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: 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.