About Dr. Khalpey
Meet Dr. Zain Khalpey, co-founder of our clinical artificial intelligence lab.
After spending many years in the OR as a cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Khalpey conceived the idea of using AI technology to improve data analysis and medical decision making before, during, and after surgery.
Chair of the Artificial Intelligence Committee at HonorHealth
Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Medical Sciences
ISCTR 2014 Scholarship Recipient
Member of the Sir Magdi Yacoub Research Foundation at Harefield Hospital
Member of the Royal Brompton hospital NHS trust with Imperial College
Dr. Khalpey envisions a world where every patient receives optimal care.
Dr. Khalpey has served the Arizona community since 2012, building a reputation for his work using artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine, and precision medicine techniques to impact heart patients throughout the region. He has a special interest in sudden cardiac death, robotic mitral valve repair, total artificial hearts, and using short and long term devices in shock and heart failure patients. His work with coronary artery bypass patients evaluates regenerative approaches which may help remodel scar tissue in a patient’s heart, sometimes delaying or preventing the need for heart transplantation.
“The future in AI is not a gift, but an achievement. This is what our lab strives to do in applied AI models in healthcare at the bedside with our partners.” – Dr. Khalpey
“We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Khalpey to our growing team at Honor Health,” said John Laporte, CEO for Honor Health. “We’ve been focused on expanding our cardiac surgery capabilities over the past several years and are excited with the quality and caliber of care he will bring to our patients.”
Dr. Khalpey completed medical school at Guy’s, Kings & St Thomas Hospital, London School of Medicine and continued his training in the U.S., with a residency and fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston. This was followed by a super-fellowship in mechanical circulatory support devices for advanced heart failure at Columbia University’s New York Presbyterian Hospital. He completed a PhD in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Bioenergetics and Cardiac Transplantation through the Imperial College UK in London with work conducted at the University of Gdansk in Gdansk, Poland, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In 2016, he was awarded the Distinguished Fulbright Chair in Medical Sciences, one of the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program. In 2020, Dr Khalpey was awarded the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant for his work on using artificial intelligence for prediction of silent hypoxia in COVID-19 patients.
Dr Khalpey will also be the Medical Director for the Total Artificial Heart, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Extracorporeal Life Support (ECMO) program. He joins us and brings with him his Artificial Intelligence Lab which does work on predictive analytics in cardiovascular medicine (atrial fibrillation, sudden cardiac death, cardiac frailty and heart failure) and will be the Honor Health Network Director for Artificial Intelligence.
“Joining Honor Health will allow me to focus on putting patients first,” said Dr. Khalpey. “I try to develop an emotional connection with each patient and their family – operating on a heart is more than just science. It requires a personal touch.”
Outside of work, his family is his priority. He enjoys spending time with his wife, a physicist, and his four children. He loves to play tennis.