Dr. Ralf J. Holzer

On June 1, 2017, Ralf J. Holzer, MD, MSc, joined NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine as Chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Director of Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization at the Komansky Children’s Hospital. Dr. Holzer also serves as a Co-Director of the NewYork-Presbyterian Congenital Heart Center with Emile A. Bacha, MD, and Julie A. Vincent, MD. He brings with him a leadership career in interventional cardiology that has taken him from the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital in the United Kingdom to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and back overseas to the Sidra Medical and Research Center in Qatar before putting down roots here in New York City.

“Dr. Holzer is a renowned expert committed to innovative interventional techniques and approaches to pediatric cardiology care,” says Gerald M. Loughlin, MD, the Nancy C. Paduano Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Pediatrician-in-Chief of NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. “He is adept at even the most challenging pediatric cardiology cases, and brings a tremendous amount of proven skill, experience, and talent that will enhance the already exceptional care we are known for. Patients with congenital heart disease and cardiac conditions are in the best possible hands under Dr. Holzer’s leadership.”

Dr. Holzer’s expertise spans the full spectrum of transcatheter interventions, including device closure of ventricular septal defects, pulmonary artery stenting, and transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation. He is at the forefront of establishing and evaluating new and innovative procedures for patients with congenital heart disease, including procedures that are based on a close collaboration between interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. His academic interests focus on improving outcomes and quality of care, as well as risk adjustment for transcatheter interventions.

“Quality of care, patient satisfaction, and helping our patients achieve positive outcomes are at the core of our clinical work,” says Dr. Holzer. “I look forward to working with this team, which has already received national recognition for its treatment of congenital heart disease, to deliver the highest quality care to patients and their families.”

Dr. Holzer received his medical degree from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany and holds a master of science in Information Technology from the University of Liverpool. He completed his residency training in Germany and the United Kingdom, and his cardiology fellowship at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital. He also completed an advanced fellowship in transcatheter interventions at the University of Chicago Children’s Hospital.

Following his training, Dr. Holzer worked as a consultant in pediatric cardiology and led interventional services at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital. He subsequently served for nine years as Co-Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Nationwide Children’s Hospital before moving in 2014 to the Sidra Medical and Research Center in Qatar, where he served as Medical Director of Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Therapy and Acting Division Chief of Pediatric Cardiology.