Ahmad Ramy Elashery, MD, FACC, FSCCT
Ahmad Elashery, MD, FACC, FSCCT is originally from Cairo, Egypt and is a graduate of Ain Shams University Medical School. He held many healthcare-related jobs in Egypt including a military unit and critical care residency. Dr. Elashery completed an internal medicine residency and chief residency at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) and a cardiovascular disease fellowship at Danbury Hospital in CT, where he also served as a chief fellow. Dr. Elashery subsequently completed an Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellowship at the University of Kentucky where he achieved level 3 training in Cardiac MRI and Cardiac CT. Dr. Elashery is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, and Adult Comprehensive Echocardiography. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Dr. Elashery maintains an avid interest in scholarly activities, having contributed to over 30 publications and research projects.
In 2019, Dr. Elashery joined the cardiology department at Charleston Area Medical Center as the Director of Cardiac MRI and a faculty member for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship. During his tenure, he has increased total numbers of cardiac MRIs from 40 to > 500 studies per year. Dr. Elashery has also developed a chest pain pathway that is used in the emergency room to improve outcomes and decrease length of stay. He started the Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy clinic in December 2022, and it has been growing tremendously with a referral radius expanding to > 2 hours’ drive.
In September 2023, Dr. Elashery was appointed as the Program Director for the CAMC Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship with a vision to provide a fellow-centered educational experience. He is also excited to implement new educational projects for the fellows and continue improving the current processes. Dr. Elashery is proud to hold a dynamic position that involves problem solving, new projects, and, best of all, training the young doctors who will lead the healthcare process in the future.
Mark C Bates, MD, DSc, FACC, FSCAI
Founding Program Director of the Cardiovascular Fellowship and Director of Cardiovascular Research Advancement at CAMC Health Education and Research Institute.
Dr. Bates is the founder of the CAMC Cardiology Fellowship and is responsible for the advancement of cardiovascular research at the CAMC Health, Education and Research Institute. Dr. Bates did his cardiology fellowship at the University of Kentucky where he was retained as a Clinical Scholar in Interventional Cardiology between 1991 and 1992. Subsequently, he completed a peripheral interventional, vascular medicine and surgery fellowship at the William Dorros - Isadora Feuer Interventional Cardiovascular Disease Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin). Dr. Bates has been involved in clinical innovation throughout his career including many firsts for West Virginia (1st Coronary stent 1993, peripheral stents 1993, Carotid stent 1995, handmade stent graft 1996, modular stent graft 1998, etc.). In addition, he has developed many new technologies from concept to first-in-man studies. His work in new device innovation has led to dozens of US patents in the areas of embolic protection, gene therapy, stem cell implantation, regenerative therapy, nanotechnology, spinal cord injury, catheter design, and drug delivery. He has authored over 100 peer review publications and 19 book chapters his clinical research has been highlighted in many international meetings. Dr. Bates has been recognized for his contribution to the field of vascular intervention including a recent lifetime achievement award (Leader in Endovascular Education - LIVE Award) presented during the 2016 VIVA (Vascular Interventional Advances) international congress in Las Vegas. He is also a recipient of the American Heart Association (AHA) Heart of Gold Award and an Honorary Doctorate Degree from The University of Charleston. Through his career Dr. Bates has held several academic appointments and including Professor of Medicine and Surgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine, Charleston Division where he currently holds a Clinical Professor position. He also is the founder and Co-Director of the CAMC Vascular Center of Excellence, which has been highlighted as one of the first multidiscipline vascular programs, of its kind, in the US. Dr. Bates is a member of many medical societies and presently sits on the editorial boards of several cardiovascular journals.
Emma Simon, BBA
Emma L. Simon is the Program Coordinator for both the Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology Fellowships. She is a born-and-raised West Virginia native and is a graduate of the Brad D. Smith School of Business at Marshall University, where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Health Care Management. She worked with the CAMC Department of Internal Medicine before joining the Cardiology team.
During time away from the office, she enjoys outdoor activities, whether it's kayaking, gardening, reading or boating. Her favorite part of life in Charleston is the annual Charleston Sternwheel Regatta event, filled with vibrant live music, cuisine and people.