Mohammed Imam, MD, a leading cardiothoracic surgeon, has been appointed chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Long Island School of Medicine, effective October 1. He will take over for Scott Schubach, MD, who led the department as chair since 2003. Dr. Schubach remains on faculty full-time as director of academic affairs and as the newly appointed surgical specialty advisor for NYU Long Island School of Medicine.  

“We are incredibly pleased to welcome Dr. Imam to NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, where he will help advance and continue our mission of quality,” says Joseph J. Greco, MD, senior vice president and chief of hospital operations, NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island. “His expertise in this field is unparalleled, and we look forward to further growth and expansion of our world-class cardiothoracic surgery program on Long Island.” 

“We thank Dr. Schubach for his excellent leadership over the past nearly 20 years as chair of the department,” says Dr. Greco. “He grew the department from the ground up, recruited major new hires, and put our cardiothoracic surgery program on the map. He’s a phenomenal surgeon who has always been committed to the highest level of patient care, and we look forward to our continued work with him.” 

Dr. Imam joins NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island from Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, where he was chair of cardiothoracic surgery and executive director of the Heart Institute. Under his leadership, the Heart Institute at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital has consistently been awarded the highest rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for coronary bypass and mitral valve surgery for superior quality and low complication rates. 

One of the most experienced surgeons in his field, Dr. Imam has completed more than 5,000 surgeries with mortality and infection rates consistently among the best in the nation. His areas of expertise include mitral valve repair, complex coronary bypass surgery, minimally invasive valve surgery, and surgery for atrial fibrillation and aortic aneurysms. 

“It’s an honor to join an exceptional team that’s already on the forefront of cardiac surgery,” says Dr. Imam. “I’m excited for the opportunity to continue to grow the surgical services we provide on Long Island, and further raise the bar for providing the highest quality care to patients.” 

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Imam is an investigator on numerous clinical trials in cardiothoracic surgery, including the Medtronic Expand TAVR II international trial, which seeks to study the feasibility of expanding the indications and usage of the TAVR device. He is also an investigator of the ROMA study (Randomization of Single vs Multiple Arterial Grafts) to determine the effects of using multiple arterial grafts in patients having coronary artery bypass surgery.    

About Dr. Imam 

Dr. Imam received his doctorate of medicine from the University of Mumbai, India, before completing his cardiothoracic surgery training at Tufts University. 

During his career, Dr. Imam has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including Vitals Favorite Physicians, Castle Connolly's “Top Doctors,” and New York Magazine's “Top Doctors” awards for several years in a row. In addition, he was one of only ten cardiothoracic surgeons in the nation awarded the Alley-Sheridan Scholarship for Leadership by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in 2016. 

He has published several peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters, and his research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Cardiology, and the cardiac surgery industry.  

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Imam established an alliance with the YMCA in New York City to help improve community health. He also created a mentorship program for high school students from underrepresented communities on Staten Island. Most recently, he spearheaded efforts to visit India, his native country, with a team of doctors and medical residents in an effort to help improve the physical and mental health of the rural population in areas outside Bangalore. He plans to continue this work in the future.