MUSC Health Cardiology at Nexton Medical Park

Dr. Eric Powers is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He is the director of the acute coronary syndrome center and medical director of the cardiology inpatient progressive care unit. His clinical interests are invasive, interventional and general cardiology. Dr. Powers is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. He did his internal medicine and cardiology training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Prior to moving to the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Powers was on the faculty and director of the cardiac catheterization laboratories at Columbia University in New York and subsequently at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Powers' research career has involved both laboratory and clinical research. Areas of research have included acute myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndromes, interventional cardiology, vascular biology, congestive heart failure and valvular heart disease. Dr. Powers has coauthored over one hundred peer-reviewed publications. He is a member of a number of professional societies including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions. Dr. Powers has served on research and educational committees for these organizations and has served as an editorial consultant for a number of medical journals. He has served on an NIH study section and grant review panels for the American Heart Association and NASA. Dr. Powers has received a number of teaching, community and clinical awards and has been named as one of America's Top Doctors and one of the Best Doctors in America.

Dr. Ashley Waring is an adult cardiologist with a focus on preventive cardiology. Her primary academic and clinical interest is preventing future heart attacks and strokes in patients at elevated risk. Dr. Waring is involved in clinical trials related to new therapies for lipid disorders in patients with cardiovascular disease. She is a graduate of Amherst College and the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed her internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Waring is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases, echocardiography, and clinical lipidology.

Dr. Nawabi brings over 24 years of cardiology experience to MUSC, including 15 years as an invasive cardiologist in private practice in the Upstate. Over the past nine years, she has focused on general noninvasive cardiology in a community setting, prioritizing patient-centered care. Her special interests include coronary CT angiography, women’s cardiac health, cardio-oncology, and preventive cardiology. Dr. Nawabi is honored and excited to serve the Lowcountry community.

Dr. Bishnu Dhakal specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders (cardiac electrophysiology). He received his medical degree from Kathmandu University College of Medical Sciences Nepal. Dr. Dhakal completed his internal medicine residency from St Barnabas Hospital in New York City. He did his research fellowship from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston followed by clinical fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Dr. Dhakal did his cardiology fellowship from University of Arizona, Tucson and cardiac electrophysiology fellowship at University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia. Dr. Dhakal also worked an internal medicine faculty at West Virginia University. Dr. Dhakal has published several articles in management of heart failure, ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation and has received several research awards. His clinical interests focus on comprehensive management of complex ventricular arrhythmia as well as atrial fibrillation.

Dr. Vishal Rao is an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by fellowships in Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure \& Transplant Cardiology at Duke University. Dr. Rao provides comprehensive care across the full spectrum of heart failure, from early diagnosis to the management of advanced and end-stage disease. His clinical expertise includes optimizing medical therapy, implementing device-based strategies to reduce hospitalizations, guiding lifestyle modifications, and performing heart transplantation and durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. He is also highly skilled in invasive hemodynamic testing, which he uses to uncover complex heart failure phenotypes and tailor individualized treatment plans. His research interests span implementation science, cardiometabolic risk profiling in heart failure populations, and advanced phenotyping using both non-invasive and invasive diagnostics. Dr. Rao actively contributes to cutting-edge clinical trials aimed at improving outcomes for patients with heart failure. Dr. Rao is committed to partnering with patients to deliver personalized, compassionate care that empowers them to live fuller lives with heart failure.