John J. Lamberti, MD 

Dr. Lamberti leads Rady Children’s Combined Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Program, serving as the Eugene and Joyce Klein Director of the Heart Institute, as well as the Director of the combined Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery for Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, Children’s Specialists of San Diego, and the University of California, San Diego.

Through both his expertise and genuine love for his young patients, Dr. Lamberti has been at the center of pediatric cardiac care at Rady Children’s since 1978. He served as the Director of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Rady Children’s until 2000. At that time, Dr. Lamberti joined the faculty of the Cornell University School of Medicine at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. In 2003, Dr. Lamberti joined the faculty of the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has also taught surgery at Harvard Medical School and the University of Chicago. His professional publications and presentations number in the hundreds. His activities in our own community include a term as President of the American Heart Association, Greater San Diego Chapter.

In August 2005, he followed his own heart back to Rady Children’s. “Dr. Lamberti’s return creates a wonderful opportunity to develop an outstanding pediatric cardiac surgery program with state of the art research, teaching and clinical care for the children of our community,” says Blair Sadler, former Rady Children’s President and CEO.