MUSC Health Cardiology at North Area Medical Pavilion

Dr. Kenneth H. Hanger is a general cardiologist who has been in practice for 30+ years. He was an instructor at MUSC for his first two years after completing his internship, residency and fellowship in cardiology at MUSC. Dr. Hanger's next step was to start Pee Dee Cardiology in Florence, SC where he was an interventional cardiologist doing heart catheterizations and pacemakers. In 1992, Dr. Hanger returned to Charleston to start Lowcountry Cardiology and remained there until early 2018. While there, he practiced general cardiology, as well as interventional and also TAVR, the aortic valve replacement without surgery.Dr. Hanger returned to MUSC in 2018 to take care of patients that he'd had for many years and to take on new ones, as well. He is well experienced in managing almost all kinds of heart diseases, including coronary disease, valvular problems, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, hypertension and lipid disorders. As a triathlete, Dr. Hanger is also interested in preventing disease and in promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.

John Marcus Wharton, M.D. is professor of medicine with tenure at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Wharton received his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, and completed an internship and residency at the University of California at San Francisco. He then completed his cardiology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and subsequently served as assistant professor of medicine, director of clinical cardiac electrophysiology, and associate professor of medicine with tenure there. Among his many awards and honors are the Albert Weinstein Prize in Medicine and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) Young Investigator Award. Dr. Wharton has published articles and abstracts in many journals, including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, and Circulation. He currently serves on the editorial board of EP Lab Digest, Clinical Cardiology, and the American Heart Journal. Dr. Wharton is a member of several scientific advisory committees, including the medical advisory panel at Boston Scientific, council of advisors at Medtronics, Inc. medical advisory board at Transurgical, Inc. and scientific committee of the European Society of Cardiology. He is also a member of several scholarly societies such as the Council of Clinical Cardiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, and NASPE. Dr. Wharton serves on many educational committees including the NASPE training and fellowship committee, the NASPE task force of FDA atrial fibrillation ablation, and the American College of Chest Physicians panel on the management of atrial fibrillation in post-CABG patients. His primary research interests are aimed at catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation as well as other arrhythmias; he has lectured internationally on these topics.

Dr. Matthew Belanger is a general cardiologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the Medical University of South Carolina. He earned his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital in Boston. He then completed fellowship training in cardiovascular disease at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he developed expertise in preventive cardiology, sports cardiology, and cardiometabolic health. Dr. Belanger cares for patients with a broad range of cardiovascular conditions and is currently accepting new patients.

Darian Bott is a licensed and board-certified physician assistant with a special interest in Cardiology and Heart Failure. Originally from New York, she completed her bachelor's degree in Psychology at Hunter College in New York City. She served as an Emergency Medical Technician for an ambulance corporation where she was quickly ranked captain after three years of service. Darian completed her physician assistant studies at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale Florida where she graduated Cum Laude. She has always had a passion for volunteer work and aspires to be able to give back to the community by helping those less fortunate obtain access to medical care.

Dr Rachel Kaplan specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders (cardiac electrophysiology). She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and her medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr Kaplan completed her internal medicine residency, cardiology fellowship, and cardiac electrophysiology fellowship at Northwestern. During her medical training, she also received a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation degree from Northwestern University. She has published extensively in the area of atrial fibrillation management, with a focus on risk estimation for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Dr Kaplan's clinical interests focus on comprehensive atrial fibrillation management including cryoballoon ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion as well as complex left atrial arrhythmias. She is also interested in supraventricular tachycardia. Outside of work, Dr Kaplan is an accomplished musician and clarinetist.

Dr. Daniel Judge is a professor of medicine in cardiology at MUSC. He received his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania, and did his post-graduate training in internal medicine, cardiology, and advanced heart failure/transplant cardiology at Johns Hopkins. He is board-certified in both cardiology and advanced heart failure/transplant cardiology. Dr. Judge takes care of adult patients with inherited forms of cardiovascular disease, as well as congestive heart failure. As director of the cardiovascular genetics program, Dr. Judge has extensive experience caring for individuals and families with inherited forms of cardiomyopathy, aortic aneurysm, amyloidosis, and cardiac involvement from other genetic conditions. He has authored more than 150 scientific manuscripts.

Lindsay is an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated from Charleston Southern University (CSU) with her BSN and began her career as a cardiac step-down nurse, where she discovered her passion for heart failure. Her professional journey led her to work as a CVICU nurse and a member of the rapid response team, providing critical care to patients in need. Following this, she embraced the opportunity to travel nurse, gaining diverse experiences across various healthcare settings.