Central California Faculty Medical Group (CCFMG) and its University Centers of Excellence are now Inspire Health Medical Group.

Zaher Fanari, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FABVM

Associate Professor, UCSF

Cardiovascular Disease & Interventional Cardiology

Zaher Fanari, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FABVM, is fellowship trained and board certified in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, advanced structural heart disease, and vascular and endovascular medicine.

Dr. Fanari earned his medical degree from the University of Aleppo in Syria in 2007, graduating as valedictorian. He then completed an internal medicine residency at the St. Louis University School of Medicine. To further his education, Dr. Fanari completed multiple fellowships. He completed his first fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. During this time, Dr. Fanari also completed advanced training for cardiovascular computed tomography at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Upon completing his cardiovascular medicine fellowship, Dr. Fanari then attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine for a fellowship in interventional cardiology. He then moved to Springfield, Illinois, to complete an advanced structural heart disease fellowship at the same time as a vascular and endovascular medicine fellowship at the University of Chicago through Prairie Heart Institute.

Dr. Fanari is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology, interventional cardiology, vascular medicine, endovascular medicine, Echocardiography, Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT.

Before joining Inspire Health Medical Group as a provider at Inspire Health Cardiology, Dr. Fanari was the Director of Structural Disease at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. He was an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas, Wichita. He started the structural program, where he was able to expand the program into a comprehensive program. He was also the director of the catheterization laboratory at Robert J Dole VA medical center. Where he expanded the complex high-risk coronary and peripheral interventional program in these two institutions.

Dr. Fanari is well-experienced in structural heart disease procedures including TAVR, MitraClips, TMVR, Watchman, patent foramen ovale closure, atrial septal defect closure and paravalvular leak closure procedures. Furthermore Dr. Fanari is experienced in advanced coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular interventions including CHIP, carotid, renal, iliac, femoral, and popliteal and below the knee interventions. In addition to performing these procedures, Dr. Fanari is also proficient, and board certified with level II training in Echocardiography, Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT.

Dr. Fanari is an incredibly active member of the medical community. He is the leading author of more than 65 manuscripts, has been published in peer-reviewed journals numerous times, and co-authored the book Landmark Clinical Trials in Cardiology, as well as multiple book chapters in leading cardiology and interventional cardiology textbooks. Dr. Fanari is also a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, serving on the Structural Heart Disease Leadership Council, Complex Coronary Leadership Council, and the FIT Quality Improvement Working Group. He is also a fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions Peripheral Council.

When Dr. Fanari is not seeing patients at University Cardiovascular Center, teaching the next generation of health care leaders, or conducting research, you can find him hiking, reading, traveling, and exploring new places.

Dr. Fanari is fluent in English and Arabic.

Education and Training

  • Advanced Vascular and Endovascular Fellowship – University of Chicago – Prairie Heart Institute – Springfield, IL
  • Advanced Structural Heart Disease Fellowship – University of Chicago – Prairie Heart Institute – Springfield, IL
  • Interventional Cardiology Fellowship – University of Kansas School of Medicine – Kansas, KS
  • Advanced Training Cardiovascular Computed Tomography – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine – Baltimore, MD
  • Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship – Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University – Christiana Care Health System – Newark, DE
  • Internal Medicine Residency – St. Louis University School of Medicine – St. Louis, MO
  • Medical Doctor of Medicine Diploma – University of Aleppo – Aleppo, Syria

Licensure & Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine
  • American Board of Internal Medicine – Cardiovascular Disease
  • American Board of Internal Medicine – Interventional Cardiology
  • American Board of Vascular Medicine
  • American Board of Vascular Medicine – Endovascular Medicine
  • National Board of Echocardiography
  • Certification Board of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography
  • Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology