06/27/2021
Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Richard Kaplon has joined the Nuvance Health Heart and Vascular Institute in his role as chief of cardiac surgery at Danbury Hospital.
“Dr. Kaplon is an accomplished surgical leader who will join our team to help grow, guide and enhance our cardiac surgical program into the future,” said Dr. Mark Warshofsky, senior vice president and chair of the Nuvance Health Heart and Vascular Institute. “We look forward to sharing his expertise and reputation of excellence with the community and region.”
Dr. Kaplon is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon and has led several cardiac surgery programs throughout the country. He has been in practice for more than 20 years and most recently served as chairman of the Department of Cardiology/Cardiovascular Surgery at Dignity Health’s Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, Calif.
“I’m dedicated to quality patient care and timely and effective communication with my patients and colleagues,” Dr. Kaplon said. “My philosophy of care is to treat everyone as if they are a member of my family. I look forward to working at Danbury Hospital and sharing this commitment with the team.”
Dr. Kaplon has expertise in a broad spectrum of adult cardiac surgery, including minimally invasive cardiac surgery, valve repair, complex aortic surgery, structural heart disease, advanced heart failure therapy, including mechanical assist devices, and heart and lung transplantation.
Prior to his leadership roles at both Mercy General Hospital and Dignity Health’s Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Calif., Dr. Kaplon served as the director of the Artificial Heart Program and medical director of Perfusion Services at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla.
Dr. Kaplon received his cardiothoracic surgical training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, after completing his general surgery residency at New York University Medical Center in New York, NY. He obtained additional training as a Margaret Hatch Fellow in cardiopulmonary transplantation from Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, NY.
Following his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Columbia College in New York, NY, Dr. Kaplon completed medical school at New York University School of Medicine. He also holds a master’s degree in healthcare management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Mass.
Dr. Kaplon has authored numerous scientific publications and has served as primary investigator on a number of clinical studies.
Learn more about Dr. Kaplon and Nuvance Health’s Heart and Vascular Institute.