khalpey helped save NHL hockey player, Tucson Roadrunners Captain, Craig Cunningham’s life after sudden cardiac arrest. Dr. Khalpey and NHL player Craig Cunningham have now founded a new foundation called the All Heart Foundation. This foundation was created with the goal of preventing sudden cardiac arrests by utilizing the latest cutting edge technology to save lives.

Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of organs inside the thorax. Cardiothoracic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in surgical procedures inside the thorax, which may involve the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. Alongside performing surgery, they also diagnose and treat diseases of these organs. 

Outside of work, Dr. Khalpey’s family is his priority. He enjoys spending time with his wife, a scientist, and their four children. He also enjoys tennis and has his private pilot’s license.

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