Home > Surgeon Finder > Search By State (California) > Dr. Joanna Chikwe
Home > Surgeon Finder > Search By State (California) > Dr. Joanna Chikwe
Home > Surgeon Finder > Search By State (California) > Dr. Joanna Chikwe

About Dr. Joanna Chikwe,
Heart Valve Surgeon

Hello! My name is Dr. Joanna Chikwe and I am a cardiac surgeon having graduated from Oxford University in 1997. To date, I have performed approximately 2,000 cardiac surgeries, of which most involved heart valve procedures. I regularly perform surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Read more...

13 Patient Reviews for
Dr. Chikwe

"I am very grateful to Dr. Joanna Chikwe and Dr. Alfredo Trento as well as the surgical team, physician’s assistants, and nurses for the excellent professional care I received during my stay from March 19 through 22 for my mitral valve repair.

Our prior research informed us that it is very important to choose a team with extensive valve repair experience, both for the surgeons and the technical support team. Drs. Chikwe and Trento are world class surgeons with extensive expertise in robotic repair of mitral valves and this team ranks as one of the best on the west coast.

Dr. Chikwe is a strong advocate for valve repair as opposed to replacement whenever possible as this leads to a more durable outcome. I came to surgery with significant regurgitation that was completely corrected by the robotic surgery. Dr. Chikwe explained the surgical outcome to my wife after the surgery in very clear terms.

I was impressed with her bed side manner and follow-up care of me. The nursing staff was exceptional in their kind care of me after surgery. I had very little pain afterwards and was up and walking the day after surgery. At two months after surgery, I was walking 10,000 steps per day. I would advise anyone needing mitral valve repair to consider Dr. Chikwe’s team for the surgery."

-- Richard Maki, Mitral Valve, Valve Repair, Robotic Surgery, 03/19/2020

"I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation but was asymptomatic. In December 2019, after my last echo stress cardiogram, my left ventricle enlarged and my cardiologist recommended it was time for repair surgery and referred me to Dr. Joanna Chikwe, Professor & Chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars Sinai.

I was told she was an excellent surgeon and top in the field of micro-robotic mitral valve repair. I researched her background and found she was indeed one of the nation’s top surgeons. Her background, education and experience was remarkable and I felt lucky to have one of the best known cardiac surgeons.

Because of her notoriety, she could have been very egotistical like some of the doctors that I know, but she was so down to earth and more importantly very easy to talk to. She was informative but very personal. I was confident going into surgery knowing I had her as my surgeon.

After surgery, while I was in the hospital, Dr. Chikwe visited me every day and made me feel at ease showing interest in my recovery. Also, the nurses, staff, and Dr. Chikwe’s assistants were all very professional and cordial.

Anybody who is treated by Dr. Chikwe will be very lucky. Cedars-Sinai was very smart to recruit her from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York to head the Smidt Heart Institute. Thank you Dr. Chikwe."

-- Albert (Joey) Nakazawa, Mitral Valve, Valve Repair, Robotic Surgery, 03/03/2020

> See 11 more patient testimonials

My Specialities &
Clinical Interests

My heart surgery specialties include:

  • Less invasive surgery, small incisions
  • Mitral valve repair
  • Coronary bypass grafting

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

  • Mitral valve surgery
  • Frailty
  • Coronary revascularization

Education, Training & Certificates

Dr. Joanna Chikwe, heart surgeon, graduated from Oxford University in 1997.

After medical school, Dr. Chikwe completed a cardiothoracic surgery residency and fellowship training in the United Kingdom, where she was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2006.

Upon moving to the United States, Dr. Chikwe began practicing cardiac surgery in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, New York where she became a Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery.

In 2019, Dr. Chikwe was named the Founding Chair of Cardiac Surgery at Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Chikwe has contributed to over 100 research publications. Her interests include structural heart disease, coronary revascularization, quality improvements and comparative surgical outcomes.

Schedule Appointment
with Dr. Joanna Chikwe, MD

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

  • Call (866) 345-1289 right now
  • Request an appointment by clicking here.

The office of Dr. Chikwe is located at 8700 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048. To get driving directions to this office, please click the map below.



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

News Featuring Dr. Chikwe

Here is the latest news featuring Dr. Joanna Chikwe:

Page last updated: September 1, 2020