Most people regard the heart as a symbol of strength, courage, and love. It stands for the many good things about life. Here in San Antonio, Dr. William Wu is working to protect those ideals, through his passion for healthy hearts. Like many of our city’s most dedicated professionals, Dr. Wu’s passion for cardiology may not have been born in San Antonio, but none the less edifies all the charm and uniqueness that the Alamo City embodies.

“I did my fellowship training at the University of Arkansas,” Dr. Wu said. “Then, I came here and joined a cardiology group. I set up my own practice at that time and slowly expanded. I started all of this about 15 years ago.” Now armed with a trusted group of 12 doctors, Dr. Wu has etched his name in the heart of San Antonio. Dr. Wu doesn’t shy away from expressing his affinity towards the city he lives and works in.

“This is a very wonderful city and I love the people. This is a very friendly city. There is a lot of growth and development. There is such great potential in San Antonio.”

Dr. Wu’s position as the President & CEO of Central Cardiovascular Institute of San Antonio ensures that he has plenty to do throughout his day in the city he loves. “My daily schedule starts by seeing patients at the hospital and the clinic. Then I do procedures, where I focus on being an Interventional Cardiologist. Usually, I see about 30-40 patients at the clinic, all with varying problems. I work more on cardio intervention. I perform stent dilation, which is opening arteries. We dilate those arteries with a balloon stent.”

Dr. Wu finds joy in the many challenges his job provides. From basic patient care to more intense surgical procedures, he enjoys the challenge, and looks forward to discovering something new everyday.

“Number one, I really enjoy taking care of the patients. I try to provide the best care to the patient. I also try and introduce them to cutting-edge technology. I try and show new things to the community, things that are there to service the patient, and advise them of new treatments that are available to them.”

He explained that along with his unwavering concern for his patients, one of his chief endeavors is the development of the Cardiovascular Center for Excellence.

“The Cardiovascular Center for Excellence is related to the Texsan (Heart Hospital) next door. Dr’s. Charlie Robinowitz, Christopher Casey, and myself have partnered together with Medcath to build a hospital next door.

“The hospital opened three years ago. Now, our goal is to make this complex the ‘Center for Cardiovascular Excellence of San Antonio.’”

Dr. Wu and his partners in the Center for Cardiovascular Excellence have fi lled what they believe was a pressing need in the San Antonio medical community. Th ey carry hope that many people will benefi t from having a world-class cardiovascular center in their own backyard.

“We were criticized when we first built this hospital. People said that we just wanted to make money, but that wasn’t it. Almost every city has a Center for Cardiovascular Care. We saw a need, but we also wanted to promote San Antonio’s cardiovascular care to a higher level. We want to attract more people to the city. I think there is room for growth. We have a great base in San Antonio. The biomedical field is a major industry in San Antonio. We just need to work together and promote San Antonio as a major medical center.

“This about providing new technologies that will improve the state of care to the community. We are strongly committed to educating the patient. We are also in charge of a Central Cardiovascular Research Foundation that conducts clinical trials to introduce new technologies to the community. This allows us to introduce new things to San Antonio. I want this hospital to be recognized as the best in the country.”

Of course, great success is built on solid foundations. Dr. Wu recalls someone that played a large role in his journey.

“I owe a lot to Dr. Bissett. He was an Interventional Cardiologist and Chairman of the Cardiology department at the University of Arkansas. He was my mentor when I was in cardiology training. He trained me to be an Interventional Cardiologist.” Dr. Bissett along with others, instilled Dr. Wu with a passion for his craft – a fire that resonates as he describes his vision of what a cardiologist is.

“I think that you have to have passion and love for what you are doing. You really have to enjoy patient care and contact with the patient. You have to put service for the patient as your top priority. I always have that passion. Without it, it would be difficult to be a cardiologist; we work long, stressful hours, and we are put under difficult situations. Sometimes it can be hard, but it is worth it.”

As the Central Cardiovascular Institute continues to evolve, Dr Wu envisions a bright future for the Alamo City medical field. His mission is designed to not only help the ill, but to inspire the future generation of doctors to continue building upon a foundation that was set years ago.

“I think that you should always care about the patient first, and try your best to focus on the things that will help them improve. Always strive to improve the quality of care that you provide. It is the only real way to be successful.”

And Dr. Wu is doing more than just developing ideas, he is working with other dedicated cardiologists to provide handson training to developing doctors.

“I provide hands-on training for other cardiologists. Other physicians come here and take training from us. We provide courses for them to learn from. It’s very educational. We have programs to train other doctors to perform certain procedures. A year ago we also acquired a 64-Slice CT scanner to in order to enable us to offer non-invasive views of the heart and surround blood vessels. This is great technology.”

While Dr. Wu keeps busy helping patients and promoting San Antonio as a major medical destination, he still finds time to step back and tackle other interests.

“I am a member of the American Heart Association and I like painting and drawing. I also enjoy traveling and spending time with my family. My wife is great. She helps when I am busy. She looked after our twin boys, who are now 20-years-old and in college. I love to spend time with all of them.”

Dr. Wu’s love for his family is evident. Like his work, his heart is dedicated to them and the world they live. The energy is evident inside the Central Cardiovascular Institute of San Antonio, where a world of brave new ideas is developing, waiting to help heal the next person in need, to educate the next young medical mind, and change the country’s perception of the Alamo City as a major center for cardiovascular research.

Dr. Wu and other passionate doctors have made their mark, but they are not done. Like the ever-beating heart, they too, never stop.