Mark Drazner, M.D.

Mark Drazner, M.D.

Clinical Chief of Cardiology

  • James M. Wooten Chair in Cardiology
  • Internal Medicine - Cardiology
  • Cardiomyopathies
  • Heart Failure & Cardiac Support

Biography

Mark Drazner, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in treating patients with cardiomyopathy and advanced heart failure, including those who undergo a heart transplant or implantation of a ventricular assist device to help the heart pump blood. He is the Clinical Chief of Cardiology at UT Southwestern and holds the James M. Wooten Chair in Cardiology.

Dr. Drazner earned his medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed a residency in internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical School, where he was Chief Resident. He received advanced training in cardiology through a fellowship at Duke University and then further specialized training in heart failure/cardiac transplantation through a fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He also earned a Master of Science in epidemiology at Harvard University School of Public Health.

Dr. Drazner was one of the first physicians in North Texas to be certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in the new subspecialty of advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology.

He has been at the forefront of research in heart failure and cardiac transplantation and has published numerous academic articles in top medical journals.

Dr. Drazner is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, President of the Heart Failure Society of America, and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

He has been selected as a Best Doctor by D Magazine, a Super Doctor by Texas Monthly, a Best Doctor in America by Best Doctors Inc., and a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly on numerous occasions.

Meet Dr. Drazner

Dallas Heart Failure Specialist

A diagnosis of heart failure might seem ominous, but it is treatable, thanks to the expertise and skills of physicians like Mark Drazner, M.D. A nationally recognized expert in the care of patients with advanced heart disease, Dr. Drazner specializes in treating patients with cardiomyopathy and those needing a heart transplant or implantation of a ventricular assist device.

"If you’re being treated for heart failure and you’re not improving, consider seeing a cardiologist who specializes in patients with advanced heart failure," Dr. Drazner says.

Cardiac transplantation is the gold-standard therapy for advanced heart disease, but its use is constrained by the availability of donor organs,” Dr. Drazner says. “Chronic drug infusions are sometimes helpful for symptoms, but they don’t prolong life. Fortunately, advances in the development of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), which are essentially mechanical heart pumps implanted in the body, have opened a new era in treating patients with a failing heart.”

LVADs can serve as a bridge to transplant, keeping patients alive until a donor heart becomes available, or they can prolong survival and improve quality of life for patients who are not transplant candidates.

It’s an area of medical therapy that Dr. Drazner knows well: He’s the Medical Director of the LVAD and Cardiac Transplant Program at UT Southwestern.

“Our program is among the best in the country,” he says, “and it’s a terrific resource for the community.”


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Education & Training
  • Other Post Graduate Training - Harvard University School of Public Health (1999-2001)
  • Graduate School - Harvard University School of Public Health (1999-2001), Epidemiology
  • Fellowship - Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women's Hospital (1996-1997), Congestive Heart Failure/cardiac Transplant
  • Fellowship - Duke University School of Medicine (1993-1996), Cardiology
  • Chief Resident - UT Southwestern Medical School (1992-1993), Internal Medicine
  • Residency - UT Southwestern Medical Center (1990-1992), Internal Medicine
  • Internship - UT Southwestern Medical Center (1989-1990), Internal Medicine
  • Medical School - Washington University School of Medicine (1985-1989)
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation
  • Heart Failure Society of America
  • American Heart Association
  • American College of Cardiology
Honors & Awards
  • D Magazine Best Doctor, 2010-2011, 2014-2022
  • Texas Super Doctors 2008
  • Best Doctors in America 2003
  • AOA 1989
Books & Publications
Research
  • Left ventricular Hypertrophy
  • Cardiac Transplantation
  • Advanced Heart Failure

Clinical Focus

  • Cardiomyopathies
  • Heart Failure & Cardiac Support
  • Heart Transplant

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Q&A by Dr. Drazner

2020 Leaders in Clinical Excellence video: Dr. Mark Drazner

AHA Scientific Session: Dr. Mark Drazner

Mark Drazner, M.D., Clinical Chief of Cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, shares some of the most exciting highlights from the 2017 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, and how UT Southwestern is leading in the ground breaking research and medical contributions when it comes to your heart.