For Manhasset-based colorectal surgeon Dr. John Procaccino, a caring physician should be a standard of the trade. It’s not rocket science. But his care goes above and beyond and is why he was named Northwell Health’s physician with a “truly caring touch.”
“When people trust you with their lives, that’s sacred,” Procaccino said.
Procaccino was named Northwell’s truly caring physician at the 2025 Truly Awards, a celebration of the health system’s physicians who provide exceptional treatment to patients for a memorable impact.
When Procaccino accepted his award, he recited the Latin word “compati,” meaning “to suffer with.”
“I believe you’re not really fulfilling your job as a physician if you don’t suffer with to a certain extent your patient,” Procaccino said. “Simple as that.”
Procaccino is a colorectal surgeon and director of North Shore University Hospital’s colon and rectal surgery division. He also serves the community which he belongs to as a Manhasset resident with an office on Northern Boulevard.
Many of Procaccino’s patients are either there because they have experienced a problem they are seeking a diagnosis for or they have already been diagnosed by a gastroenterologist and identified as needing surgical intervention.
In his field, Procaccino works with patients with benign and malignant disorders of the lower gastrointestinal tract, including the small intestine, colon and rectum. These disorders range from Crohn’s disease to cancers.
Procaccino’s job is diagnosing these disorders, often through colonoscopies. If a benign problem like a polyp is found during a colonoscopy, Procaccino said he will generally remove it surgically and then further treatment will be determined.
In Procaccino’s Northern Boulevard office there is a suite for performing colonoscopies, making the trip even easier and less daunting for those adverse to hospitals.
Colonoscopies can be both diagnostic and interventional, the latter being used to go beyond detecting abnormalities in the colon and using tools to remove benign polyps.
When it comes to the lower intestinal area, Procaccino acknowledges that it can be a sensitive part of the body that patients don’t feel comfortable seeking medical care for. He stresses that this is why it’s even more necessary to provide compassionate care to his patients.
“Even with benign disorders, people do not really want to come in and talk to someone about anorectal or colonic issues. It’s just taboo,” Procaccino said. “But these can be so symptomatic and troubling that finally people will say, ‘Hey, I just got to go.”
For Procaccino, the compassionate care he provides to every one of his patients is woven into the purpose of his career. For him, it simply is the only way in which medical care should be given.
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“The human nature is such that when you are hurting or you’re in a position of vulnerability, you don’t want someone to be three rungs above you on the ladder looking down,” Procaccino said. “You want them to look at you eye to eye.”
In every response Procaccino gave regarding the award he received and the compassion he was recognized for showing, he continuously gave credit and gratitude to those around him.
Starting with his fellowship under the notable Dr. Victor Fazio at the Cleveland Clinic, which he credited for catapulting his career, to the patients who entrust him with their care and the individual who took the time to nominate him for the award, Procaccino thanked the people who propped him up on his journey to where he is today He never once tried to claim credit for his accolades as solely his own.
“I’m not sitting here just because I’m some genius or whatever,” Procaccino said. “There have been innumerable people over the course of my training, my education, that took a special interest in me and mentored me and taught me on many levels, and that’s a debt I can never repay.”
Mary Malvagna, manager of operations of the 900 Northern Blvd. outpatient office where Procaccino works, is the one who nominated Procaccino for the “Truly Caring” award.
Malvagna not only works with Procaccino, but he has also been a doctor for her and numerous members of her family.
While she said she may have thought the compassionate care he provided to her and her family was due to their personal connection, she found this not to be true. What she learned was that he provided that notable level of care to every single one of his patients.
“There aren’t many doctors like that,” Malvagna said.
Procaccino said receiving the award was heartwarming, especially because of how it transpired.
“When you’ve been doing something for 35 plus years, to know that someone actually is watching and appreciating what you’re doing gives you a warm sense that maybe I’m doing the right thing here,” Procaccino said.
