Nicolas Ruiz, MD

Dr. Nicolas Ruiz is a board-certified interventional cardiologist with advanced training in coronary, structural, and peripheral interventions. He completed his medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where he was a Global Health Scholar, and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry at the University of Texas at San Antonio, graduating cum laude. He went on to complete his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, followed by an Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Dr. Ruiz is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Echocardiography, and Interventional Cardiology. His clinical expertise includes advanced coronary interventions, bifurcation PCI, rotational atherectomy, intravascular lithotripsy, and pulmonary embolism therapies. He has also served as a co-investigator on several clinical trials, including the STEMI Door-to-Unloading Trial, 3D Stent Trial, and Impella ECP Pivotal Trial.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Ruiz has authored peer-reviewed publications and presented research at national conferences, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT). He remains active in education, mentoring trainees, and contributing to initiatives that expand access to advanced cardiovascular therapies.

Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Ruiz is committed to patient-centered care, health equity, and innovative treatment strategies that improve outcomes for diverse patient populations.

2017-2023 Diversity Enrichment Committee, UAB, Birmingham, Alabama Committee focusing on diversity outreach to medical schools, and attracting interviewees to enhance the goal of racial/ethnic diversity in our program. 2020-2023 UAB House Staff Council, UAB, Birmingham, Alabama Residency and Fellowship members bring to light and find solutions to problems that affect trainees in assistance

Professional: Bifurcation PCI, Rotational Atherectomy and Intra-vascular Lithotripsy, and Acute Pulmonary Embolism therapies (EKOS and aspiration thrombectomy) Personal: Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball and Hiking Languages: Spanish, native speaker w/ experience translating (conversational and medical)