Catawba Valley Cardiology

Dr. Amish Sura is an Interventional Cardiologist whose interests are in the management of coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease and Structural cardiology procedures. He attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill followed by Residency at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His Cardiology fellowship was completed at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He completed Interventional Cardiology training at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Sura practiced general and Interventional Cardiology for many years in Maryland prior to relocating back home to North Carolina. A married father of 2, Dr. Sura enjoys travelling, sports and spending time with his family and friends.

Ashleigh Hayes started her career in nursing in 2012 when she obtained her Associate Degree in Nursing from Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC. Upon graduation, she began work at Catawba Valley Medical Center. While working on the Intermediate Care Unit, she attended Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree in 2013. Ashleigh continued her work at Catawba Valley Medical Center, where she worked in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, later moving to the Critical Care Unit. During this time, she attended Gardner-Webb University and earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner studies. In May 2020, she completed her studies and obtained her Family Nurse Practitioner certification from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Atul Trivedi, MD, FACC, came to Catawba Valley Cardiology from the Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Cumming, GA, and the Piedmont Heart Institute of Atlanta, GA, where he served as director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory. He completed his medical degree and internship at The Armed Forces Medical College of Pune, India. He then completed his residency at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences at The Chicago Medical School before also serving as the Chief Resident in the same facility. His is a fellow in the American College of Cardiology and has held the position of clinical instructor in Internal Medicine at both The Chicago Medical School and at Tufts University of Health Sciences in Boston, MA. He has completed fellowship training at The Chicago Medical School, at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, and at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston.

A Nationally Certified Physician Assistant, Cory Wiles earned a Master of Physician Assistant Studies at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA and his Bachelor of Science in Biology from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Prior to joining Catawba Valley Cardiology, Cory was a Hospitalist Physician Assistant at Caldwell UNC Health Care and a Nephrology Physician Assistant at Blue Ridge Nephrology and Hypertension Center – both in Lenoir, NC. He is currently a Physician Assistant Educator at Lenoir-Rhyne University and is certified in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). He has been a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) from 2012 to the present.

Eddie Taylor is a Hickory native. He started his nursing career in 2015 after he graduated with his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Lenoir-Rhyne University. After graduation, he began working at Catawba Valley Medical Center in the Emergency Department. He then continued his nursing career at UNC Blue Ridge in the Emergency Department and ICU as well as the Cardiovascular ICU at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Main Campus. While he was working, he attended Winston-Salem State University and obtained his Master’s of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner studies. In May 2022 he completed his studies and obtained his Family Nurse Practitioner certification form the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Prior to joining Catawba Valley Cardiology, he worked as a Hospitalist at UNC Blue Ridge. He is an avid outdoor sportsman, muscle car enthusiast, and enjoys spending time with his family.

Dr. Hicks was born and raised in Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. After high school he attended West Virginia University where he studied Exercise Physiology and Applied and Environmental Microbiology. He then attended the West Virginia University School of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated in 2015. After medical school he completed his Internal Medicine residency at University Hospitals St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, located in the western suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. After residency he went to Arnot Ogden Medical Center located in the finger lake region of upstate NY where he completed his Cardiovascular Disease fellowship.

Dr. Kashif Chaudhry is a board-certified electrophysiologist and the Director of Electrophysiology at Catawba Valley Medical Center. He trained at the University of Maryland Medical Center and previously served as the Director of Electrophysiology at UPMC Williamsport. Dr. Chaudhry specializes in diagnosing and managing heart rhythm disorders, providing advanced treatment options for patients with complex cardiac conditions. He is committed to improving patient outcomes through innovative procedures and collaborative care. Outside of medicine, Dr. Chaudhry is an avid bird photographer, a human rights activist, and enjoys hiking and spending time with his wife and two-year-old daughter.

Laura Craig is a lifelong North Carolinian, she grew up in Caldwell County. She is a board-certified nurse practitioner obtaining certification from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She began her nursing career after obtaining her Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in 2005. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, at Appalachian State University in 2012. She then attended UNC Wilmington where she earned her Masters of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner studies, she graduated Summa Cum Laude in December 2020. She has worked in the Cardiology Department and in the ICU throughout her nursing career in Caldwell and Catawba County. She has worked in healthcare for over 20 years, with over 17 years of cardiac experience. She is a provider with the Heart Function Clinic at Catawba Valley Cardiology. She has always had a passion for helping others and looks forward to serving the patients and families in Catawba county.

Lisa Michel worked at Hickory Cardiology from 2000 to July 2011. She completed her Physician Assistant Master of Science from Aracadia University in Glenside, PA, and her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Bioethics from Nazareth College in Pitsford, NY. Professionally, Michel is NCCPA Certified, ACLS Certified, and has been a member of the AAPA from 2000 to the present.

Paris Sellers is a Nationally Certified Physician Assistant. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC, and a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC. After becoming a Physician Assistant she completed a Cardiology Fellowship at Atrium Health Charlotte, NC, with the Center for Advance Practice. Paris has been practicing within the Cardiology specialty years in North and South Carolina. She is a provider with the Heart Function Clinic at Cardiology Valley Cardiology. Paris is passionate about delivering excellent patient care to improve patients’ quality of life and functional status. She also enjoys reading, scuba diving and traveling.

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.

Dr. Patel specializes in providing preventive cardiology and has a special interest in treating congestive heart failure, hypertension, arrythmias, and other cardiac conditions.

He grew up in London, England and attended the Medical School of Pécs in Hungary. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiology, both at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. He is board certified in both cardiology and nuclear cardiology, and is a certified registered physician in vascular interpretation.

Dr. Patel has been practicing cardiology in North Carolina for over 20 years and is passionate about providing rural health care. He takes a “patients first” approach to cardiology. He founded the Kings Mountain, NC, chapter of “Walk with a Doc,” which is an organization that offers free walking programs to connect communities with their local physicians. He aims to provide the best evidence-based medical care possible, as well as educate his patients on how to reduce the risk of future cardiac issues.

Outside of cardiology, he enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, and playing tennis with his kids. He also enjoys watching UNC and Duke basketball games.

Dr. Vincent Pompili is an interventional cardiologist and currently serves as the Medical Director of Catawba Valley Cardiology. Dr. Pompili completed his medical training at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland Ohio. Subsequently he went on to complete his training in Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Pompili completed his fellowship in the Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan and his fellowship in Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota.

Dr. Pompili has had a long career in academic interventional and general cardiovascular medicine practice. He has served over his career as the Director of the Interventional Cardiology and Catheterization Laboratory at the Ohio State University, the Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Nebraska, the Senior Vice President of the Heart and Vascular Institute at Novant Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and also most recently as the Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Dr. Pompili is passionate about delivering state of the art interventional cardiovascular and structural heart disease care. He lives in Cornelius, North Carolina, with his wife and his two adult children are close by in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Whitney is originally from San Diego, California where she received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego before moving to North Carolina. She then received her Master’s in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After receiving her BSN Magna Cum Laude from UNCC, she then graduated with an MSN and earned her FNP-C certification from the AANP. She is currently working towards a DNP, also at UNCC.