Dr. Nicholas J. Ruggiero II, is a summa cum laude graduate from King’s College in Wilkes Barre, PA majoring in Biology/Molecular Genetics.  He then graduated Magna Cum Laude from Jefferson Medical College receiving the prestigious Joseph Rogers Award. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, received numerous teaching awards and served as chief medical resident.  He completed his Cardiology fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and 2 additional fellowships at the Massachusetts General Hospital in interventional coronary/structural cardiology and vascular medicine/interventions. He served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School as an instructor in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Upon finishing at MGH, he received the Gregory P. Braden award, given to the top graduating interventional fellow in the country from the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention and the Cardiovascular Research Technologies Young Leaders Award. He was recruited back to Jefferson and began his own section as the Director of Structural Heart Disease and Non-coronary Interventions. Under his guidance, he developed the TAVR, Mitraclip, Watchman programs and established a center of excellence for PFO and stroke. He is currently the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Structural Heart Disease Program, Jefferson Heart Institute Vascular Laboratory and the Structural Heart Disease Fellowship. He is the Program Director of the Structural Heart Disease Fellowship and an Associate Program Director of the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship. He has published over 70 peer reviewed papers, authored numerous book chapters and abstracts, edited multiple textbooks, delivered multiple lectures at national and international meetings, served on many national and international committees and is on the editorial board of multiple journals. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology, and interventional cardiology.  He is a full professor at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He is the PI of multiple interventional research trials and is a national thought leader in structural heart disease and peripheral vascular interventions. He is a past president of Sidney Kimmel Medical College Alumni Association and is the 2022 SKMC Alumni Association Early Career Alumni award recipient for his contributions to the advancement of medicine.