University of California San Francisco

Jason Smith, MD
Jason
Smith
MD, FACS

Professor of Surgery
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Surgical Director, Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support
 

Academic Office: 
513 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 309F, Box 0118
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: 415-353-8890
Email: [email protected] 
Assistant: [email protected] 

Cardiac Surgery Program
400 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 501, Box 0957
San Francisco, CA, 94143
Tel: 415-353-1606
Fax: 415-353-1312

Heart Transplant Program
400 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 501, Box 0115
San Francisco, CA 94143
Tel: 415-502-4243

    Biography

    Dr. Jason W. Smith is a cardiac and transplant surgeon who specializes in heart transplantation and the use of mechanical circulatory support, such as artificial heart pumps and left ventricular assist devices. He has expertise in complex cardiac procedures that include mitral valve repair and replacement, aortic valve surgery, transcatheter aortic valve procedures (minimally invasive techniques to replace a failing valve), surgeries to treat the ascending aorta and aortic arch, treatment of endocarditis (infections of the heart's inner lining), operations to correct atrial fibrillation (irregular and often rapid heartbeats), and sternal repair and reconstruction. He also manages extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which supports the heart and lungs by using a machine to oxygenate blood outside of the body. He is the surgical director of UCSF's heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support programs.

    Smith has been active in a national effort to increase access to heart transplantation by improving the use of donor organs. He served as a primary investigator for a nationwide clinical trial on donation after cardiac death.

    Smith earned his medical degree from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago, then completed a residency in general surgery and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Loyola University Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in heart and lung transplantation at Stanford Medicine. Upon completing his training, he joined the surgical faculty at the University of Washington. Prior to joining UCSF, he served as surgical director of transplant and mechanical circulatory support at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

    Smith serves on the membership and professional standards committee of the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. He frequently makes presentations on issues related to organ transplantation and utilization and belongs to numerous professional and honorary societies. He is a San Francisco native.

    Education

    Institution Degree Dept or School End Date
    Stanford University Hospital and Clinics Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support 06/2012
    Loyola University Medical Center Cardiothoracic Surgery 06/2011
    Loyola University Medical Center General Surgery 06/2009
    Loyola University Medical Center, Burn Shock Trauma Center Research Fellowship 06/2005
    Loyola University Medical School MD Medicine 06/2002
    Baylor University BA University Scholar 12/1993

    Board Certifications

    American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

    Clinical Expertise

    Heart Transplant

    Total Artificial Heart support

    left ventricular assist devices

    minimally invasive LVAD surgery

    Acute heart support

    Extra Corporeal membrane oxygenator support (ECMO)

    aortic valve repair and replacement

    transcatheter aortic valve procedures

    mitral valve replacement

    mitral valve repair

    tricuspid valve repair and replacement

    endocarditis

    ascending aortic aneurysm

    aortic arch aneurysm

    reoperative heart surgery

    atrial fibrillation surgery

    cardiac tumors

    In the News

    May, 16, 2022 | UCSF Department of Surgery

    Research Interests

    Organ donor utilization

    DCD heart donation

    ex-vivo heart perfusion

    normothermic regional perfusion

    Publications

    MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 50
    1. Beyond Glasgow Coma Scale: Prehospital prediction of traumatic brain injury.
      Schucht JE, Rakhit S, Smith MC, Han JH, Brown JB, Grigorian A, Gondek SP, Smith JW, Patel MB, Maiga AW| | PubMed
    2. Structural racism: A concept analysis.
      Smith JW, Mayo A| | PubMed
    3. Distance to Burn Center Does Not Impact Long-term Anxiety and Depression Risk Following Burn Injury.
      Risinger WB, Dye CN, Thompson SK, Uma CV, Keeven DD, Nash NA, Smith JW, Bozeman MC| | PubMed
    4. Six Square Miles of Urban America: Association Between Firearm Discharge, Injury, and Fatality.
      Risinger WB, Uma CV, Benns MV, Ruther MH, Nash NA, Bozeman MC, Coleman JJ, Smith JW, Harbrecht BG, Miller KR| | PubMed
    5. Phase I clinical trial of the feasibility and safety of direct peritoneal resuscitation in liver transplantation.
      Rodriguez IE, Asher ZP, Klingenberg K, Wright FL, Nydam TL, Adams MA, Bababekov YJ, Peltz E, Smith JW, Saben JL, Kennealey P, Pomposelli JJ, Pomfret EA, Moore HB| | PubMed
    6. Coagulopathy in Penetrating Ballistic Cranial Trauma: A 7-Year Experience.
      Alhourani A, Stephenson TL, Bridwell EM, Danehower SE, Walek KW, Smith JW, Sieg E| | PubMed
    7. 2024 EAST Presidential Address: One Day.
      Smith JW| | PubMed
    8. Not So Vats: How Early Is Too Early in the Operative Management of Patients with Traumatic Hemothorax?
      Uma CV, Risinger WB, Nath S, Pera SJ, Smith JW| | PubMed
    9. Author reply: "What do we mean by source control and what are we trying to accomplish with an open abdomen in severe complicated intra-abdominal sepsis?"
      Risinger WB, Smith JW| | PubMed
    10. Applying the antecedent, behaviour, and consequence taxonomy to unintentional firearm injury as determined by a collaborative firearm injury database.
      Risinger WB, Nickols AK, Harris AN, Benns MV, Nash NA, Bozeman MC, Pera SJ, Coleman JC, Franklin GA, Smith JW, Harbrecht BG, Miller KR| | PubMed