Biography: Rakesh Arora, MD
Titles
- Director, Perioperative and Cardiac Critical Care, Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals
- Director, Cardiac Surgery Research, Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals
- Clinical Professor, CWRU School of Medicine
- Alan H. Markowitz, MD, Chair for Cardiac Surgery, University Hospitals
Education
Fellowship | Critical Care Medicine
Critical Care Medicine - University Of Calgary Health Sciences Centre (2004 - 2006)
Residency | Cardiac Surgery
Cardiac Surgery - Dalhousie University Faculty Of Medicine (1996 - 2004)
Other Education
Dalhousie University Faculty Of Medicine (2003)
Medical Education
University Of Toronto Faculty Of Medicine (1996)
Undergraduate
University Of Western Ontario (1994)
About
Rakesh Arora, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, is a world leader in perioperative care and the management of cardiac surgery patients. Dr. Arora serves as Director of Perioperative and Cardiac Critical Care and as Research Director in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute.
Dr. Arora comes to University Hospitals from Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Cardiac Sciences Program, where he spent seven years as Medical Director of Intensive Care Cardiac Sciences and five years as Section Head and Regional Lead for Cardiac Surgery. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario before earning his Medical Doctorate from the University of Toronto. He then completed a cardiac surgery residency at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and also received a PhD there in the field of neuro-cardiology. Following that, he completed a fellowship in critical care medicine at the University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre. He is board certified through the National Board of Echocardiography.
Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Arora is an accomplished researcher and educator. He has participated in groundbreaking research through leadership of numerous significant studies and society guidelines which identified how to improve patient outcomes after cardiac surgery. He has a passion for enhancing the recovery of all surgery patients, but specifically vulnerable, older adults with cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Arora pioneered the Canadian Cardiovascular Critical Care (CANCARE) Society in 2009, which aims to improve the care of critically ill cardiovascular patients using interdisciplinary expertise in a cooperative model. He also co-founded and led the CANCARE investigators group, which represents cardiovascular researchers in Canada.
Dr. Arora is chair of the Workforce on Critical Care for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, having also served on various committees in local, national and international professional organizations. He is a trusted mentor, highly sought keynote speaker and lecturer, and has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts and book chapters. In addition, Dr. Arora has been a reviewer for more than 20 peer-reviewed journals for the past two decades. He was awarded the Top Performance Award of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery for his commitment to furthering research.
In addition to his numerous academic accomplishments, Dr. Arora is a devoted father and husband.
Follow Dr. Arora on Social Media
Twitter: @therakesharora | Instagram: @therakesharora
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Industry Relationships
University Hospitals is committed to transparency in our interactions with industry partners, such as pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical device companies. At UH, we disclose practitioner and their family members’ ownership and intellectual property rights that are or in the process of being commercialized. In addition, we disclose payments to employed practitioners of $5,000 or more from companies with which the practitioners interact as part of their professional activities. These practitioner-industry relationships assist in developing new drugs, devices and therapies and in providing medical education aimed at improving quality of care and enhancing clinical outcomes. At the same time, UH understands that these relationships may create a conflict of interest. In providing this information, UH desires to assist patients in talking with their practitioners about industry relationships and how those relationships may impact their medical care.
UH practitioners seek advance approval for certain new industry relationships. In addition, practitioners report their industry relationships and activities, as well as those of their immediate family members, to the UH Office of Outside Interests annually. We review these reports and implement management plans, as appropriate, to address conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with medical research, clinical care and purchasing decisions.
View UH’s policy (PDF) on practitioner-industry relationships.
As of December 31, 2016, Rakesh Arora did not disclose any Outside Relationships with Industry.