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Associate clinical faculty

Osteopathic medicine

Heather Doty, DO

Kelley V. Lawrence, MD, IBCLC Dr. Doty is a board-certified family physician who graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed her residency training at Memorial Hospital in York, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Novant Health Family Medicine Residency Program, she spent 12 years working in urgent care settings. During that time, she served as medical director of five urgent care clinics and helped to create an integrated urgent care model to improve patient access and provider satisfaction. Dr. Doty’s academic interests include healthcare administration, physician resilience, integrative approaches to healthcare and preventive medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and five children and volunteering with organizations that serve those in need.

Mark L. Higdon, DO, FAAFP

Kelley V. Lawrence, MD, IBCLC Dr. Higdon is a board-certified family physician who graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and has finished his family medicine residency in Fort Benning, Georgia. Dr. Higdon also completed a Family Medicine Faculty Development Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a husband, father of three teenage boys and a retired Army colonel, Dr. Higdon is committed to his faith and service to others. He was a former family medicine program director, director of graduate medical education and has more than 20 years of academic experience. His academic interests include physician leadership, hospital administration and work-life balance.

Health Systems Management

Neurology

Megan Donnelly, MD

Megan Donnelly, MD Dr. Megan Donnelly, board-certified neurologist, specializes in Headache Medicine and Women's Neurology. Her expertise with complex headaches includes migraine, chronic daily headache, trigeminal neuralgia, cluster headache, and occipital neuralgia, as well as medication overuse headache. Her specialization in women's neurology entails the treatment of neurological conditions during pregnancy and lactation. Dr. Donnelly is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, for her undergraduate education and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania, for her medical degree. She completed neurology residency and headache fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. She also received specialized training in Women's Neurology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Novant Health, Dr. Donnelly practiced neurology for two years at the Cleveland Clinic, as one of the first providers to offer specialized care in Women's Neurology. She also served as assistant professor of clinical neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

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Cardiology

Denzil Harris, MD

Dr. Harris is board-certified in internal medicine. He earned a medical degree at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, his home country. He trained in a residency at State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. He also completed a finished fellowship, in cardiology, at Upstate Medical University. Dr. Harris has a special interest in cardioncology, a discipline that focuses on two common causes of death: cancer and cardiovascular disease. In his leisure time, he enjoys spending time with his family, running, cycling and meditating.

Opthalmology

Ophthalmology

Royce Syracuse, MD, MBA

Dr. Syracuse is a native of Long Island, New York. His parents immigrated to the United States from Sicily, Italy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and a master’s degree at Roswell Park Cancer Institute at the State University of New York in Buffalo. He remained at the University of Buffalo to earn a medical degree. Dr. Syracuse completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the United States School of Aviation Medicine in Fort Rucker, Alabama. He received a master’s degree in business administration from the Wake Forest University School of Business in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Dr. Syracuse has conducted numerous ophthalmology lectures and presentations in New York and in North Carolina. He was among the first ophthalmologists in Charlotte to perform cataract surgery with the femtosecond laser. His is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. He spent seven years in the Army National Guard as a flight surgeon and achieved the rank of captain. In his free time, Dr. Syracuse enjoys traveling, skiing, target shooting and water sports.

Psychiatry

Lauren Penwell-Waines, PhD

Director of behavioral science

Dr. Lauren Penwell-Waines Dr. Penwell-Waines is a licensed psychologist who completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at West Virginia University. Following this training, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health psychology at the Medical College of Georgia and the Behavioral Science Family Systems Educator Fellowship through STFM. Dr. Penwell-Waines' professional interests include integrated care, health behavior change, and physician wellness. She believes in living a well-rounded life and enjoys traveling, cooking, eating, and fitness.

Dermatology

Jose R. Pena, MD

Jose R. Pena, MD Dr. Pena is board-certified in three specialties, dermatology (1998), dermatopathology (1995), anatomic/clinical pathology (1992).

He graduated from University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1987 and completed his internship at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital in 1988. He completed four years of residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL. After pathology residency in 1992, he completed two consecutive one-year fellowships, one in surgical pathology and one in dermatopathology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, AL. After one year as a private practice dermatopathologist in Atlanta, GA, he returned to Birmingham, AL, in 1995 to complete a three-year dermatology residency. He was accepted into a Mohs Surgery fellowship in 1998 at the Loma Linda Medical Center in Loma Linda, CA. He completed fellowship training in Mohs Surgery in June 2000 a the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital teaching affiliates of Harvard Medical School, in Boston, MA. His fellowship was sponsored and certified by the American College of Mohs Surgery. He and his wife have two girls and when he is not working he is spending time with his family.

EENT

ENT

Roy Lewis, MD

Roy Lewis, MD Dr. Lewis is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. He attended University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for both undergraduate and medical school and then completed his surgical internship and otolaryngology head & neck residency at the University of Texas-Houston in 1999. After his training, he worked for 12 years in Houston before returning to North Carolina and starting Lake Breeze ENT & Allergy. While in Texas, Dr. Lewis served as a volunteer assistant professor in otolaryngology-head & neck surgery at the University of Texas-Houston. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and a member of the American Rhinologic Society. As a husband and father of three children, the vast majority of Dr. Lewis' time away from the office revolves around family activities. However, he does find time to contribute to care for the underserved, both through local free clinic involvement and international mission work.

Lake Breeze ENT & Allergy

Gastroenterology

John H. Moore III, MD

John H. Moore III, MD Dr. Moore is a board-certified gastroenterologist who received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. He completed his residency and fellowship at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals. Dr. Moore's interests include clinical gastroenterology, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver disease. He has trained in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy and ERCP. Dr. Moore has been in private practice for over 30 years and was on of the original members of the Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology physician team. He previously served as the president of the medical staff at CMC Mercy and Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center. Dr. Moore and his wife have two sons. They enjoy traveling, boating, golfing, and following their favorite team - the Carolina Panthers.

Scott A. Brotze, MD

Scott A. Brotze, MD Dr. Brotze is a board-certified gastroenterologist who received his medical degree from the University of Texas at Houston Medical Center. He completed his residency at Carolinas Healthcare System and his fellowship at Kansas University Medical Center. Dr. Brotze joined Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology in 2003 and is the former chairman of the endoscopy division at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center. He and his family live in Huntersville.

General Surgery

General surgery

Bryan D. Blitstein, MD

Bryan Blitstein, MD Dr. Blitstein, a native to the Midwest, attended school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He completed both his undergraduate training and medical school in six years. He then traveled to Chicago for his general surgical training at the Loyola University Medical Center, where he was awarded a scholarship for excellence to undergo additional training in minimally invasive, or laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Blitstein came to Charlotte in 1997. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Blitstein has been and is currently chief of surgery at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center and Carolinas Medical Center - University.

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte

Geriatrics

Thad Clements, MD

Thad Clements, MD Dr. Clements is a board-certified family physician who graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and Wesley Family Practice Residency Program in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Clements has practiced family medicine and geriatrics in Charlotte since 1998. He is a certified medical director, a designation conferred by The Society of Postacute and Long Term Care Medicine. He regularly precepts medical students from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and East Carolina Brody School of Medicine. He is deeply committed to cultivating the future of long term care medicine in the region. His academic interests include geriatrics, diabetes and nursing home medical direction.

Robert Barnabei, MD

Robert Barnabei,, MD Dr. Robert Barnabei is a board certified Family Physician who attended a faculty development fellowship and is trained in Geriatrics. He attended medical school at Marshall University, did residency training at Heritage Valley Beaver, then fellowship training at the Michigan State University College of Medicine. Empowering patients to make informed healthcare decisions is a passion of Dr. Barnabei’s. So is helping and serving others by performing community service, which Dr. Barnabei describes as a way everyone can improve their everyday lives. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, gardening, reading a good book and participating in F3 (Fitness, Fellowship and Faith) activities.

Novant Health Prosperity Family Physicians

Inpatient pediatrics

Angela Barrier, MD

Barrier, MD Dr. Barrier is a board-certified pediatrician. She completed her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University and received her medical degree at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She also finished her pediatrics residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Prior to becoming a pediatric inpatient specialist at Hemby Children’s Hospital, Dr. Barrier worked as a pediatric hospitalist at Vanderbilt University and worked as a medical missionary at Mbingo Baptist Hospital in Cameroon, Africa. Her areas of interest include inpatient pediatrics, mock code training, quality improvement and international pediatric care.

When she’s not working, Dr. Barrier enjoys spending time with her husband and children, getting involved with her church and reading. Every year, she returns to Mbingo Baptist Hospital with her husband and children to volunteer.

Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital

NICU/Newborn nursery

Oncology

Timothy Kuo, MD

Timothy Kuo, MD Dr. Kuo is a board-certified medical oncologist. He received his undergraduate degree at Princeton University, followed by his medical degree at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed both his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in medical oncology at Stanford University Medical Center. In 2006, he joined Lake Norman Oncology. He is currently the chair of the division of oncology and the medical director for cancer services at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center. He is also an active participant within the Novant Health Cancer Care in Charlotte, NC. He currently resides in the Lake Norman area with his wife and two children.

Lake Norman Oncology

Richard Krumdieck, MD

Richard Krumdieck, MD Dr. Krumdieck received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University with a major in molecular biology. He completed his medical degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), a residency in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University, and a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at UAB. From 2001 – 2018, he was the founding member and senior partner of Lake Norman Hematology and Oncology Specialists. Dr. Krumdieck is a past president of the North Carolina Oncology Association (NCOA), and he has served on the board of NCOA as well as the steering committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Krumdieck is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology.

Lake Norman Oncology

Orthopedics/Sports Medicine

Orthopedics/sports medicine

Bryan Edwards, MD

Bryan Edwards, MD Dr. Edwards is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine. He received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and attended Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Dr. Edwards completed his residency at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. After that he served as a major in the United States Air Force for four years and was the chief of orthopedics at the MacDill Air Force Base Hospital in Tampa, Florida.

When he left Tampa, Dr. Edward moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he finished a fellowship at the Atlanta Sports Medicine Center. He then worked as an associate team physician for the Atlanta Falcons. For the past eight years, he has practiced in the Lake Norman area and provides treatments for damaged knees and shoulders. Some of the orthopedic procedures he specializes in are total knee replacement, meniscus surgery and repairs for knee ligaments, rotator cuffs and labral tears.

Novant Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine - Huntersville

Pediatric outpatient

Matthew Brothers, MD

Matthew Brothers,MD Dr. Brothers is a board-certified pediatric cardiologist with Novant Health Pediatric Cardiology in Charlotte. He attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts for his undergraduate education and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine for his medical degree.

Prior to enrolling in medical school, Dr. Brothers taught second grade students at Atlanta Public Schools in Atlanta, Georgia as a Teach For America corps member. After medical school, he returned to Atlanta where he completed his pediatric residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. As a Durham, North Carolina native, Dr. Brothers looks forward to serving communities in his home state. Dr. Brothers joined Novant Health in 2014 and looks forward to helping the patients he serves understand the complexity of caring for children with congenital heart disease.

Ann Pittoni-Condon, MD, FAAP, FABM

Ann Pittoni-Condon Dr. Pittoni-Condon has always loved working with children. In fact, she was a teacher before she went to medical school and residency at New York Medical College. She says she knew from an early age that she wanted to dedicate herself to improving children’s lives. She lives by the philosophy that the way to truly change the world is to be important in the life of a child. Dr. Pittoni-Condon has been a consistent champion of healthcare practices that emphasize good health, mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding nutrition from the time of birth. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. Dr. Pittoni-Condon is married and has a son and daughter. In her free time she enjoys baking, learning to dance and singing in her church choir.

Novant Health Primary Care Poplar Tent

Radiology

John Black, MD

John Black, MD Dr. Black has been working as a radiologist in North Carolina for 18 years. He is a member of Mecklenburg Radiology Associates, the oldest private radiology group in the Carolinas. Dr. Black attended Georgetown Medical School and completed his radiology training at Georgetown and Stanford University hospitals. He was the chief resident while at Georgetown and his fellowship at Stanford concentrated on advanced abdominal and breast imaging. He is currently the radiology department chair at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center and serves on Novant Health's southern region medical board. He has been active in the community serving on several non-profit boards including the Ada Jenkins community center and the Lake Norman community health clinic. Dr. Black lives in the Lake Norman area with his wife and three children.

Richard Dunlop, MD

Richard Dunlop, MD A Vietnam veteran, Dr. Dunlop began the first of his two four year tours of duty just 9 days out of high school. After his Honorable Discharge from his first tour and subsequent completion of college, he obtained his M.D. degree at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Dr. Dunlop then completed a straight medical internship at a Yale affiliated hospital in Connecticut, before being called back into the U.S.A.F. His second tour of duty was to serve his commitment for an Armed Forces Health Profession Scholarship, which he accepted to help pay his way through medical school. On returning to civilian life, he enrolled into the Radiology Residency program at Boston University/Boston Medical Center, where he served as Chief Resident. He then spent the next 18 years in a teaching hospital of Boston University, where he practiced Interventional Radiology, and was given the academic appointment of Assistant Clinical Professor of Radiology, for his teaching of the radiology residents and transitional interns who rotated through the department. In 2007, Dr. Dunlop moved North Carolina to become Medical Director and Head Radiologist for two MedQuest imaging centers in the Charlotte area. When MedQuest was purchased by Novant Health Corporation in 2009, he took a position with Mecklenburg Radiology Associates. Dr. Dunlop is married with two grown children, and spends his free time with his wife and playing acoustic guitar.

James O'Brien, MD

James O'Brien, MD Dr. O'Brien completed the MD/MBA program at University of San Francisco College of Medicine. His residency training was at Emory University School of Medicine, where he served as chief resident. He completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic imaging at NYU School of Medicine, where he was Fellow of the Year. He is director of thoracic imaging in the department of radiology, and practices body imaging at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte. He is on the thoracic advisory board for the Novant Health Cancer Care. He is active in the American College of Radiology, where he is a counselor and on the executive committee for the North Carolina Radiological Society. He co-authored the radiology subspecialty guide for ACO's in North Carolina, in conjunction with the North Carolina Medical Society, and he is active in the Mecklenburg County Medical Society. He is married with three young children and enjoys spending time with friends and family, running and cooking.

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates

Urology

David Konstandt, MD

David Konstandt, MD Dr. Konstandt is a board-certified urologist who attended The University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate education followed by graduate school at Georgetown University. After completing graduate school, he attended Wayne State University School of Medicine. He then completed his surgical and urologic medicine residency at William Beaumont Hospital. Dr. Konstandt joined Lake Norman Urology in 2005. Lake Norman Urology merged into Carolina Urology Partners in 2011. Dr. Konstandt currently serves on the executive board and the board of directors for Carolina Urology Partners. In addition, he served as chairman for the department of urology at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center from 2008-2010. He is currently chairman for the department of surgery at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. and Chief Medical Officer of Carolina Urology Partners. A husband and father of two girls, Dr. Konstandt is committed to the importance of balance between work and family life.

Carolina Urology Partners

Continuity prenatal care

Kelley V. Lawrence, MD, IBCLC, FAAFP, FABM

Kelley V. Lawrence, MD, IBCLC Dr. Lawrence is a board-certified family physician who completed both her undergraduate and medical school training at UNC Chapel Hill and then completed her family medicine residency at the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency Program in Lawrence, Mass. Her area of concentration within her training program was maternal child care, particularly low-risk prenatal/obstetric care as well as breastfeeding medicine. She and her husband have four young children and understand the value of balance between work and family life. Dr. Lawrence also contributes to our faculty team through her experience in care for the underserved/uninsured and interests in international and integrative medicine.

Kristina A Leake, MD

Obstetrics/Gynecology

Family Inpatient/Hospital Medicine

Family inpatient/hospital medicine

Zachary (Zak) Anderson, MD

Zachary Anderson, MD Dr. Anderson has been practicing hospital medicine since 2005 and serves as medical director of the Novant Health Inpatient Care Specialist team. He graduated from Marshall University School of Medicine and completed his residency training at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He is board-certified in family medicine, with a special recognition of focused practice in hospital medicine. His clinical interests include improving the patient experience, leadership, and medical education/teaching. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, and anything outside (running, biking, skiing). Originally from West Virginia, he is an avid WVU fan. He lives in Davidson, where he enjoys Davidson basketball and his favorite local hangout -- Summit Coffee.

Tolshala Gates, MD

Tolshala Gates, MD Dr. Gates is a native of Lexington, SC and attended the University of South Carolina, where she earned her degree in biology and minor in chemistry. She also earned her master’s degree in clinical laboratory science form the Medical University of South Carolina, prior to attending medical school there. She completed her residency at Virginia Commonwealth University and has been with Novant Health since 2012. She is board-certified in internal medicine. Dr. Gates is married with a son, enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Novant Health Inpatient Care Specialists

Pediatric emergency Medicine

Adult/pediatric emergency medicine

Timothy E. Lietz, MD

Timothy E. Lietz, MD Dr. Lietz currently practices pediatric emergency medicine in Charlotte with Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates, P.A., where he serves on the board and is the president and chief executive officer. In additional to treating patients in the emergency department, he is also a chair of the Novant Health emergency services shared governance committee. He is a board member of the North Carolina Medical Board where he has served as chair of the discipline committee, outreach committee and is currently secretary treasurer. He is a board member of the North Carolina Physicians Health Plan. Prior to his current role he served as the medical director of the emergency department at Novant Health Matthews Medical Center for 17 years. He was previous chair of emergency services for Novant Health southern piedmont region and the medical director for Novant Health Event Medicine. Dr. Lietz earned his medical degree from the Ohio State University School of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. He completed an internship with the Eastern Virginia Medical School Department of Internal Medicine and residency training with the same institution's department of emergency medicine. Dr. Lietz is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and is board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He is a member of the North Carolina Medical Board, the North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the North Carolina Medical Society.

Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital emergency medicine

Andrew Prechtel, MD

Timothy E. Lietz, MD Dr. Prechtel practices emergency medicine at Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates in Huntersville. A Chicago native, he attended University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and graduated with honors as a James scholar. He attended Rush Medical College in Chicago for his medical training. He completed his residency at Advocate Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and served as chief resident. In 2007, he joined Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates, a private, physician-owned group. He is married with three children and enjoys travel, golf and computer gaming.

Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates, P.A.

Hospice

Kim Case, MD

David Konstandt, MD Dr. Kim Case is board-certified in both Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She graduated from Texas Tech School of Medicine, and then went on to do a Family Medicine residency as well as a Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship at Wake Forest University. She was an assistant professor in the Wake Forest Family Medicine Department, where she worked to develop the Palliative Care curriculum with the residents to ensure that they understood the importance of palliative medicine and treating patients at the end of life. Dr. Case is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and since joining Novant in 2013, Dr. Case has become the medical director for Palliative Care in the greater Charlotte market. Dr. Case is excited about sharing her passion for Hospice and Palliative Care. During her free time, Dr. Case enjoys traveling with friends, reading and doing Pilates.