Dr. Laurence M. Epstein, a globally known leader in cardiac electrophysiology, has been named system director of electrophysiology at Northwell Health. He also was appointed professor of medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
With more than 25 years of experience, Epstein’s clinical and research expertise has spanned the creation and evolution of the field of invasive cardiac electrophysiology. He has pioneered many of the procedures that are now routinely performed. This includes catheter ablation, use of intracardiac echocardiography to guide procedures, implantation of cardiac devices, such as a cardioverter-defibrillator , and management of transvenous leads. Epstein has been instrumental in introducing transvenous lead management and extraction to programs throughout the United States and abroad.
In this newly created position, Epstein will have oversight of all Northwell electrophysiology programs, harnessing the volume of procedures and talent across the network. He will treat patients at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.
“Northwell is thrilled to welcome Dr. Epstein, an innovator in his field and whose reputation in cardiac electrophysiology is world renowned,” said Dr. Barry Kaplan, the Heart Hospital’s co-director, chair of cardiology at NSUH and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and senior vice president and executive director of Northwell’s cardiology service line. “He is uniquely qualified to direct the arrhythmia services at our large integrated network, focused on expanding the program, leveraging best practices and enhancing excellent customer service to patients in this rapidly evolving cardiac field.”
Electrophysiology is a cardiac specialty that involves the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders. Patients with rhythm abnormalities often have diseases of the electrical system of their heart.
Epstein comes to Northwell from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, where he was chief of cardiac arrhythmia service and a professor of medicine. He held several leadership positions there from 2000 to 2017. Prior to that, Epstein held major administrative cardiac electrophysiology roles at the University of California, San Francisco and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Epstein received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pretzker School of Medicine in Chicago, and completed his residency at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed three fellowships in cardiac electrophysiology research from the Cardiovascular Research Institute at UCSF; cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA; and cardiac electrophysiology at UCSF.
Epstein has given presentations at all major national and international cardiology conferences. He has held many leadership roles in the Heart Rhythm Society. Under Epstein’s leadership, the arrhythmia service of Brigham and Women’s Hospital published more than 100 peer-reviewed scholarly articles, as well as hundreds of book chapters and review articles.
