Piedmont Heart Institute adds 21 cardiovascular specialists

Atlanta, Ga. (December 11, 2025) – Piedmont Heart Institute, the Georgia-based, nationally recognized heart and vascular program, has hired 21 cardiovascular specialists during 2025 as part of its commitment to expand access to these critical sub-specialties.

Six of the physicians will practice at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, the system’s founding and largest hospital, while the others will be based at Piedmont Heart of Henry, Augusta, Rockdale, Fayette, Newnan, Sharpsburg, Columbus, Mountainside, Macon, Eastside and Athens.

"By adding these talented physicians, we are able to provide greater access to heart and vascular care to patients in the communities we serve throughout the state and region,” said Charles L. Brown III, M.D., CEO of Piedmont’s Physician Enterprise. “These physicians will help us to change real lives.”

The following physicians joined Piedmont Heart in 2025:

· Alan Merrill Levy, M.D. – (vascular surgeon) joined Piedmont Heart Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Henry in January 2025. Dr. Levy obtained his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia and completed his general surgery residency at the University of Tennessee Center for Health Science. He completed his vascular surgery fellowship at Augusta University. Dr. Levy is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and of the Society for Vascular Surgery. Dr. Levy's special interests include PAD, dialysis, venous disease, and carotid disease.

· Eric William Black-Maier, M.D. – (electrophysiologist) joined Piedmont Heart of Buckhead Electrophysiology and Piedmont Heart of Douglasville, Marietta, Blairsville and Canton in January 2025. He is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and clinical cardiac electrophysiology. Dr. Black-Maier specializes in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, including management of implantable cardiac devices, anti-arrhythmic drug therapy and catheter ablation. He performs the full spectrum of cardiac device implantations, including pacemaker, defibrillator, cardiac resynchronization device therapy, and lead extraction. He also specializes in ablation of complex atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, with a particular interest in ventricular tachycardia ablation. Dr. Black-Maier served as a research fellow at both the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). He has presented at national meetings and published over 40 peer-reviewed papers.

· Amit Anil Kumar Pandit, M.D. – (cardiac intensivist) joined Piedmont Heart in Atlanta in February 2025. He received his medical degree from Technical University in Munich, Germany, and later did his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Virginia Health System and his fellowship in critical care medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Before joining Piedmont, Dr. Pandit was an attending physician, fellow, and visiting instructor at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he led a multidisciplinary team in a 24-bed cardiac surgery ICU that included fellows and advanced practice providers. He was also an intensivist in the coronary care unit, cardiac surgery and med-surg ICU at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Va. Dr. Pandit specializes in ECMO management/cannulation, CRRT management, post-CABG patient management, valvular and aortic surgery, LVAD implantation, pulmonary artery endarterectomy, and post-thoracic and xeno transplantation.

· Nicholai Anthony Henry, M.D. – (vascular surgeon) joined Piedmont Heart Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Rockdale and Piedmont Heart of Greensboro in March 2025. Dr. Henry earned his medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. Throughout his academic career, he received several prestigious scholarships and research fellowships, including the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Student Research Fellowship and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Medical Research Fellowship. Before Piedmont, Dr. Henry completed his vascular residency at Albany Medical Center. Dr. Henry strives to keep patients and families informed during stressful medical situations. His clinical interests include minimally invasive vascular surgery, such as stents, endografts, and laser vein ablation. He also specializes in complex vascular cases and high-risk procedures, including arterial balloon angioplasty and stent placement; endovascular aortic aneurysm repair; arterial insufficiency; varicose veins and symptomatic venous insufficiency; deep vein thrombosis; dialysis access placement; and carotid artery disease.

· Naveed Akhtar, M.D. – (advanced heart failure) joined Piedmont Heart of Fayetteville and Newnan in April 2025. His clinical interests include cardiac MRI, nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, and right heart catheterizations. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the Medical Association of Georgia, and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). Dr. Akhtar offers treatment for conditions such as congestive heart failure, cardiogenic shock, cardiac amyloidosis, cardio-oncology, pulmonary hypertension, post-partum cardiomyopathy, and other cardiovascular diseases. He has more than 15 years of experience in general cardiology and is currently board-certified in advanced heart failure and transplant. He manages patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), Cardiomems®, and other implantable cardiac devices with remote heart failure monitoring capabilities. Dr. Akhtar takes great care in providing high-quality care and timely follow-up for his patients.

· Trey Keadle, M.D. (vascular surgeon) joined Piedmont Heart Vascular Surgery of Columbus in May 2025. He is a board-certified, fellowship-trained vascular surgeon specializing in treating patients with arterial or venous issues, including cramping or pain with walking. He attended Mercer University School of Medicine. Dr. Keadle completed his residency at The Medical Center of Central Georgia and his fellowship at Erlanger Hospital, University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, Tenn.

· Joshua Adam Donis, M.D. – (cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart in Fayetteville, Newnan and Sharpsburg and Piedmont Heart of Cascade in June 2025. He earned his medical degree from SUNY Stony Brook and completed both his residency and a cardiovascular disease fellowship at New York-Presbyterian in Columbia. He is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease.

· Rodney Graber, M.D. – (cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart of Blairsville in June 2025. He earned his medical degree from the University of Toledo and completed his residency at the University of Virginia. He received his undergraduate degree from Eastern Mennonite College and is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Graber has been practicing medicine for 25 years. Before joining Piedmont, Dr. Graber was a non-invasive cardiologist at Mary Rutan Hospital and served as an assistant professor at The Ohio State University. Dr. Graber specializes in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, with a particular interest in nuclear cardiology interpretation. 

· Badr Harfouch, M.D. – (interventional cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart at Eastside and Piedmont Heart of Lawrenceville in July 2025. He earned his medical degree from Damascus University. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, followed by a cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Harfouch is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He has been practicing medicine for 10 years and specializes in cardiology and interventional cardiology. His special interests include acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery disease, heart failure, hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

· Zachary Paul Baker, M.D. – (cardiac and thoracic surgeon) joined Piedmont Heart Cardiothoracic Surgery at Augusta in July 2025. He earned his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and completed his residency at West Virginia University. He completed his cardiothoracic fellowship at the University of Arizona. Dr. Baker is board-certified in both general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. Before joining Piedmont, Dr. Baker was the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tidal Health and the medical director of Thoracic Oncology. He specializes in cardiothoracic surgery, and his special interests include general cardiac surgery as well as general thoracic surgery.

· Mohammad Fazle Ahmad, D.O. – (cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart at Augusta and Piedmont Heart of Thomson in July 2025. He specializes in cardiovascular care, with expertise in preventative cardiology, nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, and coronary CT angiography. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency and cardiology fellowship at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson, Fla. Dr. Ahmad is committed to promoting heart health through lifestyle changes, early detection, and personalized care.

· Vivek Amit Modi, M.D. – (cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart at Augusta in July 2025. He earned his medical degree from Baroda Medical College and completed his residency at Mount Sinai. He completed his general cardiology fellowship at St. Luke's University Hospital in Pennsylvania and advanced cardiac imaging training at Houston Methodist Hospital. He is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Modi specializes in non-invasive cardiology and cardiac imaging. His special interests include cardiac MRI, cardiac CT, echocardiography and cardiac PET scans.

· Leyla Fowe Makue, M.D. – (cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart of Canton and Jasper in July 2025. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Florida and received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. She completed her internal medicine residency at Emory University and subsequently served for one year as a hospitalist at Piedmont Rockdale. She later completed her fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of Florida's academic health center. She is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiology, with additional certifications in echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Makue has been practicing medicine for over 10 years and specializes in general cardiology. Her special interests include women's heart health and preventative cardiology. She treats conditions such as coronary artery disease, chronic high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, among other conditions.

· Won Jun Kuk, M.D. – (cardiac intensivist) joined Piedmont Heart in August 2025. He received his medical degree from Emory University and later did his residency in emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins University and his fellowship in anesthesia critical care medicine at the University of Michigan. Dr. Kuk has been featured in more than 15 research publications and has been teaching and mentoring for more than 10 years.

· Jeffrey Wang, M.D. – (cardiac intensivist) joined Piedmont Heart Institute in August 2025. He received his medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and a master’s in clinical research from Emory University. Dr. Wang completed his residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, his critical care fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and his cardiology fellowship at Emory University. He is board-certified in both internal and critical care medicine. He has been featured in more than 20 publications and presented research abstracts at 12 national meetings.

· Charlene Lo Rohm, M.D. – (interventional cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart at Augusta and Piedmont Heart Valvular and Structural Cardiology of Augusta in September 2025. She specializes in coronary interventions and valvular interventions. Her special interests include aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair and tricuspid valve repair/replacement. Dr. Rohm is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology.

· Anh Do, D.O. – (cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart at Augusta in September 2025. He is passionate about helping patients take charge of their heart health through prevention and personalized care. He was trained at Marian University, Henry Ford Hospital, the University of Alabama and the University of Florida, with expertise in echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, chronic heart disease and heart failure management.

· Karthik Bhat, M.D. – (vascular surgeon) joined Piedmont Heart Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Henry in September 2025. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia, completed his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School and completed his residency at Emory University. He also earned his Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation certification. Dr. Bhat's special interests include cerebrovascular disease, dialysis access, peripheral arterial disease, mesenteric & renal disease, deep venous thrombosis, varicose veins/venous insufficiency and abdominal/thoracic aortic aneurysms.

· Pooja Dhruva, M.D. – (cardiologist) joined Piedmont Heart Buckhead and Blairsville in September 2025. She earned her medical degree from Rush Medical College and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Florida. Dr. Dhruva completed her cardiology fellowship at the University of Hawaii, where she also served as chief fellow. She is a board-certified cardiologist specializing in clinical cardiovascular medicine, echocardiography, coronary CT, nuclear cardiology, and internal medicine. Dr. Dhruva has a strong interest in preventative cardiology, cardio-obstetrics, and women's cardiovascular health, while providing comprehensive care for all patients with conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, valvular disease, and heart failure. She is dedicated to combining advanced diagnostics with compassionate, individualized care, ensuring patients feel supported and empowered in their cardiovascular health.

· Kishore Harjai, M.D. – (cardiologist, structural) joined Piedmont Heart in Macon in November 2025. Dr. Harjai is board-certified in cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology and has advanced training in structural heart interventions. He treats various conditions such as coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure. His special interests include heart valve repair and replacement, left atrial appendage occlusion, closure of PFO and AS.

· Kurt Alfred Fichtner, M.D. – (thoracic surgeon) joined Piedmont Heart in Macon in December 2025. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago and completed a general surgery internship at Brown University. Dr. Fichtner completed his residency in general surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and Madigan Army Medical Center. Later, Dr. Fichtner completed his fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Brook Army Medical Center. He is board-certified in thoracic and general surgery. Dr. Fichtner is a retired U.S. Army colonel who has practiced medicine since 1986 in both military and civilian hospitals. He has been featured in numerous publications, research projects and presentations. He specializes in general thoracic surgery with specific emphasis on robotic surgery and thoracic oncology.

Piedmont Heart Institute ranks in the top 5% of cardiovascular organizations nationwide and was named the best in the State of Georgia for cardiology and heart and vascular surgery in the 2025-2026 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. It is also the only program in Atlanta consistently recognized with the Cardiac Care Excellence Award – a mark of quality it has earned for more than 10 years. As a top destination for cardiac care and an international leader in cardiovascular research, Piedmont is committed to making a positive difference through clinical excellence and enabling patient access to innovative therapies and procedures not available elsewhere. Piedmont performs more heart transplants than most transplant centers in the country; only three do more. In 2024, Piedmont Heart launched a dual-organ transplant program for heart-kidney and heart-liver. In addition, Piedmont Heart is the No. 1 LVAD program in the country by volume.

For more information about Piedmont Heart, visit piedmont.org/heart.