Eric J. Kezirian, MD, MPH

A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Kezirian is internationally recognized for his expertise in the surgical treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. A prolific researcher, he uses the latest advances in the field to provide each patient with the most appropriate and effective treatment plan.

Motivated by the desire to improve outcomes in sleep surgery, Dr. Kezirian’s own research examines critical questions, such as improving surgical evaluation and the effectiveness of sleep surgery. He applies this research to enhance the selection of procedures and deliver results for patients, and his research is used similarly by surgeons around the world. He is one of a handful of sleep surgeons to have received major funding from the National Institutes of Health, charitable foundations, and industry.

Dr. Kezirian is a past president of the International Surgical Sleep Society, the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the surgical treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. He is double board-certified in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery and sleep medicine. This dual training improves his understanding of snoring and sleep apnea as well as treatment selection and outcomes. He has worked with numerous established and startup companies in the development of novel technologies and approaches in diagnosis and treatment. He has multiple patents in the field.

Upon graduating magna cum laude from Harvard College, Dr. Kezirian received a MSc degree from the University of Oxford and MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He completed residency training at the University of Washington and a sleep surgery fellowship at Stanford University. He has been chief of sleep surgery as a full-time faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Southern California before coming to UCLA.

Memberships in Scholarly or Professional Societies

• American Board of Otolaryngology
• American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
• Fellow, American Academy of Sleep Medicine
• Fellow, American College of Surgeons
• Past President, International Surgical Sleep Society
• Fellow, Triological Society