As an institution it aims to provide holistic patient care. It aspires to teach the science and art of cardiovascular medicine and promote research in various fields of Cardiology.

The first training program for adult cardiology in Cardinal Santos Medical Center was initiated in 1977 when Dr. Yolando Sulit was the Medical Director, and the section of cardiology was headed by Dr. Roberto Anastacio.  The program produced home-grown cardiologists namely Dr. Carlito Reyes, Dr. Perfecto Palafox and Dra. Zenaida Javier-Uy.

In 2002, the Cardiovascular Institute was formally inaugurated with Dr. Rody Sy as the first chairman, along with its 3-Years PHA Accredited Adult Cardiology training program with Dr. Erwin Dizon as the chief training officer. The first cardiology fellow, Dr. Reggie Encabo, started in 2004 and eventually became the first graduate of the Institute.  The years that followed provided a relevant increase in the number of trainees and produced successful cardiologists practicing within Metro Manila, nearby provinces and even reaching Visayas and Mindanao.

Because of the constant development in the services provided by the Cardiovascular Institute, fellowship training for different cardiology sub-specialties were also established.  Clinical Research Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology was formed in 2007, Echocardiography in 2011 and Peripheral Vascular Medicine followed in 2012.  The different specialty programs accepted majority of the applicants coming from the adult cardiology training who would like to further pursue subspecialty courses. 

At present, the institute has been one of the front runners in training and research for cardiovascular specialty in the country.  Members have been involved in the different advocacies of the Philippine Heart Association and became leaders in providing the best care for cardiavascular diseases among Filipinos.