Robert A. Kloner, M.D., Ph.D. - Cardiology

Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD, is Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division, Keck School of Medicine, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is also Director of Research at the Heart Institute of Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles and attending cardiologist at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center.

Among Dr. Kloner’s major research interests are cardiac cell transplantation, protection of ischemic myocardium, development of therapies for limiting myocardial infarct size, cardiac function following coronary artery occlusion, the effect of toxins on the heart, preventative cardiology, hypertension, and PDE5 inhibition. He is currently participating in studies funded by the National Institutes of Health on cardiac cell transplantation, doxorubicin cardiomyopathy, functional analysis of cardiac grafts, and stem cells. He has served on the NIH Cardiovascular Study Section A and has participated in a number of NIH Workshops.

A frequent contributor to the medical and scientific press, Dr. Kloner has contributed more than 500 original papers, almost 200 chapters or monographs and more than 400 abstracts. Dr. Kloner is the author and editor of 18 medical texts including: Cardiovascular Trials Reviews (10 editions), The Guide to Cardiology, Stunned Myocardium, Ischemic Preconditioning, VIAGRA, and Heart Disease and Erectile Dysfunction. He is also the author of three novels: The Beta Virus, Mind Cure, and The Deity Genes.

Among his editorial responsibilities, Dr. Kloner serves as associate editor of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the International Journal of Impotence Research, and is on the editorial boards of Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation, American Journal of Cardiology, American Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, Heart, Heart Disease, Basic Research in Cardiology, and Regenerative Medicine. Among his many career distinctions, Dr. Kloner has been listed in Who’s Who in America and The Best Doctors in America and in 2002 was identified by the Institute for Scientific Information as one of the world’s most highly cited scientific authors.

Board Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine—1978

American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases—1981

Healthwise Knowledgebase Topics Reviewed

Atrial Fibrillation

Congestive Heart Failure

Coronary Artery Disease

Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, and Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

Hypertension

Mitral Valve Prolapse

Pericarditis and Endocarditis

Education

B.S.: Northwestern University Honors Program in Medical Education, 1971

Ph.D.: Northwestern University, 1974

M.D.: Northwestern University Medical School, 1975

Internships and Residencies:

• Peter Bent Brigham Hospital:
  • Medical House Officer, 1975–1976
  • Assistant Resident Physician, 1976–1977
  • Senior Resident Physician, 1977–1978
• Harvard Medical School:
  • Clinical Fellow in Medicine, 1975–1978

Research Fellowship in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 1978–1979

Research/Clinical Fellowship in Medicine (Cardiology), Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, 1978–1979

Academic Appointments

Harvard Medical School:

• Assistant Professor of Medicine, 1979–1984
• Associate Professor of Medicine, 1984

Wayne State University School of Medicine, Professor of Internal Medicine, 1985–1988

University of Southern California School of Medicine, Professor of Medicine, 1988–present

Hospital Affiliations

Brigham and Women's Hospital:

• Junior Associate in Medicine, 1979–1982
• Associate Physician, 1982–1984

Director of Cardiac Research Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, 1979–1984

Director of Myocardial Ischemia Laboratory, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 1985–1988

Acting Co-director, Noninvasive Cardiology Laboratory, Harper Hospital, 1987–1988

Director of Research, The Heart Institute of Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, 1988–present

Attending Cardiologist, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, 1988–present

Professional Affiliations

American College of Cardiology

American Heart Association, Council on Clinical Cardiology

American Society for Clinical Investigation

Council on Geriatric Cardiology

International Society of Heart Research

Selected Publications

1. Birnbaum Y, Kloner RA (1996). Myocardial viability. Western Journal of Medicine, 165(6): 364–371.
2. Kloner RA, Sowers JR, DiBona GF, et al. for The Amlodipine Cardiovascular Community Trial Study Group (1996). Sex- and age-related antihypertensive effects of amlodipine. American Journal of Cardiology, 77(9): 713–722.
3. Kloner RA, Shook T, Przyklenk K, et al. (1995). Previous angina alters in-hospital outcomes in TIMI 4. A clinical correlate to preconditioning? Circulation, 91(1): 37–45.

Financial Disclosure

This reviewer reported no financial conflicts.