Dr. Cocalis was recruited to the staff at UCSF as a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in January of 2005 after working for many years in San Diego. His current responsibilities include outpatient clinics, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization and cardiac intensive care.

Dr. Cocalis has a strong background in clinical medicine. He is board certified in pediatric cardiology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

He received his undergraduate education at Harvard and his medical degree from UCLA in 1984. He did his internship, residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at UCLA as well. In 1989, he became the head of pediatric cardiology for Naval Medical Center, San Diego, and was the director of the first Navy pediatric intensive care unit from 1991 through 1993. He then went to Children’s Hospital, San Diego, where he became Director of Clinical Services for pediatric cardiology. His responsibilities included fetal echocardiography, heart transplantation care, cardiac catheterization as well as inpatient care. He was also the Director of the echocardiography laboratory from 2003-2004.

During his time in San Diego, Dr. Cocalis performed pediatric cardiology charity work in Mexico and is currently a member of Heart 2 Heart, an organization that travels to Russia to teach and aid Russian physicians in the care of congenital heart disease.