MUSC Health Vascular Surgery at Ashley River Tower

Dr. Ryan W. King is a vascular surgeon with a passion for treating complex vascular disease through both open surgical and endovascular techniques. He is the vascular Director of Aortic Surgery. Originally from Gorham, New Hampshire, Dr. King began his professional journey in an unexpected place-the Pro Wakeboard Tour. After sustaining injuries while wakeboarding, he was exposed to the surgical field, inspiring a career shift that ultimately led him to pursue a career in surgery. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biochemistry from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Central Florida. Dr. King matched into the highly competitive Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency Program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where he trained under leaders in the field. Following three years as a practicing vascular surgeon at the University of Kentucky, Dr. King returned to MUSC to further advance vascular care in the Lowcountry. He treats the full spectrum of vascular disease and has a special interest in aortic pathology, including aneurysms and dissections. His clinical focus centers on delivering innovative, patient-specific solutions for individuals with complex anatomy or limited treatment options. Dr. King has received multiple awards for research and education throughout his training and time in Kentucky. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and is actively engaged in research and clinical trials at MUSC.

Dr. Thomas Brothers joined the Department of Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1991 directly after completing medical school, general surgery residency, and fellowship in vascular surgery at the University of Michigan. He has been continuously certified by the American Board of Surgery in surgery since 1990 with added qualifications in vascular surgery since 1992. Since arriving at MUSC, Dr. Brothers has focused his practice on the management of circulation and peripheral vascular disease. Like many of his surgical colleagues in the Department of Surgery, Dr. Brothers has been recognized as one of America's Top Surgeons and Best Doctors since 2003. Although he welcomes patients with a broad spectrum of disorders of the circulatory system, he is especially interested in the treatment of arterial occlusive disease of the lower extremities, renal and mesenteric circulations, and carotid arteries. He also has extensive experience with thoracic outlet syndrome, as well as aneurysmal disease of the abdomen and lower extremities. Early during his training, Dr. Brothers developed an interest in improving the treatment of atherosclerosis (peripheral arterial disease) throughout the body and especially the lower extremities, with emphasis on the body's response to vascular interventions. Dr. Brothers has published over 90 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals on these topics, most recently focusing on the patient-centered outcomes including function and quality of life following intervention for lower extremity arterial occlusive disease. To this end he has participated as the principal investigator or collaborator on numerous research grants over the last two decades. Dr. Brothers was promoted to Professor of Surgery in 2003 and Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering by Clemson University in 2004 in recognition of his scientific interests and accomplishments in the study of vascular graft healing. He enjoys membership in a number of vascular societies, including the Society for Vascular Surgery (distinguished fellow), the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery, and the Society of University Surgeons. Reflecting his long interest in education, he served as program director for the surgery residency program at MUSC from 2002 to 2012 and has been recognized as an outstanding educator by medical students and surgical residents alike.

A first generation immigrant, Dr. Li made South Carolina her first home when she arrived in the US at age 7. She now returns to start her faculty position at MUSC after completing both her general surgery residency and vascular surgery fellowship at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. She has trained with experts in managing complex aortic problems to bring advanced technologies to patients otherwise deemed non-operable by standard therapies. Her training institution also specialized in advanced limb preservation techniques in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease that reduced limb loss, skills which she now brings to MUSC. Academically, she is interested in health disparities and in applying knowledge gained from studying large databases and registries to individualize patient care. She also has a strong interest in quality improvement practices to understand why disparities exist and to optimize patient outcomes. She received her Bachelors in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and went on to do research at the Massachusetts General Hospital before attending Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta to complete her medical degree. During her training at BIDMC, she participated in extensive health services research with mentors at BIDMC and completed a Master's in Public Health in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is excited to be in Charleston and to provide up-to-date, quality care to the patients of this community.

Dr. Korepta is an associate professor of vascular surgery. She joins MUSC from Loyola University Chicago Medical Center and previously Brigham and Women's Hospital. She has a strong interest in women's health and the treatment of aortic disease, carotid disease, hemodialysis access, and lower extremity venous and peripheral artery disease. She introduced new, minimally invasive outpatient venous and arterial procedures to the office-based setting in both her practices in Chicago and Boston and worked to establish a regional vein center of excellence. She has expertise in arteriovenous access creation and helped to grow a multi-disciplinary, outpatient based hemodialysis access center. She is focused on expanding outpatient based procedures in the management of venous disease, hemodialysis access, and peripheral artery disease as well as to continue to deliver innovative inpatient vascular care to further establish the MUSC Heart and Vascular Center as the premier location within the state for the management of complex vascular problems. In 2005, she received her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. She worked as a research assistant in a Cholera vaccine development lab at Harvard Medical School, while attending the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, MA, from 2005 to 2007. Dr. Korepta completed her M.D. in 2017 from Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, in Grand Rapids, MI, and returned to Harvard School of Public Health to complete a master's degree in Clinical Effectiveness before joining the staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital as a vascular surgeon in 2017. Her training has been extensive and broad within vascular surgery from world-renowned surgeons. As a native of South Carolina, she is excited to return and bring new and innovative techniques for the treatment of vascular conditions to the Charleston area.