Meet Dr. Hillel Laks

World renown Dr. Hillel Laks is chief of cardiothoracic surgery at UCLA Medical Center. With his expertise, research, and innovative approaches to heart surgery, patients of all ages travel from around the world to be touched by his magical hands. As the principal investigator for the UCLA Total Artificial Heart Program, he draws from brilliance and creativity to find workable solutions for heart disease. Just as the world displays a diverse people, Dr. Laks describes each heart as unique. Therefore, each case requires flexibility and quick discernment once in the operating room. While many might experience intimidation from the uncertainty this creates, Dr. Laks takes on even the most challenging and seemingly hopeless cases. Perhaps his love for art, fiction writing, and history sparks his appreciation, instead of fear, for the individuality of each patient.

“I always used to paint when I was in high school and college, and once I rotated onto surgery and found something I could do with my hands, it appealed to me,” he said.

Many of Dr. Laks groundbreaking solutions to heart disease are now becoming standard procedure around the world. One of his most miraculous accomplishments includes responding to the shortage of heart transplants for older patients. With the scarcity of heart donors, younger patients typically receive priority. Hopeful recipients over the age of 65 are often rejected due to their age. Dr. Laks provided a solution by turning to a more plentiful source: repairing hearts considered unfit for transplant. In his first case, he performed quadruple-bypass surgery on a 53-year-old heart, and then transplanted it in a 68-year-old man.

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Dr. Laks graduated with honors from Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg. He has shared his discoveries in over 300 articles published in medical journals and trains other doctors around the world. He participated in 10 missions to teach physicians in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Peru. His expertise and research also encompass pediatric cardiac surgery, cardiac assist devices, robotic and minimally invasive surgery, gene therapy to prevent cardiac rejection, valve repair, and finding techniques to extend the time a donated heart can be preserved.

Lives from around the world trust the wisdom, experience, and intuition of his hands. Dr. Hillel Laks truly shines with both brilliance and creativity, casting light and hope into even the most dim circumstances.