Geisinger Promotes Cardiologist Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, M.D., has been promoted to chief of clinical electrophysiology for Geisinger. In his new role, Dr. Vijayaraman oversees the integration and growth of services for patients with heart-rhythm disorders across the health system. These arrhythmias include tachycardia (fast heart rate), bradycardia (slow heart rate) and atrial fibrillation (AFib) among others. A Geisinger provider since 2005, Dr. Vijayaraman specializes in cardiac electrophysiology, cardiac ablation and cardiac device implantation. He is world-renowned for his research and clinical expertise in conduction system pacing, which stimulates the heart’s natural electrical conduction system to correct rhythm disorders and has improved patient outcomes. An authority on innovative methods of implantation, he has educated Geisinger fellows as well as physicians from across the globe. “For the past 17 years, it’s been my pleasure to serve our communities and help grow electrophysiology services for our patients,” Dr. Vijayaraman said. “I look forward to making better health easier for more of our friends and neighbors as we continue to expand the outstanding electrophysiology care available to them close to home.” Before accepting his position as chief of clinical electrophysiology, Dr. Vijayaraman served as director of electrophysiology labs for Geisinger’s northeast region and program director of Geisinger’s clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship — roles he continues to serve. His presence and leadership at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center were integral to the hospital’s investment in its electrophysiology suite, which has expanded availability to patients in the region and established the medical center as a destination for heart-rhythm care. Dr. Vijayaraman will work closely with regional chiefs of cardiology and the chair of Geisinger’s Department of Cardiology, George Ruiz, M.D., to coordinate electrophysiology care across the system, create new programs that complement clinical efforts, provide our communities with expanded clinical expertise and review any clinical quality challenges that arise. “We have a team of experienced and talented electrophysiologists that rivals any in our region of the country,” Dr. Vijayaraman said. “I’m committed to supporting them with the facilities, technology, research and resources they need to care for our communities with excellence.”
Geisinger Welcomes Pediatric Cardiologist Into Leadership Role Shuping Ge, M.D., has joined Geisinger as system chair of the Department of Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiology. A specialist in pediatric cardiology, Dr. Ge cares for babies before and after birth, children and adolescents with congenital heart disease. He has clinical and translational research interest and expertise in non-invasive cardiovascular imaging, fetal cardiology and pediatric preventive cardiology. Dr. Ge joins pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgeon Gerhard Ziemer, M.D., Ph.D., to lead Geisinger’s congenital heart program, which cares for patients from their prenatal days through adulthood. An avid academic, Dr. Ge will also mentor future providers and scientists as a Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree at Shandong University School of Medicine in Jinan, Shandong, China, and conducted research in cardiovascular ultrasound at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland and Wake Forest University Bowman Grey School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Ge completed his residency in pediatrics at St. Vincent’s Hospital & Medical Center in New York City and his fellowship training in pediatric cardiology at The Children’s Hospital, University of Colorado School of Medicine, in Denver. Before joining Geisinger, Dr. Ge held clinical leadership roles at Children’s Hospital of Iowa, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, in Iowa City, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, and Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, New Jersey. He’s also held professorships at University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine and Temple University College of Medicine. Dr. Ge is certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology by the American Board of Pediatrics, and he has a subspecialty certification in pediatric cardiac magnetic resonance imaging from the American College of Radiology. He has practiced fetal, pediatric, and preventive cardiology for 20 years and has been named a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly, US News and World Report, Philadelphia Magazine and America’s Most Honored Doctors. His collaborative and translational research in cardiovascular imaging, fetal cardiology and pediatric preventive cardiology has been funded by the American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health, and he’s authored or co-authored about 250 published scholarly works.
