Peter Chan, MD, FACC, is a board-certified cardiologist who specializes in complex coronary interventions and and peripheral vascular disease and is fellowship-trained in treating structural heart problems and circulation disorders. Let’s get to know Dr. Chan, why he chose to join WakeMed Heart & Vascular, and what’s the latest in interventional cardiology.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Atlanta, where my parents still live. I went to Harvard for college and then spent an amazing year in Bangkok, Thailand, on a Fulbright scholarship researching childhood asthma and allergies. I went to Cornell for medical school in New York before returning to Boston for my post-graduate training in internal medicine, general cardiology, and interventional cardiology.

I met my wife in Boston as we were finishing training — she’s a pediatric urologist. I knew pretty quickly that she was the one and proposed just a few short months after we met. (See the proposal!) Our first jobs brought us to the Midwest where our two daughters were born. Although I loved my time in other parts of the country, it is so nice being back in the South where I grew up!

Q: You’re relatively new with WakeMed Heart & Vascular. What inspired you to join our team?

I was drawn to the culture here – when I first visited, I heard about ‘the Wake Way,’ and while I didn’t know exactly what it was, I could see that WakeMed was a truly special place that prioritizes compassionate care. Now that I’m here, I see this commitment in every team member. I feel very fortunate to use what I have learned in many years of training to the fullest and to really feel supported in fulfilling the mission of providing excellent patient care.

Q: How would you describe your approach to patient care?

It’s so important to me that my patients fully understand their condition and why we’re pursuing a specific treatment, so I spend a lot of time explaining and talking to my patients in the clearest terms I can use. I believe patients should be full participants in their own health care, and decisions in medicine should be made with them, not for them. As an interventional cardiologist, I appreciate having the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives both in the hospital when they’re having an emergency and after they go home through follow-up care.

Q: What’s new in interventional cardiology and what’s on the horizon?

Over the past year, we have used a new, minimally-invasive technology that uses sonic pressure waves to break up calcium found in the walls of the arteries. Known as intravascular lithotripsy, this tool allows us to modify calcium so we can place stents at the appropriate size, which can reduce future complications such as scar tissue or clot formation. In the future, I think we’ll see more stents being placed using intravascular imaging (cameras that show inside the blood vessel walls). We adopted this strategy early on as routine to allow us to better size and position stents more precisely – which leads to fewer complications. Based on the benefits we’ve seen here, I expect the industry will shift and make this practice mainstream in the coming years.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

I spend as much time as I can with my two daughters, who are currently four and six.

I love listening to and playing music. I grew up playing classical piano and violin.

I also enjoy cooking and photography. I’m a big Atlanta Braves fan, and I also enjoy watching and occasionally participating in motorsports (mostly autocross).