Peter S. Downey, MD, FACS

Peter S. Downey, MD, FACS is an Adult Cardiac Surgeon in the Department of Surgery at UCLA. Dr. Downey serves as the Cardiac Surgical Co-Director of the UCLA Health Aortic Center. He specializes in all aspects of cardiovascular surgery and is triple-board certified in Thoracic Surgery, General Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care.

Dr. Downey earned his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City. Upon graduation, he completed General Surgery Residency and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University in New York City, where he was peer-elected Administrative Chief Resident during his final year of training. Dr. Downey completed Thoracic Surgery Residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He then completed advanced subspecialty fellowship training in Complex Aortic Surgery and Cardiac Transplantation at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. A Midwest native, he previously practiced at the University of Kansas, in Kansas City, Kansas. His clinical work includes all categories of adult cardiac surgery, including subspecialty focus in complex open and endovascular thoracic aortic surgery, cardiac transplantation, advanced mechanical circulatory support (including left ventricular assist devices), and re-operative cardiac surgery.

Dr. Downey has authored and coauthored multiple academic research manuscripts, and serves as a Principal Investigator in practice-shaping clinical trials. His research activity has included publication and presentation of thoracic aortic surgical techniques and mechanical circulatory support developments, and his academic work is presented internationally. Dr. Downey is the recipient of the Thomas C. King Award for Excellence in Surgical Education at Columbia University, as well as the Golden Scalpel Award and the Rosenburg Humanitarian Award, recognizing his work at UCLA. He is a current Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He is an active member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, and the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association.

Dr. Downey’s primary goal in practice is to provide world-class, compassionate, personalized cardiac surgical care to each patient and family he encounters.