Physician-led care, delivered by a team that makes medicine personal.

Dr. Richard Dentico, MD

Co-Founder & Medical Director

Dr. Dentico is the clinical foundation of Protocol Health. A board-certified physiatrist with more than 15 years of experience in regenerative medicine, pain management, and functional health, he has spent his career helping patients heal from the conditions that quietly steal quality of life: chronic pain, hormonal imbalance, declining performance, and the slow drift away from feeling like themselves.

His postgraduate training in functional medicine, anti-aging, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy laid the groundwork for the protocols he customizes to each patient’s physiology and goals. Before Protocol, he trained under Drs. Gerard Malanga and Jay Bowen at New Jersey Sports Medicine, a leading regenerative medicine group.

The reason Dr. Dentico believes so deeply in this medicine is both clinical and personal. He has watched these treatments transform the people closest to him, helping family members return to sports, lose significant weight, and regain strength. Protocol exists so this level of proactive, personalized care can be delivered with the warmth of family.

Dr. Russell Tigges, MD

Physician

Dr. Tigges has spent a lifetime caring for musculoskeletal health and is now focused on what comes next: longevity, healthspan optimization, and functional health. His treatment philosophy combines nutrition, exercise, hormonal balance, and nutritional supplementation in a layered approach designed to meet patients where they are.

He lives the same principles he recommends. When patients sit across from Dr. Tigges, they are getting guidance from a clinician who has lived inside the science of musculoskeletal medicine, regenerative therapies, and functional health for decades.

Erisa Auricchio, MS, FNP-BC, OCN

Family Nurse Practitioner

Erisa came to Protocol after building one of the most rigorous clinical foundations a nurse practitioner can have. With more than seven years of nursing experience across oncology and primary care, she has cared for patients across the full arc of medicine — from vulnerable moments to the everyday work of prevention.

At Protocol, Erisa focuses on personalized, preventative care that helps patients improve quality of life, energy, confidence, and long-term outcomes. Bilingual in English and Albanian, she is known for strong patient relationships and the warmth she brings to each visit.

Kimberly Garvey, MS, PA-C

Physician Assistant

Kim is a board-certified physician assistant who works directly with patients across Protocol’s core specialties: hormone optimization, peptide therapy, and medical weight loss. Patients see Kim for clinical assessments, ongoing protocol management, and the attentive support that turns a treatment plan into sustainable results.

Kim also maintains an active surgical practice at White Plains Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital. Her surgical rigor gives her a detailed understanding of anatomy and precision that she brings into Protocol’s proactive health optimization work.

Kim is Joe’s sister, and the family story at the heart of Protocol is hers too. The lessons that shaped Joe’s mission also shaped her commitment to this work.

Bianca March

Medical Assistant & Patient Liaison

Bianca is the friendly, familiar face that keeps patients moving forward at Protocol. A Scarsdale native with nearly a decade of medical assistant experience across urgent care and OBGYN practices, she coordinates the moments between clinical visits that often shape the patient experience.

She helps patients leave with clear dosing and injection instructions, schedules follow-up body composition scans, monitors progress, and serves as a consistent point of contact whenever questions come up.

Alexis Ulzheimer, MA

Medical Assistant & Patient Liaison

Alexis is a warm, familiar presence for patients from their very first visit. A New York City native, she works as a Medical Assistant and Patient Liaison — coordinating the details between appointments, answering questions, and making sure every patient feels genuinely looked after on their journey with Protocol.

A certified esthetician with a real passion for patient care, Alexis brings an eye for detail and a genuine love of what she does to every interaction. She believes great care is personal, and she helps patients feel confident, supported, and guided every step of the way.

Fred Vaccaro

Patient Success Manager

Fred has spent more than two decades helping people improve their lives through personalized care and authentic relationships. After a devastating motor vehicle accident left him facing multiple back surgeries, chronic pain, and the loss of an active lifestyle, he immersed himself in regenerative medicine, hormone optimization, peptide therapy, advanced nutrition, and inflammation management.

Through non-traditional medicine and a whole-body approach, Fred rebuilt his strength, vitality, and quality of life. At Protocol, that personal experience gives him a rare perspective as he helps patients navigate HRT, GLP-1 medications, peptide protocols, PRP, shockwave therapy, IV nutrient therapy, and advanced wellness care.

Angela Pearson

Patient Success Manager

Angela brings more than 30 years of brand-building experience to Protocol, paired with a personal passion for wellness. After three decades in fashion footwear, where she developed a sharp eye for storytelling and a love of connecting people with products that help them feel their best, she found herself drawn deeper into healthspan, longevity, and proactive medicine.

As a Patient Success Manager, Angela works alongside the clinical team to make sure each patient feels guided, informed, and supported from the first consult through every step of long-term care.

Joseph Garvey

Co-Founder & CEO

Joe grew up watching his father perform miracles as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon. But his father’s devotion to patients came at a cost: he neglected his own health and had a stroke at 52, when Joe was 15.

That experience shaped Joe’s belief that healthcare should be a relationship built on trust, credibility, and making patients feel heard before something breaks. He co-founded Protocol Health to build something for busy professionals, parents, and people who pour themselves into everyone else and deserve someone in their corner.

As Co-Founder & CEO, Joe leads Protocol’s strategy, operations, and growth alongside Dr. Dentico and the clinical team.

Michelle Dentico

Co-Founder, Patient Experience & Operations

Michelle is the operational heart of Protocol. She brings two careers’ worth of experience to the practice: a deep background in special education, where she worked with students and families through complex individual needs, and experience as a small-business owner operating a family farm.

That combination — patient educator and small-business operator — is exactly what a family-owned, boutique medical practice needs. She knows how to listen in high-pressure moments, build a business that feels personal at every touchpoint, and manage the daily details that keep a clinic running smoothly.