Matthew Harinstein is a hands on leader at Northwell Health

For Dr. Matthew Harinstein, medicine has always been personal. “Since I was three years old, I decided I wanted to be a doctor,” he said. Influenced by his father, a physician, and his mother, a nurse, he recalls making rounds in the hospital at a young age and developing a fascination with cardiology. “I took a liking actually to how the heart worked, and how you could help people. I liked the idea of seeing a patient, being able to do something right away that could help them instantly.”
Now, after decades of experience across clinical, academic, and international health leadership, Dr. Harinstein has stepped into his new role as vice president and associate chief medical officer at Northwell Health and associate medical director at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.
“Northwell offers many exciting opportunities and is aggressively growing with an environment and culture similar to the large system I have experienced,” he said. “Relationships are critically important to me personally and as a leader, which is promoted at Northwell.”
Among those who know him best, Dr. Harinstein’s leadership style is marked by responsiveness, insight, and an unwavering commitment to those around him. “Matt is one of those roll up your sleeves, work with you in the weeds and always there when you need them,” said David Russell, chief business development officer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who worked closely with Harinstein for more than a decade at UPMC. “My memories and sort of impression of Matt are these like 2 a.m. crisis management phone calls when something goes wrong and he’s always there when you need him.”
Russell emphasized Harinstein’s rare ability to balance strategic leadership with close engagement on the clinical front. “He’s not just available when you reach out to him. He’s one of those people that stays close enough to the details that he knows a crisis is coming,” he said. “He cares very, very deeply about his patients, his hospitals, his people. He’s a hands-on guy.”

That hands-on approach has been a hallmark of Harinstein’s career. From founding the UPMC Center for Cardio-Oncology to serving as chief of cardiology at UPMC McKeesport and directing cardiac imaging services, he’s combined clinical excellence with systems leadership. In his most recent position as senior vice president, COO, and associate chief medical officer at UPMC International, he oversaw operations in hospitals across Italy, Ireland, China, and Kazakhstan.
“I started off as a practicing cardiologist, but quickly got involved in hospital administration and really recognized that there was a lot of opportunity for physician engagement and leadership to help solve problems in the hospital,” Harinstein said. That perspective, he added, led him to pursue an MBA in health care and continue bridging clinical care with operational innovation.
At Northwell, Harinstein said he’s eager to contribute to a system that values collaboration and mission-driven care. “This is a place where I can make a real impact, both as a clinician and a leader,” he said. For Russell, the move is a natural fit. “Being with him and fighting for the resources to make sure that community had the investment it needed to run an amazing hospital… the tenacity of the guy is unusual.”
With his appointment, Harinstein joins a growing team of health care leaders committed to advancing quality and access across the New York region. For both those who’ve worked with him and those just beginning to, one thing seems certain: he’s not the kind of leader who waits for the call—he’s already preparing for what comes next.