1950 –

Biography

Gerald V. Naccarelli, MD, FHRS

Gerald V. Naccarelli MD, FHRS, was born in Philadelphia, Pa, received his B.S. in Biology from St. Joseph's University and his MD degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey. He was an Internal Medicine Resident at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital/Bowman Gray School of Medicine. He was a Fellow in Cardiology and Chief Resident in Medicine at the Penn State University College of Medicine, followed by a UPSHS postdoctoral Fellow in Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Prior to his current position at Hershey, he was Director of Clinical Electrophysiology and Vice-Chairman of Cardiology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. In 1995 he moved to Hershey and currently is the Bernard Trabin Chair in Cardiology, Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Cardiology, and Director of the Cardiovascular Center at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine/Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Dr. Naccarelli had been a member of multiple national committees of the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE). He is a past-president of the Society, then known as NASPE, and a past-member of the Board of Trustees of the American College of Cardiology and HRS. He served on the ABIM Subspecialty Board on Cardiovascular Diseases from 1999-2005 and Chaired the ABIM Cardiovascular Diseases SEP Committee. He was editor-in chief of EPSAP I and II and has contributed to ACCSAP. He was a charter member of CMS’ Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) advisory panel. He is an elected member of the Association of University Cardiologists (AUC) and member and Past-President of the Association of the Professors of Cardiology (APC).

Dr. Naccarelli is internationally recognized for his clinical, teaching and research contributions. His major clinical activity is an active practice in clinical cardiac electrophysiology initially in Houston and since 1995 in Hershey. He has been listed in the best Doctors of America (Cardiovascular Diseases-Electrophysiology) since 1992.

Dr. Naccarelli has trained 24 fellows in cardiac electrophysiology and more than 100 fellows in Cardiology over the last 30 years. In addition he has been an invited lecturer at multiple major international cardiology meetings, medical universities and regional educational events. He was the initial course director for the conjoint NASPE/ACC Cardiac Electrophysiology Board review that continues under different directors to this day.

Dr. Naccarelli’s research interests are in atrial fibrillation, clinical arrhythmia trials, implantable devices for treating arrhythmias and congestive heart failure, antiarrhythmic drug development and autonomic aspects of arrhythmogenesis. He has published over 400 peer review papers, book chapters, reviews and abstracts and is the author of 3 books.

Dr. Naccarelli has been an active clinical trialist and has participated in several major trials that have changed practice in taking care of arrhythmia patients including CABG-Patch, AVID, AFFIRM, ATHENA, RELY, MADIT-CRT and COMPANION. He is currently on the steering committee of CABANA, OM8 and ARTEMIS. Dr Naccarelli has been involved in the clinical development and approval of all the antiarrhythmic agents released in the USA over the last 30 years, including amiodarone, mexiletine, flecainide, propafenone, sotalol, ibutilide, dofetilide and dronedarone.

He is a recipient of the Paul Dudley White Award from the American Heart Association and the Nycomed Amersham Award for Excellence Honoring Leadership, Achievement and Commitment to the Profession from the American College of Cardiovascular Administrators and has spoken at several named lectureships. He is currently on the editorial board of seven scientific journals (in the past on the editorial board of an additional 13 journals) in addition to being Associate Editor of the Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology and a past Associate editor of Circulation.

Dr. Naccarelli and his wife, Terry have a daughter, Michele, and a son, Matthew.