Dr. Soon Park is surgical director of cardiovascular services at Albany Medical Center. He is an expert in all aspects of adult cardiothoracic surgery, including ischemic heart disease, mitral valve repair, aortic aneurysm repair, and septic myectomy for hypertropic cardiomyopathy.

A respected educator, scientist, and advisor, Dr. Park has mentored dozens of residents and fellows and has led several National Institutes of Health (NIH) trials.

Dr. Park serves on a newly created System-wide cardiovascular steering committee comprised of cardiac leadership throughout the System, as well as care partners at Capital Cardiology Associates, aimed at guiding and overseeing resources, data, and quality, and fostering opportunities for collaboration and enhanced efficiency in cardiac care. An advisor or a member of the editorial boards of several prestigious journals throughout his career, Dr. Park has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters. He also is credited for pioneering a procedure used to close an aortic valve to prevent leaking during placement of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant, aptly called the Park Stitch.

He has held leadership positions at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn.; the University of Minnesota; California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco; Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.; and University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. In the Capital Region, Dr. Park was the chief of cardiac surgery at St. Peter’s Health Partners and a member of Albany Cardiothoracic Surgeons. He completed residencies in thoracic surgery at the University of Minnesota and general surgery at the University of Washington. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago.