Arnar Geirsson MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery (Section of Cardiac Surgery); Director, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

Biographical Info

Dr. Geirsson earned his medical degree from the University of Iceland and completed his General Surgery Residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Cardiothoracic Residency at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania before taking his first academic faculty position at Yale University School of Medicine in 2007. He practices adult cardiac surgery with special interest in minimally invasive cardiac surgery and performed the first robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass operation at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 2011. Additional clinical interest includes minimal invasive approaches to valve surgery such as percutaneous aortic valve replacement, valve repairs, valve sparing aortic root replacement and endovascular repairs of the thoracic aneurysm.

Dr. Geirsson´s research interest includes investigating the biological changes and pathways involved in pathogenesis of mitral valve prolapse and thoracic aortic aneurysm. He is an active member of the American Heart Association serving on various committees of the AHA including Surgery Study Section and the Young Leadership Committee for the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia. He received the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education Career Development Award in 2009. Dr. Geirsson has published various research articles in both basic and clinical science and also serves as an editorial reviewer for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Annals of Vascular Surgery, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation and Circulation.

Learn more about Dr. Arnar Geirsson.

Education & Training

M.D.

University of Iceland (1997)

Chief Resident

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Chief Resident, Cardiothoracic Surgery (2006 - 2007)

Resident

Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, General Surgery (1999 - 2005)

Fellow

Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Cardiothoracic Surgery (2005 - 2005)

Fellow

Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, Immunobiology & Transplantation (2000 - 2002)

Intern

Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland

Intern

Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, General Surgery (1998 - 1999)

Postdoctoral Fellow

Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, Immunobiology and Transplantation (2000 - 2002)

Chief Resident

Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, General Surgery (2004 - 2005)

Resident

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Cardiothoracic Surgery (2005 - 2006)

Board Certification

Surgery, Thoracic, Board Certified  (2008)