About Dr. Vaughn Starnes,
Heart Valve Surgeon

Hello! My name is Dr. Vaughn Starnes and I am a cardiac surgeon having graduated from North Carolina (Chapel Hill) in 1977. To date, I have performed approximately 12,000 cardiac surgeries, of which 4,000 involved heart valve procedures. I regularly perform surgery at hospitals including USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Read more...

Video About Dr. Vaughn Starnes

127 Patient Reviews for
Dr. Starnes

Patient Review of Dr. Vaughn Starnes

"Thanks goes to Dr. Starnes for a successful mitral valve repair surgery at the right time!"

-- Debby Tomlinson, Mitral Valve, Valve Repair, 09/13/2011

"I got the best care imaginable from Dr. Starnes and his team. Everyone was caring, patient, and informative. Three weeks from surgery, my surgical results are great."

-- Don Fesler, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, Median Sternotomy, 02/06/2024

> See 126 more patient testimonials

My Specialities &
Clinical Interests

My heart surgery specialties include:

  • Aortic valve replacement including the Ross Procedure
  • Mitral valve repair
  • Minimally invasive valve repair

In addition, I have research and clinical interests specific to:

  • Minimally invasive surgical approaches (robotic, transcatheter)
  • Pediatric surgery
  • Transplant

Education, Training & Certificates

Dr. Vaughn Starnes, heart surgeon, graduated from North Carolina (Chapel Hill) in 1977.

After medical school, Dr. Starnes completed a General Surgery Residency at Vanderbilt University and a Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency at Stanford University. Dr. Starnes also completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiovascular surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in London, England.

Dr. Starnes is the Chair of the Department of Surgery, Surgeon-in-Chief at USC Norris Cancer and Keck Hospital. In addition, Dr. Starnes is the H. Russell Smith Foundation Chair for Cardiovascular Thoracic Research at the Keck Medical School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Starnes was 100th president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

Schedule Appointment
with Dr. Vaughn Starnes, MD

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Starnes, you can:

  • Call (888) 536-1766 right now
  • Request an appointment by clicking here.

The office of Dr. Starnes is located at 1520 San Pablo St., Los Angeles, CA 90033. To get driving directions to this office, please click the map below.



> Click for driving directions to Dr. Starnes’s office.

Watch Educational Video with Dr. Vaughn Starnes

Learn about heart valve surgery from Dr. Starnes in this video:

  • Mitral Valve Surgery: What Should Patients Know?

Page last updated: March 7, 2024