Andreas George Sakopoulos, MD

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Andreas Sakopoulos, MD, FACS, joined the medical staff at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and became part of the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System in June 2020 as the new medical director and lead of the cardiothoracic and vascular surgery program. Dr. Sakopoulos has more than 30 years’ experience in all cardiac, thoracic and vascular operations. In the cardiac arena he is very accomplished in heart valve replacements and repairs; transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs); coronary artery bypass operations (CABGs), including “off-pump” procedures; minimal access surgery; and has a particular interest in aortic surgery, including aneurysms and dissections. As a board certified cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Sakopoulos is also highly skilled in lung surgery. He specializes in minimally invasive thoracic surgery and is actively involved in the lung cancer screening program. Among his many accomplishments he performed the North Bay’s first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure in 2016 as well as their first thoracic aortic endovascular repair (TEVAR) in 2005. Dr. Sakopoulos previously spearheaded the development of an extensive endovascular program for the comprehensive treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with both open surgical as well as catheter-based techniques and has now brought his extensive expertise and talents to our program. He also has a long track record of excellent results with dialysis access procedures as well as superlative outcomes with carotid operations. Dr. Sakopoulos is a third generation graduate of the University of Pisa, where he received his medical degree in 1989. He then did a transplant/immunology research fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine. Following that he completed his surgery internship at the University of California, San Diego and his surgery residency at Indiana University. Subsequently, he completed his residency in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Loma Linda University and a congenital cardiac surgery fellowship at the University of Toronto. Dr. Sakopoulos has three grown children and recently moved to the Salinas area with his wife. In his leisure time, Dr. Sakopoulos enjoys sailing in the beautiful Monterey Bay along with painting, biking, hiking, and enjoying our local wines. He speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Italian and Greek. He has been involved in medical mission trips to the Yucatan Peninsula and Nepal and hopes to travel there with a group from SVMHS in the future.