Alan D. Enriquez, MD

Alan Enriquez, MD, is a cardiac electrophysiologist who focuses on abnormal heart rhythms and likens himself to being an electrician for the heart.

Coming from an immediate and extended family filled with physicians, Dr. Enriquez says he grew up set against becoming a physician. “I didn’t want to do what everyone else did. For my undergraduate degree, I started off as a double-major in neuroscience and economics thinking I wanted to go into business,” he says. “But by sophomore year, my heart wasn’t in it and I was really interested in science and medicine.”

He chose electrophysiology as his specialty because of its blend of working with his hands and taking care of patients over a long period of time. “I think it’s the best field because of this unique mixture. It’s also a really young specialty with so much innovation in recent years. We are doing new things every single day,” he says. “I truly enjoy my work.”

Dr. Enriquez performs catheter ablation of complex arrhythmias such as refractory persistent atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, and arrhythmias related to heart failure and valve disease.

“I focus on abnormal heart rhythms. Often, that is helping people with symptoms, such as an especially fast heartbeat, and making them feel better. When a patient has an irregular heartbeat, I always reassure them that we can manage this,” Dr. Enriquez says. “There are certain conditions that are more serious, but we can deal with those, too. We have defibrillators and pacemakers and procedures like ablation to help.”

Dr. Enriquez’s research interests include exploring genetic diseases that can cause ventricular tachycardia.