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Heart-rhythm specialist wins Innovator of the Year award

KINGSTON, Pa. – World-renowned Geisinger heart-rhythm specialist Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, M.D., was presented the Innovator of the Year award by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, June 11, during the EPIC Awards ceremony held at Wyoming Seminary’s Kirby Center for the Creative Arts.

From an electrophysiology lab at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) in Wilkes-Barre, Dr. Vijayaraman is leading cutting-edge heart care that is being recognized and emulated around the world. 

A specialist in cardiac electrophysiology, cardiac ablation and cardiac device implantation, Dr. Vijayaraman and his team have become authorities on His bundle pacing, which stimulates the heart’s natural electrical conduction system to correct conduction disorders of the heart. Compared to traditional, right ventricular pacing, His bundle pacing has been shown to improve patient outcomes. 

“It was a pleasant surprise, accompanied by a sense of pride, being named for the award,” Dr. Vijayaraman said. “Our approach to innovation is to improve patient care, and we were able to achieve that by advancing the field of pacing and improving patient outcomes in our community. That has translated to improved care for the rest of the world.”

A Geisinger provider since 2005, Dr. Vijayaraman served as the region’s first fellowship-trained cardiac electrophysiology specialist and has positively impacted thousands of lives with his clinical skills and compassionate care. While the majority of Dr. Vijayaraman’s patients hail from northeastern Pennsylvania, many have traveled significant distances to seek his care. 

Dr. Vijayaraman is currently the director of cardiac electrophysiology for Geisinger Northeast and the Geisinger Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program. His commitment, vision and leadership have contributed to GWV becoming a destination for heart-rhythm care. His presence directly influenced Geisinger’s decision to invest in an $8.7 million electrophysiology suite at GWV, which has expanded Geisinger’s capacity to provide advanced cardiac electrophysiology care to patients in the region. Physicians from throughout the U.S. and the world have visited the Pearsall Heart Hospital at GWV to receive Dr. Vijayaraman’s personal instruction on His bundle pacing technique.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is committed to making better health easier for the more than 1 million people it serves. Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes 10 hospital campuses, a health plan with more than half a million members, a research institute and the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, which includes schools of medicine, nursing and graduate education. With more than 25,000 employees and 1,700+ employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

 
Dr. Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman
Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, M.D., addresses fellow attendees of the EPIC Awards ceremony Tuesday, June 11, after being honored as Innovator of the Year by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce for his cutting-edge work in heart-rhythm pacing. 
Dr. Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman receives award from the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce.
From left, Riggs Asset Management COO Liz Graham and Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Chair Mary Erwine present the Innovator of the Year award to Dr. Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman along with Chamber COO Lindsay Griffin and Chamber President and CEO Wico van Genderen. 

For media inquires:

R. Matthew Mattei
Senior Communications Specialist

570-808-3971
rmmattei1@geisinger.edu
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