Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) recently launched its heart and vascular program: Georgia Heart Institute, lead by Dr. Habib Samady.

Dr. Samady previously served as the Director of Interventional Cardiology for the Emory University Hospital System where he performed complex procedures, including coronary interventions; and oversaw fourteen cardiac catheterization laboratories for four hospitals. He has also served as a Professor of Medicine, Director of the Emory Cardiovascular Biomechanical Core Laboratory, and is the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Covanos, a computational diagnostic imaging start-up company. Most recently, Dr. Samady joined the Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) as the Heart & Vascular Clinical Service Line Leader before stepping into the President role for the Georgia Heart Institute.

“While NGHS has a long and rich tradition of providing exceptional heart and vascular care, Georgia Heart Institute represents a bold new vision for the future of our region – and beyond,” says Dr. Samady. “Our priority is continuing to provide top quality care, but we’re also focusing on expanding access to appointments, providing an exceptional patient experience, and increasing collaboration between all our cardiologist and surgeons.”

Cardiothoracic surgeons of Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG), the vascular surgeons of NGPG and Longstreet Clinic, and other aligned practices will also collaborate through the Georgia Heart Institute but will keep their established names. Other aligned practices include the Cardiovascular Clinic of North Georgia, Gainesville Heart & Vascular Group and Sibley Heart Center Cardiology.

“We have a lot of smart and talented people who already touch our heart and vascular services, and we are recruiting more national and international talent to join them,” says Dr. Samady. “We’re also continuing to grow our research teams to expand our involvement in clinical trials, lead more innovative studies, and put further emphasis on developing and exploring new technologies.”

“The launch of the Georgia Heart Institute exemplifies our clinicians’ commitment to improving lives today and for generations to come,” says Carol Burrell, NGHS President & CEO. “Plus, the name more accurately reflects the many people who already travel from across the entire state to seek expert care from our cardiologists and surgeons.”