César R. Molina, MD, FACC, is a cardiologist and the founder and Medical Director of the South Asian Heart Center at El Camino Health. The South Asian Heart Center is the world's first nonprofit center devoted to the prevention of coronary artery disease and diabetes in people of South Asian descent. The center now offers services to all individuals, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Dr. Molina is passionate about helping his patients. He has a special interest in identifying and managing heart complications associated with cancer treatments, as well as managing heart complications during pregnancy.
Dr. Molina earned a Bachelor of Science from Boston College, graduating with honors as a Scholar of the College. He received his medical degree from Yale University, where he also completed a research fellowship. His MD thesis was completed at the Joslin Clinic at Harvard Medical School. He went on to complete his medical, clinical pharmacology and cardiology training at Stanford University Medical Center. While at Stanford, he was a member of the medical school faculty and a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar. During his time there, Dr. Molina conducted basic and clinical research in the laboratory of Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Ferid Murad.
In 1990, Dr. Molina joined the El Camino Health team, where he has built his general and interventional cardiology practice. He says, "It is an excellent hospital with outstanding medical and support staff."
His research articles have been published in respected journals, including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of the American Heart Association and American Journal of Physiology.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Molina has been honored with numerous awards. Some include the Special Congressional Certificate of Recognition, U. S. House of Representatives; Certificate of Commendation, California State Legislature; Asian-American Hero Award, Santa Clara County; Western States Affiliate Health Equity Award, American Heart Association; National Research Service Award, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholarship.
Dr. Molina is fluent in English and Spanish.
Outside of work, Dr. Molina values time spent with his daughters and grandson. He enjoys tennis, jogging, going to the gym and walking El Camino de Santiago on pilgrimage. He has an interest in architecture and has designed and built a Vastu residence in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Additionally, Dr. Molina is a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique, which he has been practicing for more than 50 years.
