Richard Shlofmitz,
MD, FACC
Chairman of Cardiology, St. Francis Hospital & The Heart Center® | Chair, Cardiovascular Service Line, Catholic Health | Founder, OPCI
Richard A. Shlofmitz, MD, FACC is a nationally and internationally recognized pioneer in interventional cardiology and one of the most experienced and decorated coronary interventionalists in the world. He serves as Chairman of Cardiology at St. Francis Hospital & The Heart Center® in Roslyn, New York — where he has practiced since 1987 — and as Chair of the Cardiovascular Service Line for Catholic Health, one of Long Island’s largest integrated health systems. In both roles, he leads a nationally recognized heart and vascular program spanning multiple disciplines that has become a global benchmark for excellence in coronary care.
Education & Training
Dr. Shlofmitz received his medical degree from NYU School of Medicine, completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, and a fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus). He went on to complete both his cardiology and interventional cardiology training at Columbia University before joining St. Francis Hospital in 1987. He is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC).
Clinical Expertise & Volume
Performing over 1,000 coronary interventions annually, Dr. Shlofmitz has one of the largest volumes of experience in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and holds the most clinical experience with orbital atherectomy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) worldwide. He has served as principal investigator in numerous percutaneous interventional trials and has one of the largest PCI volumes in the nation with one of the lowest complication rates.
His expertise is concentrated in the most complex and highest-risk coronary anatomy, with unmatched mastery of intravascular imaging and advanced calcium modification; including orbital atherectomy, rotational atherectomy, and intravascular lithotripsy (IVL). In his role as chair of cardiology, Dr. Shlofmitz has ushered in new gold standards for imaging and techniques related to PCI and is recognized as a leader in optical coherence tomography (OCT), a form of intravascular imaging that provides three-dimensional, real-time views of the heart’s vessels.
DEFINING A NEW STANDARD
Precision PCI
At the core of Dr. Shlofmitz’s clinical philosophy is the concept of Precision PCI — an imaging-guided, data-driven approach to coronary intervention that optimizes every stage of the procedure, from lesion assessment and preparation through stent deployment and final optimization.
As Dr. Shlofmitz has explained, “Most angioplasties are still being guided by two-dimensional coronary imaging. Not at St. Francis. We utilize leading-edge 3D imaging to place stents with far more precision, knowing exactly how long the stent should be and how wide. This is much better for the patient’s long-term cardiac health.” This philosophy has shaped practice patterns at institutions around the world and is the defining mission of his foundation.
DRIVING INNOVATION
Landmark Firsts & Key Trials
Dr. Shlofmitz was the first physician in North America to perform coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) as part of the landmark DISRUPT CAD III trial — a milestone that helped open the door to IVL’s broad clinical adoption across the continent for the treatment of severely calcified coronary artery disease. His continued work in this area includes participation in the DISRUPT CAD Duo IDE Study, examining the safety and effectiveness of a novel next-generation coronary IVL system.
Dr. Shlofmitz has been one of the largest enrollers for multiple landmark clinical trials, including TWILIGHT, ILUMIEN III, and Onyx, with more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has served on the steering committees of major trials including ECLIPSE and ILUMIEN IV, and has been a principal investigator across a wide spectrum of trials in imaging, antithrombotic therapy, and calcium modification.
Setting New Standards in Cardiovascular Care and Physician Education
RESEARCH IMPACT
Dr. Shlofmitz’s research portfolio encompasses more than 327 works with over 7,700 citations, spanning intravascular imaging, coronary calcification, PCI optimization, atherectomy, and emerging interventional technologies. He serves on multiple scientific advisory boards and clinical trial steering committees. Under his leadership, St. Francis Hospital has achieved one of the highest volumes of cardiac clinical trial enrollment in the country.
INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP & RECOGNITION
Under Dr. Shlofmitz’s leadership, St. Francis Hospital & The Heart Center® has achieved extraordinary national recognition. In 2023, it became the only hospital in the region — including Long Island, the five boroughs of New York City, and Westchester — to receive the prestigious HeartCARE Center™ designation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC), recognizing consistent, high-quality cardiovascular care, disease-specific accreditation, and professional excellence. The hospital earned this distinction for a second consecutive year in 2024. St. Francis is also the only hospital on Long Island with ACC Cardiac Catheterization Lab accreditation and the only ACC-certified TAVR program in the region.
In 2024, Catholic Health’s cardio-oncology programs, led in part by Dr. Shlofmitz as chairman of cardiovascular services, received the highest “gold status” designation from the International Cardio-Oncology Society — placing the programs among a small group internationally recognized for quality and standards of care.
PHYSICIAN TRAINING & OPCI
Dr. Shlofmitz is the Founder of OPCI (Optimizing Peripheral and Cardiac Interventions), an interventional cardiology education organization dedicated to equipping healthcare professionals with advanced learning experiences to improve patient care. The organization fosters a global community of cardiology experts committed to lifelong learning and excellence in medical practice. Its core mission is to revolutionize interventional cardiology education by providing comprehensive, cutting-edge learning experiences that empower clinicians to deliver exceptional, patient-centered care.
OPCI offers a range of educational programming spanning live events, digital content, and ongoing community engagement. Its flagship event, the OPCI New York Conference, is a premier two-day summit featuring a Coronary Think Tank and a Structural Think Tank, bringing together leading physicians, innovators, industry partners, investors, and venture capital leaders from around the world to explore the evolving landscape of interventional cardiology. On a weekly basis, OPCI hosts a virtual journal club in which faculty members discuss a selected study of relevance to the interventional cardiology community. Live surgical cases are also a core part of the programming, offering real-time clinical education.
A Career Defined by Innovation and Impact
With nearly four decades at the forefront of interventional cardiology, Dr. Shlofmitz has dedicated his career to ensuring that every patient receives the most precise, imaging-guided, evidence-based coronary care possible. From performing historic first-in-North-America procedures to training the next generation of interventionalists, his work spans the full arc of discovery, clinical excellence, and education.
“Our goal is to shape the next generation of care — not only at St. Francis, but worldwide.”
Richard Shlofmitz, MD, FACCFounder, The Shlofmitz Foundation
