Meet the Staff of the Peripheral Vascular Program

Ramzan M. Zakir, MD, FACC, FSCAI

Dr. Zakir is the director of the Peripheral Vascular Program at Saint Peter’s University Hospital.  Board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and endovascular, he completed a residency in cardiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and a fellowship in cardiology at what was then the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.  As an interventional cardiologist, he performs complex coronary procedures and his expertise includes chronic total occlusion, carotid artery stenting and endovascular interventions for patients with symptomatic and PAD.

Dr. Zakir is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is the principal investigator of several clinical trials that are examining ways to manage PAD. He has been invited to present at international conferences and has lectured throughout the country.  He is also a fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

At Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Dr. Zakir has pioneered the use of the Lightbox, an imaging system manufactured by Avinger Technologies and used to treat patients who are diagnosed with total blockages of peripheral arteries.  This technology is only available in Central New Jersey at Saint Peter’s. The system’s chief tool is the ocelot catheter, which using optical coherence tomography (OCT,) allows physicians to view the artery clearly during the actual procedure. Better navigation means less risk of damaging an artery.