Aarthi Sabanayagam

Dr. Aarthi Sabanayagam is a cardiologist trained in internal medicine and adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) who cares for patients with ACHD, pregnant patients with heart disease, as well as those with other acquired heart diseases. She provides care in both the clinic and the hospital. Her expertise includes interpreting echocardiograms (use of ultrasound to produce images of the heart) and performing transesophageal echocardiograms (when the device emitting sound waves is passed into the esophagus to obtain especially clear images of the heart). She serves as co-director of the UCSF Pregnancy and Cardiac Treatment (PACT) Program.

Sabanayagam earned her medical degree at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School) in India. She completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at Montefiore Medical Center, a teaching hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine, as well as a subspecialty fellowship in ACHD at UCSF.

Before rejoining UCSF, Sabanayagam was on the faculty of the prestigious Columbus Ohio Adult Congenital Heart Disease (COACH) program at the Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital, where she had also received an award for excellence in teaching. She is a member of the American Heart Association and serves on its subcommittee on adult congenital heart disease. She is also a member of the International Society for Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Adult Congenital Heart Association, and a fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

In her free time, Sabanayagam enjoys hiking, photography, reading and baking. She likes taking trips to Napa vineyards and traveling to other countries.