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What I Do

I am a thoracic surgeon at City of Hope. I specialize in treating lung cancer, using minimally invasive thoracic procedures, including robotic surgery and video-assisted surgery.

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Why I Do It

There’s a lot of opportunity to help people with lung cancer. Especially in the early stages, treatments can be individualized to obtain the best outcome. I can also work with people on strategies for prevention and early detection.

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My Big Career Moment

I had a series of key moments: realizing I needed to be a surgeon, discovering thoracic surgery, and seeing the possibilities with the minimally invasive techniques. Each led to me finding a perfect fit in terms of my career.

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Thoracic Surgeon Found His Path By Following His Curiosity

07/09/2023 06:00am | 2379 views

Dr. Peter Baik is a surgeon at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. He specializes in thoracic surgery, which involves operations on organs in the chest, including the heart, lungs and esophagus. He treats lung cancer, esophageal cancers, and tumors in the chest, using minimally invasive thoracic procedures, including robotic-assisted surgery and video-assisted thoracic surgery. 

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About the mentor

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Peter Baik

Thoracic Surgeon
City Of Hope

At City of Hope, Dr. Peter Baik specializes in minimally invasive thoracic procedures, including robotic surgery and video-assisted thoracic surgery. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Baik immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 12 years old. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Zoology at the University of Texas at Austin. He completed his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri in 2005.

Dr. Baik has completed several years of specialty training. After interning for a year at the Brown Family Residency Program in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he was a resident in general surgery at St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, New York, and then at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California, where he served as Chief Resident in General Surgery from 2010 to 2011.

In 2011 he became a resident in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. From 2013 to 2014 he completed a fellowship in minimally invasive esophageal and thoracic surgery at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. He joined City of Hope in July 2014. He currently serves as the chair of the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Discipline of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons.