Dermot M. Phelan, MD, PhD

Dr. Dermot Phelan is board certified in internal medicine and cardiology. His clinical and research interests include sports cardiology, advanced cardiovascular imaging and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 

He is a professor of medicine at Wake Forest University, the Gragg Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine, medical director of Cardiovascular Imaging, director of the Gragg Center for Cardiovascular Performance and the director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute (SHVI). 

He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and the American Society of Echocardiology (FASE). 

Dr. Phelan specializes in the cardiac care of professional and amateur athletes of all ages and is known around the world for his expertise and groundbreaking research. As director of the Gragg Center for Cardiovascular Performance, Dr. Phelan runs a busy clinic for the cardiovascular care of athletes. 

Prior to this, he established and ran the Sports Cardiology Center at the Cleveland Clinic for over 8 years before moving to North Carolina. Dr. Phelan is the team cardiologist for the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Football Club and serves as the cardiology consultant to the NFL and MLB scouting combines. 

In addition to being a member of the cardiovascular advisory committee for the NBA, he and his team at SHVI provide quality assurance for the cardiovascular testing performed on all elite basketball players nationally, reviewing over 1,000 echocardiograms annually for the NBA, WNBA and G-League. 

He served as the chair of the Cardiovascular Task Force for the NFL. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Sports and Exercise Cardiology Leadership Council and has directed the national ACC Sports Cardiology Conference “Care of the Athletic Heart” on multiple occasions. 

Dr. Phelan has co-authored major recommendations for the evaluation of athletes’ hearts as part of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) Competitive Athlete Writing Group, and is co-editor on the seminal textbook “Care of the Athletic Heart.” 

He is nationally recognized for his leadership in cardiovascular imaging. He has lectured nationally and internationally to peer audiences and has been the principal investigator for numerous research trials. 

Dr. Phelan serves on the board of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the world’s largest cardiovascular imaging society, and co-chaired the ASE Scientific Sessions in 2025 – one of the field’s premier educational and research meetings. As chair of the ASE Advocacy Committee, Dr. Phelan has led national efforts to advance echocardiography policy, reimbursement, and regulatory standards, shaping best practices across the United States. His research is highly influential, with over 120 peer-reviewed publications that include widely cited studies in advanced imaging. Notably, Dr. Phelan authored the seminal description of the “apical sparing” pattern in cardiac amyloidosis and made key contributions to imaging guidelines for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the cardiovascular evaluation of athletes. 

Dr. Phelan is deeply committed to education, mentorship and advancing cardiovascular health through innovative research, patient-centered care, and collaborative leadership in local, national and international organizations. 

Dr. Phelan received his medical degree and PhD at University College Dublin and completed residencies at St. Vincent's University Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital. He completed an advanced cardiovascular imaging fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.