Fellow Spotlight: Lucas Zier, MD

Dr. Lucas Zier, born and raised in San Francisco, was inspired to pursue medicine in part by accompanying his father, a geriatrician, on hospital rounds. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, then enrolled in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, earning a master’s degree in health and medical sciences and a medical degree. After completing his residency at UCSF, he then spent a year working as an attending hospitalist on the advanced heart failure service at UCSF.

He chose cardiology after becoming fascinated by the heart’s physiology, and by witnessing the challenges of a childhood friend with congenital heart disease. He is interested in discovering the best ways to manage patients with congenital heart disease and heart failure. “There is really not a lot of research in this area, because quite frankly, patients just haven’t lived that long,” said Dr. Zier. “Now we’re starting to have patients live into their 40s and 50s with congenital heart disease who are starting to develop heart failure. I often find myself in situations where there is no evidence, so it’s so important to do research to answer those questions.” Among his mentors at UCSF, he includes Dr. Elyse Foster, Dr. Teresa De Marco and Dr. Liviu Klein.

Dr. Zier plans to specialize in the clinical care and research of such patients. He is married to Katie Zier, a senior manager at McKesson. They enjoy dining and traveling, and are planning a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.