AS STATEN ISLAND UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL’S CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM ENTERS A NEW CHAPTER, GURUPRASAD SRINIVAS, MD, BRINGS A DEEPLY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE AND A WHOLE-PERSON VISION TO HELPING PATIENTS RECLAIM THEIR CONFIDENCE, HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER CARDIAC EVENTS

BY AMANDA McCOY PHOTOS BY AMESSE PHOTOGRAPHY

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide, but for patients who survive a heart attack, undergo cardiac surgery, or live with a heart condition, the road to recovery involves far more than survival alone. It is about restoring trust in one’s body, rebuilding strength and endurance, and developing the confidence to return to everyday life. At Staten Island University Hospital, that philosophy is at the core of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, now under the leadership of Guruprasad Srinivas, MD, director of cardiac rehabilitation at the hospital’s Prince’s Bay campus.

For Dr. Srinivas, the decision to pursue medicine was shaped early by personal experience. “My interest in medicine started at an early age,” said Dr. Srinivas, a New York-born, board-certified interventional cardiologist. “When I was eight years old, my 15-year-old sister was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and admitted to the ICU over Christmas. My family and I spent the holiday in the hospital, and I still remember all the wonderful doctors and nurses who made our experience so positive.” Initially drawn to engineering, Dr. Srinivas ultimately chose medicine for its human connection, adding, “I felt pushed towards medicine for the opportunity to help people during a difficult time in life.”

This sense of urgency and impact ultimately led him to cardiology, a field where intervention is often immediate and life-changing. “In cardiology, in a lot of ways it can be life or death,” said Dr. Srinivas. “You have an opportunity to truly save someone’s life and impact their future right then and there.”

Trained in clinical and interventional cardiology, with special expertise in complex cardiovascular conditions and a focus on cardiac rehabilitation and preventive care, Dr. Srinivas spent more than a decade helping build a thriving practice in Long Island before joining SIUH in January 2025.

What drew him to Staten Island was both professional and personal. “I’ve always been interested in helping grow programs and expanding services to everyone in the community,” he said. “One of the things I’ve seen in my professional life is when people have to go to different areas to get their services, it makes obtaining healthcare very challenging.”

At SIUH, he saw an opportunity to be part of a growing heart program that keeps advanced care close to home. 

“Transportation can be difficult – for working patients, for the elderly, their families, and others,” he said. “It’s wonderful to have all the specialized services here with an excellent standard of care.” On a personal level, the location resonated as well. “Staten Island is the center of my personal universe,” he said. “My parents and in-laws live in New Jersey, and my family and I live in Brooklyn. My parents get their treatment at SIUH as well.”

As director, Dr. Srinivas now leads SIUH’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, a comprehensive, supervised exercise and education initiative designed for patients recovering from heart attacks, heart failure, severe blockages, and other cardio vascular conditions. Dr. Srinivas works alongside a multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, psychologists, nutritionists, and specialized nurses to craft individualized treatment plans for each patient that address both physical recovery and emotional well-being.

“Exercise in general is important for all people, but it’s multiplied in our cardiac patients,” heexplained. “In our program, we create individualized treatment plans for each patient, and closely monitor their blood pressure, EKG, oxygen levels, and more so we know how much we can push them and when to pull back. Not only does the program greatly reduce hospitalizations and boost outcomes, but it profoundly affects the patient’s mental health. A heart condition can be consuming, physically and emotionally. Our program helps patients reclaim their quality of life.”

Just as important, noted the doctor, is the sense of camaraderie that develops among participants. “What’s incredible is our patients develop a bond and a community with each other. When I walk into the facility, I see patients talking and getting excited about their progress.” Patients even don matching shirts that read “Warranty Extended” – a lighthearted but powerful symbol of renewed confidence.

The program typically includes three sessions per week over 12 weeks, for a total of 36 sessions. Over that time, noted Dr. Srinivas, the transformation is profound.

“The most satisfying aspect of my role is witnessing patients improve tremendously over their 36 sessions. They might come to us after a heart attack, and by the time they graduate they are a completely different person. They leave confident, happy, and able to return to many of the activities they love. I recently had a patient visit my office in his ‘Warranty Extended’ T–shirt, and seeing the smile on his and his wife’s face – that really stays with you.”

Looking ahead, Dr. Srinivas is focused on expanding access and awareness. “One of our goals is to ensure that we educate the community of physicians that cardiac rehabilitation significantly improves outcomes for a vast range of cardiac conditions, and that the program is specifically tailored to their individual patients. The service is still underutilized in some areas, so we have planned initiatives to teach our experiences to physicians in our system and on a national stage.”

At its heart, cardiac rehabilitation is about restoring life’s simple pleasures playing with grandchildren, traveling, and moving without fear. “As we grow older, we start becoming patients ourselves, so we have to put ourselves in our patients’ shoes,” said Dr. Srinivas. “You can only imagine how patients feel when they can’t play with their grandchildren or do the normal things they could always do. Helping patients get back to those moments is the true reward.”

Staten Island University Hospital
siuh.northwell.edu