CardioBird Core Partner — Dr. I Ping Chan’s Journey in Veterinary Cardiology
Vet Spotlight #20:
Dr. I Ping Chan
As we welcome the 20th issue of the CardioBird Vet Spotlight Series, we are honored to invite a specialist with profound influence in the field of veterinary cardiology — Dr. I Ping Chan.
Dr. Chan is not only a PhD graduate from National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) and a board-certified cardiologist of the Asian College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, but also a long-term cardiology consultant for CardioBird. She has accompanied us from the earliest stages of AI ECG training all the way to our global service today.
To celebrate this meaningful milestone for CardioBird, we decided to present this feature in a special format — allowing Dr. Chan to narrate her own story in first person: her career journey, her path into cardiology, and her experiences growing together with CardioBird.
Now, let Dr. Chan lead us into her world.
Chapter 1:
About Me
I am Dr. I Ping Chan, a veterinary cardiologist and a PhD graduate from National Chung Hsing University. I previously served as an attending cardiologist at the NCHU Veterinary Teaching Hospital and am a board-certified cardiologist of the Asian College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
I currently practice as a veterinary cardiologist at James & Herriot Animal Hospital and GAZE Animal Hospital, and I am one of the few veterinarians in Taiwan capable of treating cardiac diseases in animals through catheter-based interventions.
After returning to the NCHU Teaching Hospital in 2012, I began implementing interactive teaching inspired by the American clinical education model, guiding veterinary interns and master’s students in small animal cardiology and cardiovascular medicine. I later became an adjunct assistant professor at National Taiwan University, where I continue to teach echocardiography and cardiovascular disease courses.
In addition to clinical practice and teaching, I have supervised multiple cardiology-related master’s theses and presented research at international veterinary conferences and in international journals.
If I were to describe myself in three words, they would be Passion, Innovation, and Perseverance.
These three qualities have accompanied me from my student days, through clinical work, research, and teaching, all the way to where I stand today.
Chapter 2:
Becoming a Veterinarian—A Fateful Choice
For someone like me, who grew up in the era of Taiwan’s university entrance exam, becoming a veterinarian felt predestined. As a child who loved crouching under big trees to watch ants carrying food, I loved animals and plants, and firmly believed that other living beings, like humans, had emotions and could communicate.
Although I kept several dogs when I was young, they were all sent away by my mother, who disliked animals. When it came time to fill out my university preferences, I actually had no idea what veterinary medicine was, yet somehow placed this unfamiliar major as my first choice. When I was officially admitted, my mother strongly opposed the decision and wanted me to retake the exam. At that time, veterinarians were often misunderstood as “pig slaughterers.” My family opposed me for all five years of veterinary school.
But their opposition never diminished my interest. During college, I worked in various labs as a student assistant, visited private clinics, and explored my future direction. In my senior year, I gathered the courage to ask my mentor, Dr. Hsun Long Lin, if I could join his clinical rotations. Seeing his empathy toward clients and animals, and his ability to teach according to each student’s needs, inspired in me the desire to become a veterinarian and teacher like him.
Chapter 3:
My Connection With Cardiology: From Taiwan to the U.S., and Back Again
After completing my master’s degree at NCHU, I stayed at my alma mater to work in small animal internal medicine. Due to my passion for cardiovascular disease, I trained for three months in 2008 in the cardiac catheterization room at Taichung Veterans General Hospital. The following year, with two of my early mentors — Dr. Yun Ching Fu and Dr. Ming Chih Lin — we completed Taiwan’s first case of catheter-based treatment for congenital heart disease in dogs (PDA occlusion and balloon dilation).
In 2011, with support from NCHU, I went to Purdue University in the United States for cardiology residency training. Although financial limitations prevented me from completing the full three-year program and obtaining American board certification, I never saw this as the end of my progress. After returning to Taiwan, I continued to deepen my work in cardiac catheterization and echocardiography, becoming one of the earliest — and still few — veterinarians in Taiwan with extensive interventional cardiology experience (currently fewer than three).
Looking back, that journey helped me understand that professional excellence is not built overnight, but through continuous forward steps.
Chapter 4:
Veterinarians Heal Not Only Animals, but Also Human Hearts
A veterinarian is, by definition, a doctor for animals, yet the beings we face are owners who may be anxious, overwhelmed, or sometimes not very caring. We cannot expect everyone to love animals the way we do, but we can use our professional skills to diagnose, treat, and relieve suffering.
By empathizing with various types of clients — understanding their worries and limitations — we also grow into better people.
“Being a veterinarian is not only about healing animals, but also about understanding people — and growing to become a better person.”
Throughout my years in medicine, I have constantly reminded myself that a doctor should have a parent’s heart. Not every owner can afford expensive treatments. Even though my expertise involves advanced medical procedures, I strive to understand each owner’s situation and provide appropriate medical recommendations.
I firmly believe that only when a pet parent takes good care of their own mind and body can they bring happiness to their animal — and veterinarians play an important role in this. I often think: If my own family were sick, what kind of doctor would I hope they meet? Then I remind myself to become that kind of veterinarian.
“With empathy as the starting point, and love at the core, I aim to heal not only animals, but also the people around them.”
Chapter 5:
My Most Unforgettable Patient: Dandan, the Mixed-Breed Dog
After completing my master’s degree and beginning my clinical work at the teaching hospital, a young couple brought their 10-year-old mixed-breed dog, Dandan, to my clinic. Dandan had severe mitral valve disease and pulmonary edema. In the era without pimobendan and without mitral valve surgery, I did everything I could. Over one to two years of treatment, Dandan experienced repeated pulmonary edema and azotemia, and I treated him tirelessly.
At that time, I looked very young and was often mistaken for a student. Some owners even requested another doctor immediately upon entering the room. But Dandan’s family never once wavered in their trust.
One month after Dandan passed away, the couple returned to the hospital with a handmade photo frame filled with photos of Dandan and their life together, thanking me for caring for him during those years. I was so moved that I couldn’t speak — I could only hold them quietly. They did not know that I was the one who felt full of gratitude: gratitude for their trust and encouragement, and gratitude for giving me the courage to step into an unfamiliar specialty despite my young appearance.
That photo frame has stayed with me everywhere — to the U.S., back to Taiwan, through my PhD, through my board certification, marriage, and motherhood. Whenever I face difficulties in life, I look at it and reflect.
My daughter once asked me, “Why do you hang a picture of someone else’s dog?”
I replied, “Because he is the source of my courage in veterinary medicine.”
Chapter 6:
My Professional Expertise
My main specialty is veterinary cardiology. In addition to dogs and cats, I also perform cardiac diagnostics in exotic animals, horses, and marine mammals. My areas of expertise include:
- Congenital heart disease
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Heart failure treatment
- Echocardiography
- Interventional cardiovascular procedures (including PDA occlusion, Balloon Angioplasty, heartworm extraction, and pacemaker implantation) .
I am currently working to develop Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) procedures.
Chapter 7:
My Bond With CardioBird
I became a cardiology consultant for CardioBird in 2018. From reviewing just a few ECG reports per day to now managing over a hundred daily cases, I have grown alongside CardioBird — an unexpected chapter in my veterinary career. To me, CardioBird feels like a child I have watched grow up.
I will always remember the first time I met Joe at Taipei Main Station — to someone like me, who had long worked inside a teaching hospital like a timid little rabbit, the CEO in front of me did not have the aura of a businessman. Instead, he carried a gentle scholarly air, speaking of his ideal of integrating technology to make animal healthcare more immediate and accessible. He was willing to give up a high salary and a prestigious job to pursue this dream.
Over the years, CardioBird has continued to innovate and refine its service, and its practicality and immediacy for veterinary diagnosis and monitoring are undeniable. But what truly attracted me was Joe’s unwavering passion and persistence. It made me truly believe that accompanying CardioBird’s growth for so many years has been worthwhile.
Final Chapter:
The Person I Hope to Become: Inspiring the Next Generation Through Expertise and Warmth
After years navigating clinical work, teaching, and research, I can now speak confidently before hundreds of veterinarians — something I never imagined during my undergraduate and master’s years. Dr. Lin once said that he considered himself very introverted, until he met me — who was even more introverted.
Back then, whenever I stepped onto a stage, my mind went completely blank. During clinical discussions or graduate seminars, no matter how much I had prepared, I often ended up panicking, breaking down, or crying afterward. Deep inside, I was not a confident person.
Seeing the younger generation today — with more resources than we ever had — I hope they never forget their original passion, find the position that suits them, and move forward bravely. As long as you do not give up, many mentors will appear along the way to help you find your place and value, and confidence will naturally follow.
My aspiration is:
“To be a veterinarian who heals with skill and compassion, and inspires others with authenticity and perseverance.”
