Tudor Vagaonescu, MD, PhD

Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Dr. Tudor Dumitru Vagaonescu is an accomplished interventional cardiologist and educator with over two decades of experience in advanced cardiovascular care. He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hypertension where he plays a pivotal role in clinical, academic, and research activities.

Dr. Vagaonescu obtained his medical degree and PhD in medical sciences from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. His extensive postgraduate training includes residencies and fellowships in internal medicine, cardiology, hypertension, and interventional cardiology at leading institutions such as Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Lenox Hill Hospital.

A highly skilled operator in cardiac catheterization and interventional cardiology, Dr. Vagaonescu has been recognized as one of the busiest interventional cardiologists at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. His clinical expertise includes complex percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), structural heart interventions, and high-risk cardiac procedures. He also serves as Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at RWJUH.

Dr. Vagaonescu is actively involved in cardiovascular research, having served as a principal investigator and co-investigator in multiple national and international clinical trials. His work has been published in leading cardiology journals, and he frequently presents at major cardiology conferences.

He has received numerous accolades, including being named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and New Jersey Choice Top Doctor for multiple consecutive years. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (FSCAI), Dr. Vagaonescu is committed to advancing cardiovascular medicine through research, education, and patient care.

In addition to his clinical and academic responsibilities, Dr. Vagaonescu is a dedicated mentor to cardiology fellows and residents, shaping the next generation of cardiovascular specialists.

Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ

Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ

Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

Hakeem A, Tang D, Patel K, Sethi A, Awasthi A, Zakir R, Vagaonescu T. Safety and Efficacy of Single-Access Impella for High-Risk Percutaneous Intervention (SHiP). JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2022 Feb 14;15(3):347-348. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2021.11.007. Erratum in: JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2022 Oct 10;15(19):2001-2002. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2022.08.043. PMID: 35144797.

Levine D, Volk L, Vagaonescu T, Soto C, Ikegami H, Ghaly A, Lemaire A. Risk of Stroke with Impella Placement Is Not Associated with Access Vessel. Innovations (Phila). 2022 Jan-Feb;17(1):25-29. doi: 10.1177/15569845211057818. Epub 2022 Jan 17. PMID: 35037774.

Shah K, Tang D, Ibrahim F, Ghosh B, Bhatti S, Akhabue E, Vagaonescu T, Zakir R, Hakeem A. Surge in Delayed Myocardial Infarction Presentations: An Inadvertent Consequence of Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JACC Case Rep. 2020 Aug;2(10):1642-1647. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2020.07.004. Epub 2020 Aug 19. PMID: 32839760; PMCID: PMC7438070.