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Dr. Peter P. Wong, an early founder of Hope Hospice and a pioneer in the Bay Area in the medical fields of cancer treatment, hospice services and palliative care, died peacefully April 16, according to family. He was 74.
The Tri-Valley community is set to remember Wong and reflect on his innovative accomplishments during a memorial service next month at the Pleasanton Senior Center.
“Dr. Wong compassionately served our patients and led our hospice team for more than 32 years,” Hope Hospice CEO Bob Boehm told the Weekly. “He was one of the early founders of Hope Hospice and was passionate about providing hospice and palliative care to families in our community. We are grateful to have had him as a leader.”
A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Wong earned his medical degree from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. It was a medical school assignment to a cancer ward that inspired him to pursue a career in cancer treatment, family said.
He is credited with advancing the delivery of cancer care in the Tri-Valley by founding Valley Medical Oncology Consultants, a group that has been providing comprehensive cancer care to Bay Area patients for the last 40 years. The group has grown from a single office to 10 locations in four counties with services that include medical oncology, radiation oncology, clinical trials and palliative care.
Wong was an original member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and previously served on the medical staffs at East Bay hospitals including ValleyCare, San Ramon Regional Medical Center and Eden Medical Center.
“Patient-centered care for both patients and their families with personalized expertise was the foundational belief upon which the practice was built. His goal was to treat the person not the disease,” family said in Wong’s obituary.
Wong is also remembered as a pioneer in the Tri-Valley and Bay Area in hospice and palliative care. He was among the first certified specialists in those fields.
Wong served as physician and medical director for Hope Hospice for 32 years until retiring in 2014, devoted to helping patients with end-of-life medical needs, family said. Most recently, he served as medical director for Continuum Hospice.
Away from the office, Wong’s passions in life included his family, handball and Cal sports. Wong is survived by his wife Shirley, sons Christopher (daughter-in-law Michelle) and Nicholas, and grandchildren Danielle, Colin and Tyson.
A memorial service for Wong is set for 1-3 p.m. June 3 at the Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. In lieu of flowers, his family encourages donations in his name to Hope Hospice, Cal Athletics or the Wayne State University Medical School.
