About
Having joined Catawba Valley Cardiology in November of 2016, Dr. Whalen
also serves as the Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and is Adjunct
Faculty in Global Health at Wake Forest Medical Center. He earned his
Medical Degree from Wake Forest University and went on to complete his
postdoctoral training at Emory University and Vanderbilt University Hospitals.
Among many other achievements, Dr. Whalen was instrumental in developing
the hybrid procedure for AFib, which combines the tools for surgical and
catheter ablation for patients with resistant atrial fibrillation. He’s
also a national leader in lead extraction (the removal of a cardiac devices
and leads) and helped to develop a center for training in transvenous
lead removal. For the past 5 years, Dr. Whalen has held a position as
team leader for a non-profit organization called Friends of Rudy (FOR)
Nicaraguan Health which provides medical aid to the great numbers of impoverished
people in Nicaragua who have limited access to health care.