(SACRAMENTO) Bob Kiaii, chief of the Division of Adult Cardiac Surgery at UC Davis Health, will deliver his presidential address on June 16th at the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery’s (ISMICS) 2022 Annual Scientific Meetings. The event is being held in Warsaw, Poland. 

Kiaii, who has served as president of ISMICS since June 30, 2021, is scheduled to complete his tenure at the end of this month.

The international organization was formed to centralize the various surgical centers concerned with patient outcomes, techniques, and progressive development of less invasive forms of heart surgery. Established in 1997, ISMICS takes the leadership role in shaping the direction of less invasive cardiac surgery on a global basis.

“I am humbled and privileged to have performed in this role and to have brought this academic honor to UC Davis,” said Kiaii. “The International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery is truly the most important frontline organization that advocates for less invasive forms of heart surgery. The presidency of the organization allows me to engage fellow surgeons throughout the world in the important work of the organization.”

A leader in his field of cardiac surgery, Kiaii is known for advancing minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery techniques that reduce hospital stays, recovery times and scarring. He was the endowed chair of the Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair of Surgical Innovation at the Schulich School of Medicine. He was also a founding member of the Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR) of the Lawson Health Research Institute.

Throughout his career, Kiaii has performed several ground-breaking procedures, including:

• The first North American simultaneous integrated coronary artery revascularization procedure
• The world’s first aortic valve bypass using the Correx apical conduit
• The world’s first repair of a perforation of the right atrium using the da Vinci ® robotic system
• The world's first robotic assisted left atrial appendage ligation for atrial fibrillation

“Dr. Kiaii is a world-renowned surgeon who has made groundbreaking advances in the field of cardiac surgery, and we are thrilled for him in delivering his presidential address, in his international leadership role,” said Diana Farmer, chair of the Department of Surgery. “We are joined by colleagues around the world in cheering his leadership, which places UC Davis Health at the international forefront of advances in minimally invasive and robotic surgery.”