Wellstar Health System and Stephens County Hospital announced today that they have reached an agreement for Stephens County Hospital and related entities to become part of Wellstar Health System. The transaction is expected to be completed toward the end of 2026, pending the conclusion of regulatory approvals. Stephens County Hospital is a longtime healthcare provider for ... Continue Reading
Marcus Autism Center and Emory Awarded Up to $17.25 Million to Join International Autism Clinical Trials Network
Marcus Autism Center, a subsidiary of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, along with Emory University School of Medicine were awarded up to $17.25 million from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) to join a newly formed international autism clinical trials network called the Innovative Medicine and Precision Approaches to Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Network. One of the ... Continue Reading
Dr. Neal Bhatia Creates World’s First Novel Technique to Treat Heart Arrhythmia
Emory Healthcare electrophysiologist Neal Bhatia, MD, has developed a world’s first technique to treat complex heart arrhythmia, offering new hope to patients who have exhausted traditional treatment options. The clinical findings from the groundbreaking investigational study were presented at the Heart Rhythm Society conference this spring. The novel technique, called ... Continue Reading
Dr. Vik Reddy Named a Top 100 Elite Trailblazer
Recognized nationally as a leader whose work and influence have continued to grow and make an impact over time, Vik Reddy, MD, Northeast Georgia Health System’s (NGHS) chief clinical officer, was recently named one of Promena's Top 100 Elite Trailblazers of Impact for 2026. “Being named to this list is a surprise and an honor,” Dr. Reddy said. “My goal every day is to ... Continue Reading
CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz to Join Health Connect South 2026
Health Connect South announced that Dr. Erica Schwartz, newly confirmed Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will participate in a fireside chat along with Samantha Brown-Parks, MD, MPH Regional Director HHS during the healthcare conference taking place on September 16 at the Georgia Aquarium. Dr. Schwartz will be one of the 45 healthcare leaders to ... Continue Reading
Piedmont Atlanta Hospital Treats First Patients in PIANO Trial for Brain Aneurysms
Piedmont Atlanta Hospital has successfully treated the first patients in the Southeast in the PIANO IDE Trial. The study is testing two devices used to help treat brain aneurysms. Piedmont is the third site in the United States to join the PIANO Trial and the first in the Southeast to perform these procedures. The first two cases were led by Michael F. Stiefel, MD, PhD, ... Continue Reading
Zachary Senders, MD Joins Northeast Georgia Physicians Group
Zachary Senders, MD, a fellowship-trained surgical oncologist, has joined Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG). Dr. Senders provides surgical care for patients with a wide range of cancers, including those affecting the liver, pancreas, biliary system, gastrointestinal tract, skin and soft tissue. Dr. Senders most recently worked with Penn Highlands Healthcare, caring ... Continue Reading
Dr. Eric Wagner Introduces Total Thumb Arthroplasty for Advanced Thumb Arthritis
Georgians and those living in the Southeast now have access to a new surgical option for advanced thumb arthritis through Emory Healthcare, the first health system in the region to offer total thumb arthroplasty. Thumb arthritis is the second most common site of arthritis in the hand, according to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. The condition typically affects ... Continue Reading
HIV Prevention Clinical Trial in Atlanta Enrolling Now
By Colleen Kelley, MD
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major public health challenge in the United States.1 Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, and an estimated 13% do not know they have it.2 The Atlanta metro area had the third-highest rate of new HIV diagnosis among U.S. metro areas in 2021, accounting for more than half of all new HIV diagnoses in Georgia ... Continue Reading
Dr. Shamie Das Named Medical Association of Atlanta President
Dr. Shamie Das, an emergency physician, educator, and policy leader, was installed as President of the Medical Association of Atlanta (MAA) for 2026 – 2027 at the MAA Summer Gala at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Dr. Das received a Bachelor of Science from Emory University, a Master of Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health, and both ... Continue Reading
Northside Hospital Launches Fetal Therapy Center Partnership
Northside Hospital and Georgia Perinatal Consultants announce expanded access to highly specialized care for high-risk pregnancies through the Northside Hospital Center for Advanced Fetal Intervention, in partnership with Georgia Perinatal Consultants. The program brings together nationally recognized expertise in maternal-fetal medicine to care for some of the most complex ... Continue Reading
Lung Cancer Surgeon Dr. Matthew Schuchert Joins Northeast Georgia Physicians Group
The lung cancer treatment program at Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) has added renowned expert thoracic surgeon Matthew Schuchert, MD, who recently joined Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery to see patients in Gainesville. Dr. Schuchert joins NGPG after a distinguished career in academic and clinical practice at the ... Continue Reading
Northeast Georgia Health System Expands Access To Advanced Noninvasive Cardiovascular Care
Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) and Flow Therapy have established a joint venture to expand access to advanced noninvasive cardiovascular care in Gainesville and the surrounding region. The partnership introduces counterpulsation therapy (also known as external counterpulsation, ECP), a noninvasive outpatient treatment for patients living with persistent symptoms of ... Continue Reading
Dr. John Layher Launches Advanced Cardiology at Morgan Medical Center
Morgan Medical Center now offers advanced cardiology services led by board-certified cardiologist Dr. John Layher and his team. With nearly 30 years of cardiovascular expertise, Dr. Layher has practiced in Georgia’s Piedmont region since 1999. He is perhaps best known for co-establishing the Oconee Heart & Vascular Center in 2008, which was founded in partnership with ... Continue Reading
Operation Walk Georgia: Atlanta Area Doctors Making a Difference
On June 26, 2026, a team of sixty-five Atlanta area medical professionals traveled to Antigua, Guatemala in conjunction with “Operation Walk,” a volunteer medical humanitarian organization that provides joint replacement surgeries to impoverished patients in the U.S. and developing countries. The team was led by doctors George N. Guild, III and Thomas L. Bradbury, Jr., ... Continue Reading
















