




Locations and Appointments
CUIMC/Milstein Hospital Building
Second Opinion
Insurances Accepted
Before your appointment, please contact the doctor's office or your insurance provider to verify that your insurance is accepted. This list of insurances can change, and the insurance plans listed may not be accepted at all office locations for this provider.
About Craig R Smith, MD
Dr. Smith earned his MD at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio (Phi Beta Kappa), going on to a general surgery internship and residency and a vascular surgery fellowship at the University of Rochester Medical Center/Strong Memorial Hospital (1977-1982). He completed his cardiothoracic surgery residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in 1984, immediately joining the faculty of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
He was Director of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center during 1986-1996 and was appointed Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 1996. He became a full professor of surgery in 1998. In 2010, Dr. Smith became Chair, Department of Surgery.
Dr. Smith's clinical specialties include medical support for pre- and postoperative transplant recipients, use of bioartificial support devices, and alternative immunosuppressive strategies. His research interests focus on mitral valve repair, transmyocardial laser revascularization, long-term heart and lung transplantation outcomes, preoperative risk factors for stroke after CABG, and adaptation in cardiac transplantation. Dr. Smith was named Practitioner of the Year for 2004 by the Society of Practitioners at Columbia University Medical Center. He is co-Principal Investigator for the multicenter PARTNER aortic transcatheter valve trial.
Board Certifications
- Cardiac Surgery
- Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery
Specialties & Expertise
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD)
- Aneurysm Aortic Surgery
- Aneurysm Repair
- Aneurysm Repair, Aortic
- Aortic Aneurysm
- Aortic Dissection
- Bicuspid Aortic Valve
- Bloodless Surgery
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Coronary Artery Bypass
- Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
- Heart Failure
- Heart Surgery
- Heart Transplant, Pediatric
- Heart Transplantation
- Heart Valve Repair
- Marfan Syndrome
- Mediastinal Tumor
- Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Valve Repair
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Mitral Valve Repair
- Mitral Valve Surgery
- Mitral/Aortic Valve Replacement
- Off Pump Coronary Bypass Surgery
- Open Heart Surgery
- Pericardial Disease
- Second Opinion
- Thoracic Aneurysm
- Thoracic Aortic Surgery
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Valve Reconstruction/Repair
- Valve Replacement
Education
- Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
- Fellowship: Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
- Residency: Strong Memorial Hospital , Rochester, NY
- Internship: Strong Memorial Hospital , Rochester, NY
Leadership, Titles & Positions
- Chair, Department of Surgery
- Johnson and Johnson Distinguished Professor in the Department of Surgery and Valentine Mott Professor of Surgery
- Surgeon-in-Chief, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center
Hospital Affiliations
- NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
Awards & Honors
- Advisory Board, Issues in Cardiovascular Surgery, 1993-present
- Board of Directors, NY State Affiliate of the American Heart Association, 1996-2002
- Chairman, Education Committee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, 2003-2007
- Chairman, Improvement Workgroup, New York State Cardiac Advisory Board, 2006-present
- Chairman, Membership Committee, American Association for Thoracic Surgey, 2002-2004
- Chairman, Nominating Committee, New York Society for Thoracic Surgery, 2000-2001
- Chairman, Workforce on Annual Meeting/Program Task Force Committee, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, 2003-2004
- Champion Participant, American Heart Association, 2012
- Committee Member, New York State Cardiac Advisory Board, 2005-present
- Council Member, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, 2005-2009
- Editorial Board, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Internet Journal, 1999-2002
- Editorial Board, Heart Surgery Forum, 2002-present
- Healthcare Childhood Obesity Expert Panel, American Heart Association, 2006
- Heart of New York Honoree, American Heart Association, 2007
- Member, Grant Selection Committee, Clinical Research-Blood Conservation, Bayer Inc., 1993-present
- Membership Committee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, 1998-2002
- New York Magazine's Top Doctors, 2015-2016
- Practitioner of the Year Award, 2004, Society of Practitioners, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia
- President, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, 2011-2012
- President, New York Society for Thoracic Surgery, 1999-2000
- Program Committee, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, 1989-1991
- Program Committee, New York Society for Thoracic Surgery, 1992-1993
- Program Committee, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, 2001-present
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons Task Force on Communications, 2006-present
- Vice President, New York Society for Thoracic Surgery, 1998-1999
- Workforce on Annual Meeting/Program Task Force Committee, 2000-2003