Joseph E. Parrillo, M.D., FACC
Joseph E. Parrillo, M.D., FACC, is the director of Research Program and Research Database at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center and Professor of Cardiology and Medicine at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in Nutley, NJ. As part of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute and Heart and Vascular Hospital, Dr. Parrillo and the COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease Research Team have published three papers and more than 15 abstracts regarding heart disease and COVID-19. Their research was published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the American Journal of Cardiology, and other clinical publications.
Dr. Parrillo will present the team’s significant findings, pointing the way to better treatments, at the upcoming New York Cardiovascular Symposium (NYCVS) on December 9. He is New Jersey’s only presenter. In his presentation, titled, Evolving Subacute and Chronic Impact of COVID-19 on Cardiovascular Sequelae: Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction (ANSD) as a Primary Concern, Dr. Parrillo will discuss COVID-19’s impact on the cardiovascular system, the the dynamics of the disease leading to Long COVID, as well as effective treatments.
Some of the research conclusions include:
- COVID produces many cardiovascular abnormalities.
- Echocardiography assessment of cardiac function allows therapy to be tailored to the underlying abnormality, potentially improving management.
- Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID (PASC - Long COVID) is multifaceted and involves nearly every organ system.
- Milder acute COVID illness results in less severe PASC in general.
- A prospective, longitudinal observational study of HUTT (Tilt Table Testing) showed orthostatic intolerance in nearly all (23/24) study subjects. Findings suggest the presence of autonomic dysfunction.
- In PASC patients with fatigue, palpitations, and exercise intolerance, treatment with beta-blockers was associated with substantial improvement in symptoms along with reduced blood pressure and heart rate. A randomized, controlled trial is needed to confirm this preliminary observation.
The annual NYCVS is a two-and-a-half-day course that brings thousands of clinicians together from around the world for in-depth reviews of the latest science and cutting-edge advances, provided by the foremost authorities in cardiovascular care. It will be held in person at the NY Hilton Midtown and virtually Dec. 9, 10 & 11, and is sponsored by the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Parrillo is presenting on the first day of the symposium beginning at 10:45 a.m. and will participate in a panel discussion beginning at 11:05 a.m.
Joseph E. Parrillo, M.D., MCCM
Dr. Parrillo is the Justice Marie L. Garibaldi Endowed Chair of the Heart and Vascular Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center and Director, Research Program and Database. He is also Professor of Medicine at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. Prior to Hackensack, he was professor and founding chairman of the Department of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (Camden, NJ), Edward D. Viner chair of the Department of Medicine and director of Cooper Heart Institute at Cooper University Hospital. Dr. Parrillo previously was the James B. Herrick Professor of Medicine and Chief, Cardiovascular Program at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, IL. During Dr. Parrillo’s tenure, Rush Medical Center Cardiology and Heart Surgery Program went from unranked to #19 in the nation in US News and World Report rankings.
A magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH), Dr. Parrillo received his medical degree with honors from Weill Cornell Medical College (New York, NY) where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He did his post-graduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA), The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center (New York, NY), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH, Bethesda, MD). Dr. Parrillo is board-certified in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, cardiovascular disease, and critical care medicine.
Dr. Parrillo has authored or co-authored more than 1,100 publications. One of Dr. Parrillo's most notable scientific contributions was the discovery that reversible myocardial depression was very common in human sepsis and septic shock. This seminal research has resulted in major insights regarding the mechanisms and treatment of serious infections and septic shock.
Dr. Parrillo received the NIH Director’s Award, the highest civil service employee honor, for “creating a superior Critical Care Medicine Department.” He was elected to membership in the highly prestigious American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP). Election to membership in these two honorary societies recognizes the finest clinician-scientists in the nation. Dr. Parrillo was the recipient of the Distinguished Investigator Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Critical Care Medicine. He is a past president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), served as editor-in-chief of the journal, Critical Care Medicine, and is the Editor of one of the major standard textbooks entitled Critical Care Medicine: Diagnosis and Management in the Adult. The fifth edition of this textbook was published in 2019.
Dr. Parrillo’s major interests have been cardiovascular performance in shock and septic shock; heart failure; cardiogenic shock; myocarditis; and the critically ill cardiovascular patient.
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