Hiroyuki Tsukui, MD, PhD

Hiroyuki Tsukui, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an Attending Surgeon at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. With over three decades of extensive surgical experience spanning Japan and the United States, Dr. Tsukui specializes in adult cardiac surgery, with a particular focus on complex mitral valve repair, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). He is a pioneer in advanced surgical techniques, including robotic-assisted cardiac surgery, and minimally invasive off-pump CABG, and is recognized for his skill in multi-arterial grafting. 

Dr. Tsukui’s clinical expertise and research program are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of surgical innovation to improve patient outcomes. His primary areas of focus include: 

• Advanced Mitral Valve Repair: Utilizing innovative methods such as the "Folding Mitral Valve Repair" technique without resection. 

• Minimally Invasive & Robotic Surgery: Advancing robotic-assisted repairs and minimally invasive approaches for various cardiac pathologies. 

• Surgical Education: Developing simulation training models for beating-heart coronary anastomosis to enhance surgical residency training.

Dr. Tsukui earned his medical degree from Niigata University and his PhD from Tokyo Women’s Medical University in Japan. He completed prestigious fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), specializing in artificial hearts, thoracic transplantation, and advanced adult cardiac surgery. 

Before joining Johns Hopkins in 2025, Dr. Tsukui held significant leadership roles, including Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Independence Health System in Greensburg, Pennsylvania and Chairman/CEO of Hokkaido Cardiovascular Hospital in Sapporo, Japan. He has also served as an inventor, holding a patent for a mitral valve ring sizer. 

A dedicated educator, Dr. Tsukui has spent years mentoring medical students and residents globally, from Tokyo to Pennsylvania. He has held academic appointments at Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Sapporo Medical University, and Asahikawa Medical University. He is an active member of numerous professional societies, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS), the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (ISMICS), and the Japanese Association of Thoracic Surgery (JATS). His work is extensively published in top-tier journals such as Circulation and the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 

Dr. Hiroyuki Tsukui | Cardiac Surgeon