The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has always been known for leading the way in cardiovascular care. Now, with the addition of six new cardiologists, The Heart Center of NGMC is experiencing unprecedented growth. For patients needing heart and vascular services, that means there’s an even larger and stronger care team working together to ensure the best health outcome for each patient.
“As the communities we serve continue to grow, so too have the cardiovascular needs of our patients,” says Ryan Whitney, MD, FACC, chairman of The Heart Center of NGMC. “With the addition of six new cardiologists specializing in non-invasive and interventional cardiology, as well as heart failure, we’re able to significantly expand our care capabilities and improve accessibility at many of our locations.”
Among the six new cardiologists joining The Heart Center of NGMC, four specialize in non-invasive care, including Drs. Bhavsar, Nguyen, Kommuri and Veerasamy. They will provide a variety of different services, such as cardiovascular wellness screenings and disease prevention, as well as diagnostic services, like echocardiography and nuclear imaging.
Vedang Bhavsar, MD, FACC, joins The Heart Center of NGMC from the Michigan CardioVascular Institute in Saginaw, Michigan. He will be seeing patients at The Heart Center of NGMC’s locations in Demorest (Habersham) and Gainesville.
Naga Kommuri, MD, FACC, FACP, joins The Heart Center of NGMC from Atlanta Heart Specialists in Tucker, Georgia. He will be caring for patients at the Braselton and Buford locations of The Heart Center of NGMC.
Landai Nguyen, DO, joins The Heart Center of NGMC after completing her cardiovascular disease fellowship at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. She is also fluent in Vietnamese. Dr. Nguyen will be caring for patients at The Heart Center of NGMC’s Cumming, Dahlonega and Dawsonville locations.
Manivannan Veerasamy, MD, FACP, FHM, RPVI, comes to The Heart Center of NGMC from Michigan State University and Spectrum Health Medical Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he completed cardiovascular diseases fellowship. Dr. Veerasamy will be caring for patients at the Gainesville and Toccoa locations of The Heart Center of NGMC.
Additionally, The Heart Center of NGMC’s Advanced Heart Failure Program is proud to welcome two new experts, Drs. Raje and Sthalekar. Now with three highly-trained cardiologists, this program has grown considerably and further enhanced its innovative care capabilities. As a part of the heart failure care team, Drs. Raje and Sthalekar specialize in diagnostics and ongoing disease management, ventricle assist device (VAD) patient selection and monitoring, as well as cardio-oncology care.
Vikram Raje, DO, is one of very few cardiologists in the state to be dual-trained with fellowships in both heart failure and interventional cardiology. He brings ample expertise in a variety of interventional cardiology procedures, including percutaneous coronary intervention, angioplasty and transcatheter diagnostics. Dr. Raje joins The Heart Center of NGMC from Deborah Heart & Lung Center in Browns Mills, New Jersey, where he completed his interventional and endovascular cardiology fellowship. Dr. Raje will be providing heart failure and interventional cardiology care at the Braselton and Gainesville locations of The Heart Center of NGMCE.
Nitya Sthalekar, MD, FACC, joins The Heart Center of NGMC, from her role as the Interim Director of Heart Failure Services at The Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. Dr. Sthalekar will be caring for heart failure patients at The Heart Center of NGMC locations in Cumming and Gainesville.
“At The Heart Center of NGMC, our focus has always been to provide the best possible care for our patients, which starts with having some of the brightest and most-talented experts,” says Tina Walden, vice president of The Heart Center of NGMC. “The addition of six new cardiologists speaks volumes about the culture of this practice and our dedication to continued growth and advancement.”
Learn more about The Heart Center of NGMC’s new cardiologists or make an appointment by visiting heartngmc.org/physicians or by calling 770-626-4784.