Founder of CARES
Cheruvathur Thomas Peter, MD 1943 - 2024
Dr. Peter attended the Benares Hindu University, where he received an MBBS (Medical School degree) and completed his internal medicine residency studies in medicine and cardiology at the GS Medical College in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to receive an MD. He received further training specializing in cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital which led to an MD in Australia. He received his degree in Doctorate in Cardiology from the Bombay University 
in 1976. Dr. Peter was employed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from 1977-2004 and served 25 years as the Director of the Section of Electrocardiography and Electrophysiology. He initiated significant research in a variety of areas such as: telephonic transmission of electrocardiograms, automatic implantable defibrillations, patients with heart failure/ventricular tachycardia and myocardial infarctions, complex arrhythmias, the prevention of sudden death after an MI - the list is extensive. He authored and co-authored numerous publications in prestigious peer review journals and present state-of-the art information/lectures to Cardiology Fellows and Physicians nationally as well as internationally. His expertise in the field of arrhythmias is legendary! Over 38 years ago, he initiated weekly Arrhythmia Conferences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and personally coordinated and participated in numerous Cardiology Educational Symposiums and events in California and throughout the country.
Dr. Peter received numerous awards and accolades throughout his Cardiology Career! He received the Outstanding Teacher’s Award from UCLA; he was the first recipient of the Lou Wasserman Chair in Clinical Electrophysiology at Cedars-Sinai, in addition to receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from UCSF. Dr. Peter represented the American College of College at their Annual Cardiac Society Meeting of Brazil and Argentina and successfully led a delegation of Cardiologists to Cuba.
Dr. Peter is the Founder and first President of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Support Group (CARES), a non-profit group or organization dedicated to the support of research and education in the field of cardiac arrhythmias. CARES has made a significant impact on the lives of physicians and their patients around the world. CARES sponsors international physicians at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA in the management and prevention of cardiac arrhythmias and diagnostic and interventional electrophysiology, etc. UCLA honored Dr. Peter and established this Mentorship/educational training program for practicing Electrophysiologists from around the world providing them access to teaching and mentorship at Cedars and UCLA - The C. Thomas Peter Mentorship Award. He was also the Founder of the Greater Los Angeles Electrophysiology Society (GLAES) at Cedars-Sinai - the members were Cardiologists/Electrophysiologists and Electrophysiology Fellows from major medical institutions in Southern and Northern California.
Post-retirement, Dr. Peter helped co-founded Second Opinion Expert, a company providing online medical second opinions. He as well published a two-volume Electrophysiology textbook entitled Hearts Behaving Badly that has been praised as an instant classic by Electrophysiologists the world over.