Dr. Paul J. Wang is the Director of the Stanford Cardiac Arrhythmia Service and Professor of Medicine and of Bioengineering (by courtesy)(since 2003). Dr. Wang is an expert in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular arrhythmias, supraventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. He has practiced cardiac electrophysiology as an arrhythmia expert for over 30 years. He was a co-inventor of catheter cryoablation, which has been used to treat over 1 million patients with atrial fibrillation, and has pioneered new techniques in the management of heart rhythm problems. He has co-authored numerous textbooks and book chapters on catheter ablation, implantable defibrillators, sudden cardiac death, cardiac resynchronization/ biventricular pacing therapy, and innovations in arrhythmia therapy. He is past Chair of the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology ECG and Arrhythmias Committee, a member of the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology, and the American Heart Association National Science and Clinical Education Committee. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the leading professional society in his field, the Heart Rhythm Society. He has helped write the examination used for certification of heart rhythm specialists in the U.S. He founded the annual Stanford Biodesign New Arrhythmia Technologies Retreat, focusing on new technological advances in arrhythmia management and diagnosis. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Circulation:Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, one of the leading scientific journals in the field.
Dr. Wang's research centers on the development of innovative approaches to the treatment of arrhythmias, including more effective catheter ablation techniques, more reliable implantable devices, and less invasive treatments. Dr. Wang's clinical research interests include atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, syncope, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Dr. Wang has active collaborations with Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering Departments at Stanford. Some of the goals of his research program are: 1) to create a more effective methods of catheter ablation, 2) to create implantable pacemakers and leads that are more reliable, 3) to create a combined surgical-catheter approach to ablation, 4) to create noninvasive methods of ablation, 5) to make defibrillation painless. Dr. Wang is interested in using digital technology to improve health care outcomes and has an active project using a digital hypertension management platform. Dr. Wang is committed to addressing disparities in care and is actively involved in increasing diversity in clinical trials.
