About Dr. Poston
Dr. Poston

Photo of Dr. Robert S. Poston, MD

~ RobertPoston.MD.com ~

Dr. Poston is nationally recognized for his work in less invasive heart surgery based on more than 1000 cases of experience and his own in depth research into the outcomes that can be expected with these innovations vs. the standard, open method.  Since his first robotic case a decade ago, Dr. Poston has acquired one of the busiest practices in the country in robotic heart surgery.  He is only 1 of around 20 surgeons that have developed sufficient expertise to perform robotic heart surgery safely.  As a result, patients that need cardiac surgery have sought him out from all over the country with the universal goal of shortening their recovery times after surgery.

The value of Dr. Poston’s research contributions to robotic surgery have been recognized by over 100 publications in several high impact medical and surgical journals over the past 10 years.  His work has been cited over 2300 times, resulting in an H-index score for his publications of 30, which is in the top 10th percentile for academic cardiac surgeons. In addition, his research has been funded by a number of sources including the prestigious RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health (HL080480).  Patients have consistently admired his passion for improving their recovery while providing excellent surgical outcomes as reflected by the highest possible marks for patient satisfaction on hospital surveys and the HealthGrades public reporting site.  For more information on Dr. Poston’s career, see his website: roboticctsurgery.com.

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Specialties

Services & Procedures

  • Robotic Bypass Surgery
  • Robotic Heart Surgery

Special Interests  

  • Robotic Surgery

Education & Training  

Medical School

Residency

  • UPMC - Pittsburgh
    Residency in Cardiac Surgery

Fellowship

  • Stanford University Medical School
    Fellowship in Cardiac surgery research

Awards & Honors  

  • Physician Healing Hands Award
    St. Francis Medical Center • 2016

  • “Surgeon of the Future”
    American Association for Thoracic Surgery • 2013

  • Michael Drummond Distinguished Professor of Surgery
    2011

  • Jack G. Copeland Endowed Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery
    University of Arizona • 2011

  • American Association for Thoracic Surgery Leadership Academy
    2010

  • Finalist, “Innovator of the Year” for Hybrid Revascularization Project at University of Maryland
    The Daily Record Magazine • 2005

  • NIH Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Research
    2005

  • Bayer Fellowship for Blood Conservation Award
    Bayer Pharmaceutical Corp. • 2004

  • Teaching Excellence Award
    Teaching Excellence Award, UC-San Francisco Medical School • Class of 2000

  • Young Investigator Award
    American Society of Transplant Physicians • 1997

  • Genentech/American Heart Association Travel Award
    1996

  • Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education Fellowship
    The Thoracic Surgery Foundation • 1996

  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NIH# AI 07290-11)
    United States National Institutes of Health • 1995

  • Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
    Johns Hopkins School of Medicine • 1993

  • Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
    University of Texas at Austin • 1989

Hospital Affiliations

  • St. Francis Medical Center
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center

Languages Spoken  

  • English