Rakesh C. Arora

Dr. Arora's journey to becoming a leading figure in cardiac surgery and critical care began in London, Ontario. After obtaining a Baccalaureate of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario, he pursued his Medical Doctorate from the University of Toronto in 1996. His commitment to his field led him to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he completed his Cardiac Surgery Residency. It was during this time that he demonstrated his exceptional dedication by also completing a Doctorate of Philosophy in the Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology in the field of neurocardiology. His commitment to learning and pushing the boundaries of his field continued with two further years of training at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, where he became the first Cardiac Surgeon in Canada to also complete a fellowship in Critical Care Medicine in 2006.

Dr. Arora joined the Cardiac Sciences Program and the Section of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Manitoba as an Academic Clinician-Scientist in 2006. Dr. Arora was appointed the Director of Research for the Section of Cardiac Surgery 2007 and was promoted to the rank of Full Professor in Surgery, Anesthesia and Physiology & Pathophysiology at the University of Manitoba in 2016. In 2017, he was appointed as Section Head of Cardiac Surgery for the WRHA and the University of Manitoba

In 2009, Dr. Arora blazed a trail in the medical community by founding the CANadian CARdiovascular critical care (CANCARE) Society (www.cancaresociety.com). This groundbreaking initiative, which he spearheaded, is dedicated to advancing the care of critically-ill cardiovascular patients through interdisciplinary collaboration. His visionary leadership has set a new standard in cooperative healthcare models. In addition to this, he has held several prestigious positions, including Past-President of the American Delirium Society (2015) and Co-Founder of the International Federation of

Delirium Societies (iDelirium). More recently (2018), he has been appointed to the Executive of the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Cardiac Surgery Society (ERAS-CS) and as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (Perioperative Management Section), Chair Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce for Critical Care (2019) and the President for the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons (2020).

In 2022, Dr. Arora joined the Division of Cardiac Surgery in the Harrington Heart Vascular Institute (HHVI) at the University Hospitals as the Director of Perioperative and Cardiac Critical Care. He is presently a clinical professor at Case Western Reserve University, holds Dr. Alan H. Markowitz, MD, endowed Chair for Cardiac Surgery at University Hospitals. He is also the director of clinical research for the cardiac surgery division with the Harrington HV. His personal research interests have concentrated on enhancing the recovery and care of critically ill cardiac patients. He has a specific focus on delirium and frailty in older adults undergoing cardiovascular surgery. He has received funding from the CIHR, HSFC and the Canadian Frailty Network. Dr. Arora has over 290 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and is an internationally invited speaker for his team’s clinical and research endeavors.