Maria Ansari, MD

If leading a department is like conducting a symphony, then being Chief of Cardiology is akin to leading an orchestra comprised entirely of first violins. It’s a tribute to Dr. Maria Ansari’s leadership skill that she creates harmony in a very talented group of soloists without missing a beat.

Chief since 2007, she has already overseen a dramatic expansion of cardiology services in San Francisco and beyond. Her department now provides full-time interventional cardiac care in three counties and has added additional services, including adult congenital heart disease care. She helped initiate a new phone service to make all cardiology services easily accessible. She supported the development of the first cardiology fellowship within Northern California KP, and is herself an excellent teacher and mentor.

Her gentle and intelligent interactive style helps bring out the best in others and she is a role model for clinical excellence and professionalism.

She is widely respected as an accessible leader who can be counted on to make reasoned and fair decisions for her department and when working on shared service lines. In her day-to-day work with patients, their families, colleagues and co-workers, she demonstrates the interpersonal and clinical skills that benefit her patients and inspire those around her to strive to bring the same dedication to their own work.