[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 31, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DR. RUGGIERO HONORED

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 31, 1998

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
distinguished physician from Northeastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Nicholas 
Ruggiero. Dr. Ruggiero will be honored at a retirement dinner this week 
and I am pleased to have been asked to participate in this tribute.
  A native of Pittston, Pennsylvania, Dr. Ruggiero graduated from 
Pittston High School in 1953. His parents could not afford tuition, so 
he worked his way through King's College before joining the army to 
acquire the money for medical school. He received his M.D. from 
Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia in 1966. He interned close to 
his hometown at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and completed his 
residency and a fellowship at Jefferson.
  During his fifteen-year tenure as the Director of the Coronary Care 
Unit at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Dr. Ruggiero began the Cardiac 
Lab at General Hospital. Its success led to the first open heart 
program in the area. Heart disease can now be diagnosed and treated at 
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Ruggiero's successes with the Cardiac Lab and open 
heart program in Wilkes-Barre meant that heart patients could stay in 
Northeastern Pennsylvania for treatment. This was a major contribution 
to the region's medical community.
  I am proud to be a part of a tribute to this fine physician and to 
have had the opportunity to bring his career and accomplishments to the 
attention of my colleagues. I join with his friends, his family, and 
the community in sending my very best wishes for a happy and healthy 
retirement.

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