Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Life Changing Is >
  • Clinical Excellence Stories >
  • Heart and Vascular >
  • Dr. Smith
Life Changing Is
Clinical Excellence Stories
Cancer
Heart and Vascular
Dr. Bonatti
Charlene
Dr. Gada
George K.
Dr. Hoskoppal
John D.
Dr. Kaczorowski
Kent
Dr. Lazar
Dr. Loran
Marc
Matthew C.
Dr. Mumtaz
Ron. A
Dr. Saraf
Dr. Singh
Dr. Smith
Dr. Sultan
Neurosciences
Ophthalmology
Orthopaedics
Pain Management
Pulmonology
Rehabilitation
Transplant
Trauma Care and Emergency Medicine
Women's Health
Employee Stories
Awards & Recognition
Share Your Story
Life Changing Is
Clinical Excellence Stories
Cancer
Heart and Vascular
Dr. Bonatti
Charlene
Dr. Gada
George K.
Dr. Hoskoppal
John D.
Dr. Kaczorowski
Kent
Dr. Lazar
Dr. Loran
Marc
Matthew C.
Dr. Mumtaz
Ron. A
Dr. Saraf
Dr. Singh
Dr. Smith
Dr. Sultan
Neurosciences
Ophthalmology
Orthopaedics
Pain Management
Pulmonology
Rehabilitation
Transplant
Trauma Care and Emergency Medicine
Women's Health
Employee Stories
Awards & Recognition
Share Your Story

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE
A.J. Conrad Smith, MD, Cardiologist
A.J. Conrad Smith, MD, Cardiologist

Life Changing Is ... Combining Compassion and Innovation

A.J. Conrad Smith, MD, Cardiologist

"We feel that our mission is to be able to take care of the sickest patients in the most efficient, most compassionate way, to get the best outcomes for those patients."

Heart disease affects millions of Americans, ranking as the leading cause of death in the United States. A.J. Conrad Smith, MD, and the team at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute work to address that problem.

That work involves not only treating people with heart disease but also preventing others from developing it in the first place.

"The one end of the spectrum is caring for patients who are perfectly healthy and working together to keep them that way," says Dr. Smith, director, cardiac catheterization laboratories, UPMC Presbyterian, and medical director, UPMC Center for Heart Valve Disease.

"The other end of the spectrum is patients that don't have options from a surgical standpoint, patients that come in extremis, patients that have challenging, life-threatening illnesses. That's when the whole heart team concept really has its greatest strength."

The UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute team stretches across UPMC's entire footprint. It includes doctors, nurses, technicians, and many more people working together to help patients in need.

“We feel that our mission is to be able to take care of the sickest patients in the most efficient, most compassionate way, to get the best outcomes for those patients," Dr. Smith says.

In the cardiac catheterization lab, Dr. Smith treats many patients with severe heart disease. Some patients may not be candidates for surgery because of their age or other health conditions. Dr. Smith and his team develop catheter-based treatments for those patients.

One such alternative is the MitraClip®️, a surgical device that can help treat mitral valve disease without open heart surgery. UPMC was a pioneer in using the MitraClip — just one example of UPMC using advanced technologies for even the most complex patients.

"I think we pride ourselves in having a highly skilled team that has great experience," Dr. Smith says. "When patients come in with a combination of potential complexities to their disease, we have the capacity to find the right treatment for them and successfully employ that treatment so that there is a successful outcome."

For patients who don't have heart disease, the emphasis is on prevention. That involves education on healthy lifestyle habits — diet, nutrition, sleep, and more — along with regular heart screenings. Healthy lifestyle choices can help people lower their risk of heart disease, cancer, and other conditions, Dr. Smith says.

When Dr. Smith meets with patients, he treats them on an individual level. That means discussing their own specific case and providing them with the latest information to help them manage their heart health.

“When you come to me, my goal is to give you the most up-to-date information that is pertinent to you as a patient," he says. "So, it's really personalized care."

Heart disease affects people of all different races, sexes, genders, and ethnicities. But people in underserved communities often don't have access to care.

Dr. Smith and the team at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute are working to address gaps in care. They strive to provide culturally competent and equitable care to people of all communities.

“We have a very bright, engaged, and hard-working team that recognizes the challenges that each individual patient has," he says. "And I'm so happy and proud to say that patients routinely will say, 'When I came to UPMC, and everybody that I interacted with really seemed to care about how I did and how I was feeling, and they took really good care of me.'

"It's (recognizing) that we have that high level of scientific and medical capabilities, and we do it in a compassionate way."

At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means delivering compassionate, high-quality care to all.


Find Care Near You

UPMC in Southwest Pa.
Southwest Pa.
UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny.
Northwest Pa.
UPMC in North Central Pa.
North Central Pa.
UPMC in Central Pa.
Central Pa.
UPMC in West Central Pa.
West Central Pa.
UPMC in Western Md.
Maryland


Stories like this one have helped UPMC earn local, national, and global honors over the years. See how our commitment to Life Changing Medicine continues to receive recognition.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login