Joanna Chikwe, MD, FRCS, is a recognized leader in the field of mitral valve repair and coronary revascularization, with expertise in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Dr. Chikwe serves as Chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. She has published over 125 contributions in peer-reviewed medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association; serves on editorial boards of leading specialty journals including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; and is a deputy editor of Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Her research interests focus on comparative outcomes research in cardiology and cardiac surgery. Dr. Chikwe has edited and authored three textbooks, including Cardiothoracic Surgery. A native of England, she completed her medical degree at the University of Oxford, followed by cardiothoracic surgery residency at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals in London.