Griffin Health is proud to announce Dr. João Daniel Trindade Fontes, MD, MPH, FACC, as its new Chair of the Department of Medicine.
Dr. Fontes brings a rare combination of deep clinical expertise, population health leadership, and academic rigor to the role. As Chair, he will lead the strategic direction of Griffin’s medical services, overseeing clinical quality and safety, guiding physician engagement and performance, and identifying where new technology and innovation can improve how care is delivered. With extensive knowledge, experience, and leadership in academic and clinical healthcare, Dr. Fontes will be an instrumental addition to Griffin as it continues to evolve and enhance population health and value-based care initiatives.
Dr. Fontes trained at Boston University School of Medicine, completing his residency in internal medicine alongside fellowships in advanced heart failure and cardiovascular medicine, and concurrent with a research fellowship in cardiovascular epidemiology at the landmark Framingham Heart Study. He holds a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Clinical Effectiveness from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he built the analytical foundation he now applies to quality measurement, cost-effectiveness, and care delivery design.
Prior to Griffin, Dr. Fontes served as Director of Inpatient Cardiology Services and Director of Innovation and Technology in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He also served as Director of Quality and Population Outcomes at Pacific Cardiovascular Associates in Orange County, California, where he led practice-wide initiatives to improve outcomes and cost efficiency across a large cardiology group. He has held faculty appointments as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was recognized for exceptional instruction of residents and fellows with the Teaching Faculty of the Year Award at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Across these roles, Dr. Fontes has excelled in translating clinical expertise into stronger operational outcomes for the organizations he serves.
Dr. Fontes’ commitment to accessible, high-quality care extends internationally. He has volunteered as a cardiologist and Board member with Moyo Cardiac Missions in Tanzania as part of an effort to advance complex cardiac care in emerging countries. These missions provide cardiac imaging, consultation, and hands-on training to local physicians and technologists caring for patients with congenital and rheumatic heart disease.
“I’m proud to take on this role, and my focus is to be an exceptional leader,” Dr. Fontes said. “Griffin’s person-centered approach to care, and its commitment to the health of this community, is exactly what brought me here. Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to work that connects what happens at the bedside to how a health system performs as a whole. I look forward to strengthening the quality of care, partnering with our physicians to ensure consistent care delivery based on best practices, and a population health and value-based care strategy that serves patients well beyond our walls.”