Dermot Phelan, MB, BAO, BCh, PhD, FASE, FACC is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Gragg Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine. He serves as Enterprise Lead of Cardiovascular Imaging for Advocate Health and as Director of both the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Center and the Gragg Center for Cardiovascular Performance at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Trained in cardiology in Ireland, Dr. Phelan completed advanced cardiac imaging fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic, where he went on to establish and lead the institution’s first Sports Cardiology Center. His work focuses on distinguishing healthy athletic adaptation from heart disease, using advanced imaging to improve athlete safety and performance.

A recognized leader in sports cardiology, Dr. Phelan serves as a cardiology consultant for the NFL and MLB Scouting Combines, is Chair of the NFL Cardiovascular Task Force, and has been a member of the NBA Cardiovascular Advisory Committee since 2015. His team oversees cardiac imaging quality for the NBA, WNBA, and G League, reviewing more than 1,000 studies annually.

He has helped shape national guidelines for evaluating competitive athletes and is editor of Care of the Athletic Heart: From the Clinic to the Sidelines.