Peter S. Downey, MD, FACS

Peter S. Downey, MD, FACS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiac Surgery, within the Department of Surgery at UCLA. Dr. Downey serves as the co-director of the UCLA Center for Aortic Disease. He specializes in all aspects of cardiovascular surgery and is 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, where his work included all categories of adult cardiac surgery, including 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 has most recently served as a Principal Investigator in the HeartMate 3 ARIES Trial. His research activity has included publication and presentation of thoracic aortic surgical techniques, and his academic work is presented internationally and nationally. Dr. Downey is the recipient of the Thomas C. King Award for Excellence in Surgical Education at Columbia University and the Rosenburg Humanitarian Award, recognizing his work at UCLA. He is a current Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and 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 compassionate, tailored, personalized cardiac surgical care to each patient and family he encounters.