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Smita K. Kalra

Smita K. Kalra

•HS Associate Professor, Step 3, Department of Medicine
•Director, Hospitalist Pre-Operative Clinic, Division of Hospital Medicine

Biography

Smita K. Kalra, M.D., FACP, SFHM, is Associate Professor and Director of the Hospitalist Pre-Operative Clinic in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She received her medical degree (MBBS) from T.N. Medical College and Nair Hospital in Mumbai, India, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Kalra's clinical and research focus centers on perioperative medicine, with particular emphasis on anemia optimization, anticoagulation management, and medical co-management of surgical patients.

Kalra has published extensively in the field of perioperative medicine, with peer-reviewed articles appearing in journals such as the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, Medical Clinics of North America, and International Anesthesiology Clinics. Her work includes contributions to expert consensus statements on perioperative management of patients with diabetes and implantable devices. She has also authored book chapters on prevention of venous thromboembolism for McGraw Hill's Decision Making in Perioperative Medicine. Earlier in her career, Kalra conducted cardiovascular research as a fellow in the Division of Cardiology Research at Henry Ford Hospital, contributing to multiple studies on advanced heart failure therapies published in journals including Circulation: Heart Failure and the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

Kalra serves as Vice-Chair of the Society of Hospital Medicine Perioperative/Co-management Special Interest Group and is a member of the Guidelines Committee for the Society of Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine. At UCI, she developed curriculum and educational programming for the hospitalist pre-operative clinic and regularly teaches internal medicine residents through conferences, webcast series, and case-based learning sessions on perioperative topics.

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Education

  • MBBS, T. N. Medical College and Nair Hospital Mumbai, India, 2006
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Distinctions

  • Fellow of American College of Physicians (FACP), 2024
  • Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine (SFHM), 2024
  • Fellow in Hospital Medicine (FHM), 2021
  • J.R.D. Tata Trust Scholarship for outstanding performance in the second year of medical school, 2002
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Areas of Expertise

  • Perioperative Medicine
  • Advanced Heart Failure Therapy
  • Venous Thromboembolism Prevention
  • Mitochondrial Cardiology
  • Preoperative Anemia Optimization
  • Implantable Device Management
  • Transfusion Practice Patterns

Recent Publications

  • Kalra SK, Singh S, Grawe E, Keshock M, Bentov N, Richman DC, “Perioperative Management of Implantable Devices”, Int Anesthesiol Clin, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 12-24, 2025.
  • Kalra SK, “Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism”, Decision Making in Perioperative Medicine: Clinical Pearls, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, pp. 61-70, 2025.
  • Adžemović T, Govindan S, Zheutlin A, Horowitz J, Heath M, Kuhn L, Nabeel M, Kalra SK, Dhillon D, Kaatz S, Swaminathan L, Harba N, Chopra V, “Awareness of peripheral IV catheters among nurses, physicians, and trainees: A prospective cohort study”, Am J Infect Control, vol. 52, no. 10, pp. 1122-1127, 2024.
  • Oprea AD, Kalra SK, Duggan EW, Russell LL, Urman RD, Abdelmalak BB, Patel P, Pfeifer KJ, Grant PJ, Charitou MM, Mendez CE, Sherr JL, Umpierrez GE, Klonoff DC, “Perioperative Management of Adult Patients with Diabetes Wearing Devices: A Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI) Expert Consensus Statement”, J Clin Anesth, vol. 99, pp. 111627, 2024.
  • Kalra SK, Auron M, “Anemia and Transfusion Medicine”, Med Clin North Am, vol. 108, no. 6, pp. 1065-1085, 2024.
  • Smita Kalra, James Jeffries, “Evaluation and Management of Perioperative Anemia” (opens in new tab), SHM Learning Portal, 2022.
  • Kalra SK, Thilagar B, Khambaty M, Manjarrez E, “Post-operative Anemia After Major Surgery: a Brief Review”, Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports, vol. 9, pp. 89-95, 2021.
  • Fram G, Kohli S, Jiang A, Kaatz S, “Sarcoidosis presenting as facial and scalp ulceration with secondary bacterial infection of the skin”, BMJ Case Rep, vol. 12, no. 11, 2019.
  • Sabbah HN, Gupta RC, Kohli S, Wang M, Hachem S, Zhang K, “Chronic Chronic Therapy with Elamipretide (MTP-131), a Novel Mitochondria-Targeting Peptide, Improves Left Ventricular and Mitochondrial Function in Dogs with Advanced Heart Failure”, Circ Heart Fail, vol. 9, no. 2, 2016.
  • Sabbah HN, Gupta RC, Kohli S, Wang M, Zhang K, Rastogi S, “Heart rate reduction with ivabradine improves left ventricular function and reverses multiple pathological maladaptations in dogs with chronic heart failure”, Heart Fail, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 94-102, 2014.
  • Velez M, Kohli S, Sabbah HN, “Animal models of insulin resistance and heart failure” (opens in new tab), Heart Fail Rev, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 1-13, 2014.
  • Sabbah HN, Gupta RC, Kohli S, Wang M, Rastogi S, Zhang K, Zimmermann K, Diedrichs N, Albrecht-Küpper BE, “Chronic therapy with a partial adenosine A1-receptor agonist improves left ventricular function and remodeling in dogs with advanced heart failure” (opens in new tab), Circ Heart Fail, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 563-71, 2013.
  • Sabbah HN, Wang M, Gupta RC, Rastogi S, Ilsar I, Sabbah MS, Kohli S, Helgerson S, Lee RJ, “Augmentation of Left Ventricular Wall Thickness with Alginate Hydrogel Implants Improves Left Ventricular Function and Prevents Progressive Remodeling in Dogs with Chronic Heart Failure”, JACC Heart Fail, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 252-8, 2013.
  • Wang M, Gupta RC, Rastogi S, Kohli S, Sabbah MS, Zhang K, Mohyi P, Hogie M, Fischer Y, Sabbah HN, “Effects of acute intravenous infusion of apelin on left ventricular function in dogs with advanced heart failure”, J Card Fail, vol. 19, no. 7, pp. 509-16, 2013.
  • Wang M, Gupta RC, Rastogi S, Kohli S, Zhang K, Lanfear DE, Sabbah HN, “Acute intravenous infusion of an adenosine regulating agent improves left ventricular function in dogs with advanced heart failure”, Cardiovasc Drugs Ther, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 489-98, 2013.
  • “Chronic Stable Angina” (opens in new tab), 2013.
  • “Unstable Angina and NSTEMI” (opens in new tab), 2013.
  • Kalra K, Kohli S, Dhar S, “Spondyloptosis: a new surgical technique -modified Gaines procedure”, J Bone Joint Surg Br, vol. 92, no. 11, pp. 1589-91, 2010.
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Contact Information

Email: skkalra@uci.edu

Phone: (714) 509-2119

Address: City Tower, Suite 500

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This profile was created with the help of AI.

Last updated on 4/7/2026.