Catholic Health Appoints New Suffolk Region Director of Electrophysiology

Catholic Health has appointed Joseph Germano, DO, as its inaugural Regional Director of Electrophysiology, Suffolk. In this role, Dr. Germano will help expand Catholic Health’s electrophysiology program, collaborating with St. Francis Heart Center leadership to increase access to care across Long Island by introducing new programs and expanding existing services, with an emphasis on early and effective treatment. 

“With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Germano is widely recognized as a leader in electrophysiology, advancing clinical care, research and training within the field,” said Richard Shlofmitz, MD, FACC, chairman of cardiology at Catholic Health. “His arrival positions us to accelerate the growth of our electrophysiology program, broaden treatment options for patients with complex conditions and further elevate the level of care we provide across Long Island. We are confident he will help usher in a new era of growth for our system.”

“Catholic Health and the St. Francis Heart Center are at the forefront of cardiac care, research and innovation,” said Dr. Germano. “I’m honored to join a team that consistently pushes the boundaries of medicine to provide the best possible patient outcomes, and I look forward to working together to continue advancing our field and the care experience.”

Prior to joining Catholic Health, Dr. Germano served as Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, where he built a multidisciplinary team of physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses and technical staff to expand the program's volume and procedural complexity.

Dr. Germano has held multiple academic appointments, including Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. Through his work as an investigator in numerous pivotal studies, he has helped secure FDA approval of the first direct oral anticoagulant and expand indications for use of the WATCHMAN™ and AMULET™ devices, both used to lower stroke risk in certain patients with atrial fibrillation.

Dr. Germano earned his medical degree from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1999. He completed his residency at Winthrop University Hospital (now NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island) in 2002, and a fellowship in electrophysiology at the Harvard-Thorndike Electrophysiology Institute at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2006.