Erick Avelar, M.D., FACC, a board-certified cardiologist with specialized training in advanced cardiac imaging from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, has joined Oconee Heart and Vascular Center and is now accepting patients.
Dr. Avelar provides cardiovascular medical care with a particular emphasis on diagnostic imaging. He is board-certified in internal medicine, echocardiography, cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular CT, as well as board-eligible in nuclear medicine. He has a special interest in helping cancer patients with heart problems.
In addition to seeing patients at OHVC’s main office in Athens, Dr. Avelar also will keep regular office hours at OHVC’s office in Monroe. The Athens office is located at 2470 Daniells Bridge Road, Building 200, just off Ga. 316 between the Athens Perimeter and the Oconee Connector. The Monroe office is located at 868 Michael Etchison Road, Suite B.
“We are honored that Dr. Avelar has joined our growing cardiology practice,” said John Layher, M.D., who co-founded Oconee Heart and Vascular Center with L. Steven Lowman, M.D. “He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will help us provide even better care to our patients and our community.”
“I am very interested not only in providing excellent patient care but in teaching the next generation of physicians,” Dr. Avelar said. “The association between St. Mary’s and the Georgia Regents University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership made Oconee Heart and Vascular a very attractive practice for me. During the recruitment process, my family and I fell in love with the community. We are thrilled to be here.”
Dr. Avelar has been actively involved in research for many years, authoring or co-authoring 27 research papers and 45 abstracts for professional seminars and publications such as the American Heart Association and the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.
A native of Brazil, he completed his medical education, an internship in critical care, and an internship and residency in internal medicine at various facilities in Recife, Brazil. In 1996, Dr. Avelar came to the United States for postdoctoral fellowships in cardiology research at Tufts University in Boston and then at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He completed an internal medicine internship and residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went on to complete a master of clinical investigation program and a cardiology fellowship at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, followed by a fellowship in advanced cardiac imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Prior to coming to Athens, he had served as director of non-invasive cardiac imaging at the University of Connecticut Health Center since 2008.
Oconee Heart and Vascular Center is a full-service cardiac practice offering a complete continuum of care for the heart and blood vessels. In addition to its offices in Athens and Monroe, OHVC also offers satellite locations in Greensboro, Madison, Royston, Toccoa, and Winder. As part of St. Mary’s Medical Group, OHVC accepts Medicare, Medicaid and most major insurance plans. For more information, call 706.389.3440 or visit www.oconeeheart.com.
