November 7, 2025
Valley Health System is pleased to announce the launch of a Lipids and Cardiometabolic Disease Program, a comprehensive initiative focused on preventing cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. The program is led by Waqas Malick, MD, Director of the Lipids and Cardiometabolic Disease Program for Valley Medical Group.
Cardiometabolic disease encompasses a group of conditions that significantly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. These include high blood pressure (hypertension); high cholesterol, including LDL, triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a); insulin resistance and diabetes; and obesity. Lipids, which play an essential role in biological processes, are key targets for cardiovascular prevention and treatment.
“Coronary heart disease and stroke are largely preventable conditions,” said Dr. Malick. “Our program empowers patients to take proactive steps to reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease. By partnering with each patient’s primary care provider, cardiologist, or endocrinologist, we develop a customized treatment plan tailored to their individual needs.”
As part of the program, patients undergo a comprehensive risk-factor assessment. Based on the findings, they may be prescribed medications to manage risk factors and receive guidance on lifestyle modifications. In addition to traditional treatment approaches, the program offers therapeutics that help control cardiovascular risk.
These new therapies include RNA interference therapies, which use synthetic, double-stranded RNA molecules to prevent the production of disease-causing proteins. This treatment can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), commonly known as “bad” cholesterol.
“We are seeing a shift in cardiovascular prevention as medicine moves beyond traditional oral therapies,” said Dr. Malick. “We are proud to offer comprehensive risk assessment with access to innovative treatments that can be effective, have minimal side effects, and do not interfere with other medications – helping our patients better manage and prevent cardiovascular disease.”
Valley welcomed Dr. Malick this fall. He takes a holistic approach to patient care, encouraging individuals to make sustainable lifestyle changes to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Malick earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, completed his internal medicine residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and his cardiology fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He also completed a research fellowship in lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular prevention.
Dr. Malick specializes in cardiovascular disease prevention, familial hypercholesterolemia (a genetic disorder that causes high LDL levels), elevated lipoprotein(a), hypertriglyceridemia (high triglycerides), coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis, and statin intolerance.
Dr. Malick sees patients for evaluation and management of lipids and cardiometabolic diseases at 140 East Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus, New Jersey, and 1200 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey.
For more information about the Lipids and Cardiometabolic Disease Program, please visit ValleyHealth.com/Lipids.