Geisinger welcomes new chair of Cardiology
Specialty-trained cardiologist accepts role as vice chair of Heart Institute
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – George Ruiz, M.D., a seasoned clinical cardiologist and proven leader, has joined Geisinger as chair of Cardiology and vice chair of the Geisinger Heart Institute.
As counterpart to John Conte, M.D., chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery and vice chair of the Heart Institute, Dr. Ruiz rounds out institute leadership under Alfred Casale, M.D., chief medical officer of surgical services and chair of the Heart Institute at Geisinger.
With more than 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Ruiz cares for adult cardiology and adult congenital heart disease patients in central and northeastern Pennsylvania in addition to serving in his leadership roles. A bilingual physician, Dr. Ruiz has treated and organized outreach to the Spanish-speaking community for more than two decades.
Dr. Ruiz specializes in clinical cardiology with a subspecialty in adult congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, and he has extensive experience in mechanical circulatory support and adult heart failure. As a leader, he focuses on improving quality of care within complex, progressive service programs.
Dr. Ruiz earned his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in the Bronx, New York. He completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in cardiovascular medicine and adult congenital heart disease at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Before coming to Geisinger, Dr. Ruiz held academic and clinical leadership roles, including instructor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, director of Advanced Cardiac Support, Pulmonary Hypertension and Advanced Heart Failure at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., and chief of Cardiology at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital and Harbor Hospital in Baltimore.
He also served as a White House Fellow and special assistant to United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Nicholson from 2005 to 2006 and consultant to Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon Mansfield from 2007 to 2008.
Dr. Ruiz is board certified in cardiology, advanced heart failure, and adult congenital heart disease, and he is fluent in English and Spanish.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
