Peter Smith

Dr. Peter Smith

Thoracic Surgery
Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center
2301 Erwin Rd, 
Durham, NC 
Offers Telehealth

Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center
2301 Erwin Rd, 
Durham, NC 
OverviewInsuranceLocationsSimilar Doctors

Overview

I am a heart surgeon who specializes in coronary artery bypass, grafting and valve replacement. Including medical school, I have been at Duke for over 40 years. Since 1994, I’ve been Duke’s Chief of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. My father was a doctor, so medicine runs in my family. As a heart surgeon, I see patients who are looking for someone they can trust to share in the risk of having a surgery that will lengthen their life. There’s nothing more rewarding than being worthy of that trust and succeeding in helping the patient achieve that goal at the end of the adventure. I enjoy being chief because our division offers a great mix of youthful energy and vast experience. We also offer every potential heart, lung or esophageal surgery option available, at a nationally recognized level of quality. In my spare time, I enjoy collecting first edition mysteries and reading.

His top area of expertise is Heart Bypass Surgery.

Specialties
Thoracic Surgery
Licenses
Surgery in NC
Board Certifications
American Board Of Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic And Cardiac Surgery
Fellowships
AHA Clinician Scientist Awardee, Duke University Medical Center
Languages Spoken
English
Gender
Male

Insurance

Accepted insurance can change. Please verify directly with the provider.

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Accepted insurance plans:

Aetna
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
Ambetter
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • PPO
Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
Cigna
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • PPO
Humana
  • HMO
  • INDEMNITY
  • POS
  • PPO
Medicare
  • INSURANCE PLAN
  • MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
  • MEDICARE MAPD
  • MEDICARE PDP
  • MEDICARE SNP
  • MEDICARE-MEDICAID PLAN
  • OTHER MEDICARE PART D
Piedmont
  • HMO
  • POS
UnitedHealthcare
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
View 3 Less Insurance Carriers -

Locations

Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center
2301 Erwin Rd, Durham, NC 27705
Call: 919-684-2890
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Many years ago, I came across a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. Since that time, those words have guided my professional life from the field I chose to how I care for my patients who experience discomfort from acid reflux, hiatal hernia and paraesophageal hernia. With every individual and their families, I make sure that they appreciate my understanding of how their health issues provide them with new stresses that may leave them confused and scared. As a result, I pride myself on reassuring my patients and making sure that by the time they leave their clinic visit they know that I have their best interests at heart. Personally, my wife and I are the proud parents of three boys. Consequently, I like to spend my free time making use of their unlimited energy by running them around at all the great parks in the local area. Dr. Klapper is highly rated in 12 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Fibrosing Mediastinitis, Esophageal Perforation, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, Lung Transplant, and Thymectomy.

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919-613-5635
Experience:
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Languages Spoken:
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I am a general thoracic surgeon specializing in the treatment of thoracic malignancies such as lung cancer, as well as lung transplantation for patients with end-stage lung diseases. For cancer surgery, I offer minimally invasive approaches—including robotic-assisted and thoracoscopic surgery—that promote faster recovery and reduce postoperative pain. In cases of advanced cancer, I take a multidisciplinary approach, collaborating closely with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and other specialists to provide comprehensive care. Lung transplantation has been the central focus of my career. I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable recovery of patients once debilitated by severe dyspnea. I am honored to be part of the Duke Lung Transplant Program, which has performed more than 2,600 lung transplants, making it the largest program of its kind in the United States. Before joining Duke, I practiced in Japan, where I personally performed more than 400 lung transplants, including 180 living-donor lung transplants—the largest such experience in the world. Dr. Date is highly rated in 7 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Lung Nodules, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Mediastinitis, Lung Transplant, and Thymectomy.

VIEW MORE Thoracic Surgeons

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