Dr. Israel D. Garcia

I am originally from the Philippines, and grew up in Manila, a big city much like New York or Los Angeles. When I finished medical school there, I began looking for residency programs in the U.S. During an interview at Quillen College of Medicine here in Johnson City, I just fell in love with this place. On my first visit, I was actually shocked at how small it was, but at the same time I liked the green grass, the trees, the quietness, the lack of traffic and how easy it is to get from one place to another in about 15 minutes. The friendliness of the people was one of the things that I noticed often. In big cities people hardly smile at you. But here, even people you don’t know smile at you, ask how you are and strike up conversations. When I was younger, I remember playing “doctor,” and thinking I would like to be one. I would mix powders and water in vials to make “medicine” and inject it into anything. Then in high school I realized how much I did love medicine. It was more of a desire to see people, talk to them, diagnose their problems and, hopefully, help them. It is a privilege to care for my patients; helping them understand what their medical issues are is of utmost importance to me. Cardiology is such a complex specialty, so I try to explain to them what their symptoms are, what could be the reason, and then from there come up with plans to do testing. Including patients as part of the decision-making process is key to growing our relationship as physician and patient it makes it easier when both doctor and the patient understand the plan and the goal. Away from work, I enjoy spending time with my two children and my beautiful wife, Carmina. To de-stress, I run or go to the gym almost every day and work in my yard almost every weekend. Also I spend a lot weekend time driving the kids back and forth to activities. While that may sound mundane, it is one of the most rewarding things I have the privilege of doing. Being a doctor is wonderful, but to me, being a father and a husband is the most special role of all.

Dr. Garcia is highly rated in 12 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Coronary Heart Disease, Angina, Atherosclerosis, Sick Sinus Syndrome, and Pacemaker Implantation.