Physicians with Heart: Dr. Peter Fischbach

Pediatric heart doctor in forming a heart shape with his hands

From Student-Athlete to Pediatric Cardiologist

As a young student-athlete playing soccer and baseball at Colgate University, Peter Fischbach, MD, was undecided on his ultimate career path. But a few years later, as he pursued degrees in biology and biophysics and dove into the electrophysiology of heart cells, he concluded that becoming a pediatric cardiologist neatly combined his intellectual interests with his love of cardiology and kids. Today he works in the Electrophysiology Laboratory at Children’s Cardiology, and his research focuses on the care of children with arrhythmias.

Dr. Fischbach was born in New York City and raised in Boston, which may explain his love of the New England Patriots. Following medical training in Boston and Ann Arbor, Mich., he served on the faculty of the University of Michigan – Go Wolverines! – before moving to Atlanta to join Children’s Heart Center in 2006.

A Tight‑Knit Team and Two Decades of Care at Children’s

“What originally drew me to Atlanta was the small, tight-knit electrophysiology team, and we’re still that kind of team, almost 20 years later,” Dr. Fischbach said. “It’s fun to come to work here. We laugh a lot and we do good work taking care of sick kids and making them better. We hopefully make them smile along the way too.”

Dr. Fischbach’s team cares for kids from birth into adulthood, and he said he’s been with Children’s long enough now that he’s even had the privilege of taking care of the children of his former patients. He enjoys a trusting, collaborative relationship with his partners, and he knows that his patient families will consistently receive a kind, compassionate response and sound medical advice no matter who they encounter on the team or in the clinic.

“In electrophysiology service, we all practice in the same way, with the same work ethic,” Dr. Fischbach said. “We view our relationships with our patients and families similarly, and we have the same expectations around patient care. We strive to provide a seamless process in the clinic, and we know we can call anyone on the team for help at any time.”

Caring for the Whole Child: Dr. Fischbach’s Approach

Dr. Fischbach says his approach to patient care focuses on the whole child. While the medical part of a child’s care is often somewhat straightforward, the emotional toll of living with a life-threatening condition can be overlooked, especially when kids appear to be thriving on the outside. He encourages families of heart warriors to have a good support system around them and plenty of healthy outlets for emotions. He also believes that it’s important to recognize that everyone is on the same team when it comes to patient care.

“We work hard to establish strong relationships with our patient families because we’re all part of a high performing healthcare team taking care of their child,” Dr. Fischbach said. “We know that if one person on the team is not performing at their best, the team is not firing on all cylinders, and it’s not going to work well. Building that trust with each other takes time.”

Advancing the Field and Mentoring Future Cardiologists

Dr. Fischbach has seen big changes in the ways that pediatric cardiologists and electrophysiologists take care of patients since he started practicing medicine more than two decades ago. He finds it rewarding now to watch young physicians take up the mantle, wrestle with cardiology and begin to master it.

“We just didn’t know a lot about these conditions 20 years ago, but with advancements in knowledge, technology and medications, we can give these kids a much higher quality of life,” he said. “Working with the fellows has been both the hardest and my favorite thing that I’ve done at Children’s. Watching young physicians become awesome cardiologists is very rewarding.”

Dr. Fischbach is an avid soccer fan – he likes Arsenal FC – and football fan. He says he has a hard time stopping once he starts watching a good show, and he loves to travel. He’s a sucker for his kids who are 28, 26 and 21 and says his wife is “funny as heck.” He said people may be surprised to know he’s a pretty good cook and even cleans up, but he doesn’t bake.

Areas of Focus