Meet Your Neighbor: Dr. Peter Farrugia

By: Community Magazine | February 26, 2022 |  Meet Your Neighbor |  Colts Neck

Believing people deserve a better quality of healthcare is the driving force behind his passion for his work and has led him to leave corporate medicine to focus on directly improving patient care by incorporating real education, lifestyle changes, and medication only when needed and appropriate.

He recognizes each patient has his or her own unique circumstances and requires individual focus and attention, not to be treated as a number on the corporate conveyer belt of medicine. He is the CEO of Advanced Heart and Vascular of Central Jersey (AHV), located in Colts Neck. Meet your neighbor, Peter M. Farrugia MD, FACC, RPVI.
 

Who we are as a family: My wife Erin and I have been married for 18 years. Erin is a Physician Assistant, working with me at AHV. We have four children, Samantha (14), Vincent (11), Brianna (8), and Thomas (6), and an energetic Labradoodle named Private. We moved to NJ from Long Island in 2011 after I finished my Interventional Cardiology Fellowship. We started off living in Howell, prior to moving to Colts Neck six years ago.

Why I chose cardiology and vascular medicine: These are the important and basic aspects of medicine in my eyes. Working with patients to focus on lifestyle changes through exercise and dietary modification are core principles in prevention. When the need arises, my ability to perform procedures to improve blood flow to critical arteries in the heart and legs allows me to have a significant impact on a patient’s life. Developing long-lasting relationships with my patients, walking with them through their healthcare journey is what drives me to provide the highest quality of care.

What sets me apart from others doing what I do: I focus care on each individual patient, spending more time to get to know who I am taking care of. I’m out from behind a computer, having a sincere conversation with you any time you come into our practice. I’ve had the opportunity to be an educator within my field, working with Medicine residents, Cardiology fellows and interventional cardiology fellows for the last 10 years. I work with the Monmouth University PA program, educating their students during clinical rotations. In 2019, I was named a Global Expert in Endovascular Arterial Therapy at LINC, a Global Vascular Conference. I have had the opportunity to present information at a variety of regional, national, and international conferences including live case streaming throughout the world to educate other physicians on advanced techniques from my lab.

My best life or business tip to share: I share this with all of my patients. You cannot pour from an empty glass. Before you take care of or help another person, you have to make sure you have taken care of yourself. Stop putting your well-being last, exercise, eat well, and live the dream.

My favorite quote: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” – Louis Pasteur

My biggest influence: My father has been the most influential person in my life. He was born in Malta and immigrated to the United states at the age of nine following the decimation of his country in World War II. He lived the American dream, building a life for his family through the principles of hard work and dedication. He lived a life of service; serving in the army, coaching soccer teams for my brothers and me, and worked as a special education advocate at a time when school boards did not want to help. He believed in the rights of middle-class Americans, working as a union rep and leader. My father passed away in December, but the meaning of his life is within me, and drives me to be better and to do more.

What I do when not working: I spend time with my amazing family. I have coached multiple sports for my children, am an avid strength and conditioning trainer, and depending on the time of year I’m either enjoying a Yankees or Jets game.

What I want you to know about me: I am here to help you if you want to be helped. There are plenty of physicians who will gladly rubber stamp the typical lifestyle, add medication, and move on. I focus on helping you identify where you can make real changes that may allow you to not need medication or even come off if appropriate. I can’t make you change; I can only help you along the way if you desire to make the better choices on your healthcare journey.