Skip to content
Thomas A. Rocco, M.D.

Thomas A. Rocco, M.D.

About Me

Professional Background

Dr. Thomas Rocco is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and a Consultant in Clinical Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at the Canandaigua/ROPC VA Medical Center, where he is Research Integrity Officer.

He was Project Director of a thre...
Dr. Thomas Rocco is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and a Consultant in Clinical Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at the Canandaigua/ROPC VA Medical Center, where he is Research Integrity Officer.

He was Project Director of a three-year grant to "Decrease Healthcare Disparities and Reduce Unwarranted Variation in Care in the treatment of Hypertension in the Elderly and Minorities." This resulted in a 30% relative improvement in high blood pressure control in an underserved patient population, with results published in the Journal of the American Society of Hypertension in 12/2015. He and his Co-Investigator received the Community Impact Award by Greater Rochester Health Foundation in 2012 for "your enthusiasm, unwavering focus, outstanding results and leadership to reduce unwarranted variation and healthcare disparities."

Dr. Rocco was also Co-Director of a four-year collaborative quality improvement (QI) project funded by the VHA on "Management to Improve Survival in Congestive Heart Failure" (MISCHF). He has been a Principal Investigator on multiple large national and international clinical research trials, including several funded by the NIH/NHLBI (e.g., the GUSTO trials, TIMI trials, ALLHAT, AFFIRM, and TOPCAT).

He has published on clinical research and QI initiatives in such journals as American Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Cardiology, American Heart Journal, and Joint Commission Journal of Quality Improvement.

Dr. Rocco has extensive experience in program development, quality improvement, and performance improvement initiatives (as the Director of Cardiology programs at three health systems in upstate NY). In addition to serving as Chief of Cardiology at Highland Hospital (URMC, 2002-2008) and Chief of Cardiology at Unity Health System, (1993-2002), he has served as Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation/Preventive Cardiology at Rochester General Hospital (1985 -1992) and Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization laboratory at Park Ridge Hospital (1993-2002).

He was also instrumental in developing a health information website, www.rochesterhealth.com, and has extensive experience in risk management.

Certified Specialties

Cardiovascular Disease - American Board of Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine - American Board of Internal Medicine

Faculty Appointments

Clinical Professor Emeritus - Department of Medicine, Highland Hospital (SMD)

Credentials

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

Internal Medicine, Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, University of Vermont

Education

MD | Case Western Reserve U Sch Med. Medicine. 1978

BA | Case Western Reserve Univ. Chemistry. 1974

Research

Dr. Thomas Rocco is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and a Consultant in Clinical Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at the Canandaigua/ROPC VA Medical Center, where he is Research Integrity Officer.

He was Project Director of a thre...
Dr. Thomas Rocco is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and a Consultant in Clinical Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at the Canandaigua/ROPC VA Medical Center, where he is Research Integrity Officer.

He was Project Director of a three-year grant to "Decrease Healthcare Disparities and Reduce Unwarranted Variation in Care in the treatment of Hypertension in the Elderly and Minorities." This resulted in a 30% relative improvement in high blood pressure control in an underserved patient population, with results published in the Journal of the American Society of Hypertension in 12/2015. He and his Co-Investigator received the Community Impact Award by Greater Rochester Health Foundation in 2012 for "your enthusiasm, unwavering focus, outstanding results and leadership to reduce unwarranted variation and healthcare disparities."

Dr. Rocco was also Co-Director of a four-year collaborative quality improvement (QI) project funded by the VHA on "Management to Improve Survival in Congestive Heart Failure" (MISCHF). He has been a Principal Investigator on multiple large national and international clinical research trials, including several funded by the NIH/NHLBI (e.g., the GUSTO trials, TIMI trials, ALLHAT, AFFIRM, and TOPCAT).

He has published on clinical research and QI initiatives in such journals as American Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Cardiology, American Heart Journal, and Joint Commission Journal of Quality Improvement.

Dr. Rocco has extensive experience in program development, quality improvement, and performance improvement initiatives (as the Director of Cardiology programs at three health systems in upstate NY). In addition to serving as Chief of Cardiology at Highland Hospital (URMC, 2002-2008) and Chief of Cardiology at Unity Health System, (1993-2002), he has served as Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation/Preventive Cardiology at Rochester General Hospital (1985 -1992) and Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization laboratory at Park Ridge Hospital (1993-2002).

He was also instrumental in developing a health information website, www.rochesterhealth.com, and has extensive experience in risk management.