Two widely respected physicians are part of a new Sutter Health collaborative heart program between Marin General Hospital, Novato Community Hospital and California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

Dr. Soon John Park, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon and researcher, will be joining the program and Cardiologist Dr. Steven Hao is already on the MGH staff providing complete diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for patients suffering from irregular heart rhythms.

Hao treats his patients in Marin General’s $3.4 million Electrophysiology Laboratory, one of about a dozen labs in California and the only one in Marin County. He also serves as assistant medical director of the MGH/NCH/CPMC electrophysiology program.

Park will be Director of the Section of Cardiovascular Surgery at MGH/NCH and will be chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Director of Cardiac Transplantation at CPMC. He will also serve as consultant to a new cardiac program at St. Luke’s Hospital, another Sutter Health affiliate in San Francisco.

Park and his surgical team will operate at both MGH and CMPC, with all aspects of care integrated, including scheduling functions, protocols for care, physician assistants, pump perfusionists and post-op care.

‘Thrilled To Have Someone Of Dr. Park’s Caliber’

Dr. Richard Gray, Medical Director of the Sutter Health collaborative heart program, said “We are thrilled to have someone of Dr. Park’s caliber at our not-for-profit, community based hospitals. The recruitment of Dr. Park is a critical step in furthering the development of our cardiovascular surgery and transplantation programs.”

Previously, Park was associate professor of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at the University of Minnesota and is known for his pioneering work in the fields of circulatory support and thoracic transplantation. He was the first recipient of the St. Jude Medical Chair in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota.

Park received a B.A. and M.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Chicago, and his M.D. from the University’s Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed surgical residencies at the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals and the University of Minnesota, and received certification from the American Board of Surgery in 1993 and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery in 1997.

‘Fortunate To Have Dr. Hao Join Us’

Gray said, “We are extremely pleased and fortunate to have Dr. Hao join us. He has recently completed outstanding training and has been honored as one of the best and brightest young EP specialists in the U.S. His commitment to excellence and quality is exceptional.”

Hao graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, in 1996 and completed his internship (1997) and residency (1999) in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York City.

He completed a three year fellowship in interventional cardiology (2002) and an additional cardiac electrophysiology fellowship (2003) at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Hao is Board Certified in internal medicine and cardiology.

He joined the practice of Northern California Heart Care, a partnership between MGH cardiologist and CPMC cardiologists.

Oct. 13, 2003