Dr. Lishan Aklog is Director and Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at The Heart and Lung Institute of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona
Dr. Aklog was born in Ethiopia, one of the world's poorest nations, into a prominent and highly-achieving family. His father was the first cardiologist to practice in Ethiopia, and his mother was the country's first woman to receive a graduate university education, which she earned at Harvard.
As a teenager, Dr. Aklog fled the political violence in Ethiopia, and came to the United States. Two years later, at the age of 15, he enrolled in his mother's Alma Mater. He continued on to Harvard Medical School where he received his medical degree and completed his clinical training in cardiothoracic surgery before joining the Harvard faculty as its youngest heart surgeon ever.
Dr. Aklog was a cardiothoracic resident at Brigham and Women's/Boston Children's Hospital, an Associate Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and he completed international fellowships in London, England and Paris, France.
At the beginning of his impressive career, Aklog joined the first wave of heart surgeons to embrace "off-pump" or "beating-heart" coronary bypass surgery, which eliminates the need to stop the heart and put the patient on a heart-lung machine. Today, he performs this surgery on nearly every bypass surgery patient with whom he works.
Dr. Aklog was also one of the first few surgeons in the United States to use surgical robots in patients undergoing heart surgery. The robot does not perform the actual surgery but enables the surgeon to work with better precision in tightly confined areas, making the most of evolving minimally invasive techniques.
Dr. Aklog specializes in the surgical treatment of all types of heart disease but is particularly passionate about the increasing role of new technologies which facilitate performing "minimally invasive" procedures. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on this type of surgery, which aims to correct heart problems and relieve suffering through smaller incisions and results in less trauma and a more rapid recovery for the patient. He lectures extensively on this topic and directs courses to teach other surgeons these new techniques.
Hi, and thank you for joining us at EmpowHER – the home of women’s health online. I am joined right now by Dr. Lishan Aklog; he is the Chairman of EmpowHER’s Medical Advisory Board. He is the ...
December 18, 2009 - 12:55pm
Hi, and thank you for joining us at EmpowHER, women’s health online. I’m joined right now by Dr. Lishan Aklog; he is the Chairman of EmpowHER’s Medical Advisory Board. He is also the Director ...
December 3, 2009 - 2:48pm
Dr. Aklog introduces himself and describes heart valve disease.
November 6, 2009 - 1:44pm
Dr. Aklog recalls the most common aortic valve disease (AVD) symptoms.
November 6, 2009 - 1:35pm
Dr. Aklog describes the Ross Procedure, a specialized aortic valve replacement surgery.
November 5, 2009 - 11:28am
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW ABOUT ELIZABETH TAYLOR
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October 6, 2009 - 4:49pm
Todd:
Hi, and thank you for joining us at EmpowHer – women’s health online. My name is Todd Hartley and I am here right now with Dr. Lishan Aklog - he is the Chairman of EmpowHer’s Medical ...
September 30, 2009 - 3:01pm
Dr. Aklog explains if mechanical heart valves are loud devices.
February 12, 2009 - 11:27am
Dr. Aklog recalls the recovery time for patients undergoing heart valve surgery.
February 12, 2009 - 11:24am
Dr. Aklog explains what heart valve calcification is.
February 12, 2009 - 11:19am
Dr. Aklog describes the treatments for a patent foramen ovale/PFO.
February 12, 2009 - 11:12am
Dr. Aklog shares what a patent foramen ovale/PFO is.
February 12, 2009 - 11:08am
Dr. Aklog describes the symptoms associated with an atrial septal defect/ASD.
February 12, 2009 - 10:55am
Dr. Aklog explains what an atrial septal defect/ASD is.
February 12, 2009 - 10:52am
Dr. Aklog shares the congenital heart defect most common in women.
February 12, 2009 - 10:48am
Listen as Dr. Aklog shares tricuspid valve disease symptoms.
February 12, 2009 - 10:41am
Dr. Aklog describes the treatments for tricuspid valve disease.
February 12, 2009 - 10:31am
Dr. Aklog shares the causes of tricuspid valve disease.
February 12, 2009 - 10:24am
Dr. Aklog describes what a tricuspid valve is.
February 12, 2009 - 10:19am
Dr. Aklog explains what valve regurgitation is.
February 12, 2009 - 10:13am
Listen as Dr. Aklog describes valve stenosis.
February 12, 2009 - 10:10am
Dr. Aklog shares how common pulmonary valve disease is.
February 12, 2009 - 10:03am
Dr. Aklog explains the valve options for patients who needs their aortic valve replaced.
February 12, 2009 - 9:56am
Dr. Aklog describes the treatments for aortic valve disease/AVD.
February 12, 2009 - 9:51am
Dr. Aklog shares the causes of aortic valve disease/AVD.
February 12, 2009 - 9:47am
Listen as Dr. Aklog explains aortic valve disease.
February 12, 2009 - 9:42am
Dr. Aklog describes the treatment options for mitral valve disease/MVD.
February 12, 2009 - 9:26am
Listen as Dr. Aklog describes mitral valve disease/MVD symptoms.
February 11, 2009 - 10:50am
Listen as Dr. Aklog describes mitral valve disease/MVD.
February 11, 2009 - 10:42am
Dr. Aklog explains if a mitral valve prolapse/MVP needs to be treated.
February 11, 2009 - 10:39am
Dr. Aklog describes the causes of mitral valve prolapse/MVP.
February 11, 2009 - 10:35am
Dr. Aklog explains what mitral valve prolapse/MVP is.
February 11, 2009 - 10:32am
Dr. Aklog explains if heart valve surgery is safe.
February 11, 2009 - 10:28am
Listen as Dr. Aklog shares how women can prevent heart valve infections.
February 11, 2009 - 10:25am
Dr. Aklog describes the symptoms of heart valve disease.
February 11, 2009 - 10:22am
Dr. Aklog describes the causes of heart valve disease.
February 11, 2009 - 10:18am
Dr. Aklog explains the causes of mitral valve disease/MVD.
February 11, 2009 - 10:12am
Find out about the function of the heart by listening to Dr. Lishan Aklog on the EmpowHer podcast.
Dr. Aklog:
The heart is actually in many ways a simple top that are ...
February 11, 2008 - 3:43pm
I am an uninsured 33year old woman that has been having many issues for the past several years with, what I believe, is my heart. I have been fortunate to have other testing that has ruled out my ...
Dr. Lishan Aklog commented on Anonymous' post Help for diagnosis