Dr. Paul F. Kantor Named New Cardiology Chief and Heart Institute Co-Director at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — After an extensive search across North America, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has appointed Paul F. Kantor, MBBCh, MSc, FRCPC, as the new chief of the Division of Cardiology and co-director of CHLA’s Heart Institute. Dr. Kantor also will serve as professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

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Paul F. Kantor, MBBCh, MSc, FRCPC, chief of the Division of Cardiology at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (photo by Children's Hospital Los Angeles)

“We are honored and excited to have such an accomplished, experienced cardiologist in Dr. Kantor join our CHLA family,” says CHLA President and CEO Paul Viviano. “His knowledge and enthusiasm are a perfect fit for our nationally-ranked pediatric heart program – and his leadership will guide the clinical, research and academic programs in the Heart Institute to best serve our large, diverse patient population.”

In his new role, Dr. Kantor oversees the Cardiology team’s clinical care, strategic planning, recruitment and program development, as well as integration of training and research with the hospital’s clinical services. Dr. Kantor will work with Heart Institute co-director Vaughn Starnes, MD, to supervise and direct more than 500 cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric cardiac intensivists, pediatric cardiac nurse practitioners, nurses and ancillary staff.

Dr. Kantor previously served as head of pediatric cardiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada; founder and lead physician of the Cardiomyopathy and Heart Function Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto; and director of pediatric cardiology at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. He has served in numerous national and international roles related to heart failure and cardiac transplantation research, education and advocacy.

Dr. Kantor’s clinical expertise is in heart failure, transplantation medicine and echocardiography, with further interests in heart failure management in children with congenital heart diseases and cardiomyopathy; health economics; and leadership and change-management in medical organizations.

Dr. Kantor earned his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He completed his residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, as well as clinical and research fellowships in Vancouver and Edmonton. Dr. Kantor is Board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology in Canada and the U.S. He also holds a master’s degree in health economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is ranked the top children's hospital in California and sixth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of children’s hospitals. Clinical care is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. The hospital also leads the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children's hospital in the western United States. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles encompasses basic, translational and clinical research conducted at CHLA. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and visit our blog for families (CHLA.org/blog) and our research blog (ResearCHLABlog.org).

For Media Inquiries, Please Contact:
Owen Lei, CHLA Media Relations
olei@chla.usc.edu
323-361-8433