Our Heart Surgeons and Physicians - Experts in Heart Transplantation and Health

The experienced heart transplant physicians at California Pacific Medical Center have enjoyed outstanding results and are renowned for their excellence and dedication. They are among the best heart surgeons in the United States, in California, and in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplantation, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients who have experienced heart failure or severe coronary artery disease.

Heart transplants are performed in our San Francisco hospital facility by our staff of trained cardiac surgeons.

Medical Director of the Heart Failure and Transplant Program

Ernest Haeusslein, M.D.
Dr. Haeusslein has been the lead cardiologist and member of California Pacific's heart transplant team since 1989. He is board-certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine. Dr. Haeusslein is responsible for the medical management and care of all patients throughout the heart transplant process, from evaluation to post-transplant follow-up. Dr. Haeusslein received his medical degree from UCLA School of Medicine. His special interests include end-stage heart disease management and pharmacological investigation. He manages a special clinical program for heart failure patients in conjunction with his heart transplant clinic.

Director of the Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit (MSICU)

James Hershon, M.D.
Responsible for post-surgical organ heart transplant patients while in the MSICU, Dr. Hershon is board-certified in Critical Care Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Internal Medicine. Dr. Hershon received his medical degree at the University of Vermont. He has worked in partnership with the California Pacific Cardiology and Cardiovascular team since 1979. He is fluent in Sign Language.

Surgical Director, Heart Transplants

G. James Avery, II, M.D.
Dr. Avery is Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation. He has been at California Pacific Medical Center since 1979. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, he is board certified in Thoracic Surgery. He has 20 years of heart transplant and assist device experience. His special interest is in bridge to transplant.

Surgeon

Glenn Egrie, M.D.
Dr. Egrie is a surgeon for the mechanical assist device and heart transplantation program at CPMC, where he also serves as a cardiothoracic surgeon performing cardiac, general thoracic, and endovascular surgery. Dr. Egrie studied engineering at Lehigh University and obtained his medical degree at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery training at Massachusetts General Hospital. He received additional training in pediatric cardiac surgery at Boston Children's Hospital and UCSF and lung transplantation at Washington University. During his training Dr. Egrie also worked in research and development in the medical device industry.

California Pacific's
Heart and Vascular Center

California Pacific's Heart and Vascular Center is supported by one of the best heart hospital/center networks in the USA, offering quality, comprehensive patient-centered cardiovascular care by a team of top heart surgeons and physicians with leading-edge technology. Serving the entire San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco and Marin County, as well as the entire Northern California region, our team has many of the best cardiovascular surgeons and physicians in California and the United States.