Dr. Sophia Airhart Named Medical Director of Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Pulmonary Hypertension

Idaho’s Only Fellowship-Trained Advanced Heart Failure Cardiologist

Idaho’s only Fellowship-trained Advanced Heart Failure cardiologist has been named Medical Director of the Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Pulmonary Hypertension program for the Saint Alphonsus Health System.

Sophia Airhart, MD, FACC grew up in rural Oregon and returns to the region after a distinguished clinical and academic career that began with her earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. She earned her medical degree at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and did her internal medicine residency at Barnes Jewish Hospital at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Dr. Airhart is fellowship-trained in cardiology from the University of Washington and did an advanced fellowship in heart failure and transplant cardiology at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

“Dr. Airhart is a rising star in the cardiology world, and we’re thrilled to have her lead these programs at Saint Alphonsus. Our Heart Institute now boasts some of the leading doctors in their fields anywhere in the country, providing our patients in Idaho and Oregon with state-of-the-art heart care and technical expertise,” said Odette Bolano, President and CEO of Saint Alphonsus Health System.

Prior to joining Saint Alphonsus, Dr. Airhart was an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s Sarver Heart Center in Tucson and helped build a pulmonary hypertension program and the inaugural heart transplant program at Providence Heart Institute in Portland.

She is a dedicated researcher, prolific author, and has conducted several clinical trials as primary investigator in the field of heart failure. Dr. Airhart also serves on the editorial board and as a section editor for Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal.