Wai Park, D.O.

My decision to become a physician is more than just a career choice. It was a calling to promote wellness, provide guidance and support patients and their family members during their time of need.

Wai K. Park, D.O., brings a passion for genetics research and a veteran caregiver’s empathy to her position as clinical geneticist at City of Hope.

Dr. Park trained as a registered nurse and spent over a decade excelling in that arena, handling medical, surgical and telemetry units and also coordinating care for dialysis patients.

She then pursued a science degree at California State University Los Angeles, followed by Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine training at Western University of Health Sciences Pomona, California, residency at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, California, and clinical genetics and genomics residency at University of California Irvine.

Dr. Park strongly believes that genetics holds the key to preventing, detecting and treating cancer. “Understanding the underlying genetic variation that predisposes someone to the development of certain cancers,” she says, “not only opens the door to early detection and risk reducing options but also could lead to individualized treatment recommendations”. Importantly, it helps identify other family members who may be at risk.”

The bilingual (English, Burmese) Dr. Park has firsthand experience with City of Hope: a loved one was treated here. “The compassionate care combined with leading-edge, high-quality patient care at City of Hope left a tremendous impression on me,” she said. “I consider it a privilege to join the team as a provider in the fight against cancer.”