William R. Slater, MD

My mother received a diagnosis for breast cancer when I was an adolescent. I witnessed how every word conveyed by a doctor can affect an entire family and I saw medicine as a way to heal physical and emotional suffering. This motivated me to take up medicine as a career and it has been quite a rewarding experience.

At NYU Langone, I practice and teach general cardiology, with particular expertise in cardiac arrhythmia management. I specialize in providing second opinions to patients with heart rhythm problems, as well as to those with coronary or valvular heart disease. 

In our practice, we recognize that compassionate care is at the core of healing, so we always try to integrate physical and emotional wellbeing. Toward this goal, I partner with our nurse, Barbara Guerra, who is trained in cardiology, as well as in integrative healing. Our nurse practitioner, Arianna Gonzalez, is a warm-hearted and attentive provider with a strong background in cardiology and emergency medicine. She is an integral partner in the care of our patients. Our team provides excellent medical advice and also empowers patients to understand their options in a reassuring, optimistic way.

My time is also spent helping to educate young physicians. This is an enormously rewarding part of my life. I served as chief of the medical service at Tisch Hospital, and I currently lead the cardiac consultation service at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue; these are our main teaching venues. I have been honored with the Teacher of the Year Award from NYU Langone’s Department of Medicine three times, as well as the Teacher of the Year Award from the Division of Cardiology three times. 

I have received the Alpha Omega Alpha Award in recognition of excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service as a clinical faculty member. I was proud to receive the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award, elected by the 2005 graduating class of NYU School of Medicine as the faculty member who most displayed medical humanism, compassion, and respect in the practice of medicine.

In 2007, I received the NYU Distinguished Teaching Award, which is the highest teaching honor NYU bestows. This university-wide honor recognizes gifted teachers across all undergraduate and professional schools in the university. The NYU School of Medicine class of 2013 elected me to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award in the Basic Sciences.

I am honored that my peers have recognized me as well. I have been included in Castle Connolly’s “America's Top Doctors” annually since 2002, in New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors in New York” for the past nine years, and annually in The New York Times’ “Super Docs” feature. U.S. News & World Report has recognized me as one of “America’s Best Doctors” for the past five years.

I have authored numerous articles about clinical cardiology and book chapters on managing cardiovascular disease, and I serve as a reviewer for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. My wife, Ronnie, is also a physician and medical educator, and I have two daughters, Emily and Alissa.