Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is strengthening its heart care team with the addition of six new fellows to Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program. As its inaugural class graduated this spring, the new class will maintain the full cohort of 18 fellows training in heart health at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) hospitals in Gainesville and Braselton.
“These new fellows will work side-by-side with the physicians and staff of Georgia Heart Institute, as well as our current fellows, to provide even more eyes on our patients’ care,” said Ugochukwu Egolum, MD, FACC, FHFSA, program director of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program, medical director of the Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) program and the inaugural recipient of the Chuck and Debbie Jones Endowed Professorship in Cardiology and Medical Education. “We use our exceptional resources in clinical care, research, innovation and education to train the future leaders of cardiovascular care for our region and beyond.”
To become a board-certified cardiologist, doctors must complete a residency program in internal medicine before beginning a cardiology fellowship. The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program is a three-year program that offers six fellowship slots per year.
“We are thrilled to welcome six new outstanding Cardiovascular Disease fellows to NGMC, including two from our very own Internal Medicine Residency program,” said Donna Brown, PhD, interim Designated Institutional Official for NGMC. “As our region continues to experience remarkable growth, maintaining a strong pipeline of highly skilled cardiologists is essential to meeting the needs of our patients for years to come.”
NGMC welcomes Cardiovascular Disease fellows:
- Ben Eavenson, MD; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Nishitha Vempalli, MD; Thomas Hospital, Fairhope, AL
- Rayan Salih, MD; Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, GA
- Hussain Majeed MD; Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, GA
- Godbless Ajenaghughrure, MD; TriHealth Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, OH
- Phelese Smith, MD; St. Mary’s Hospital-Waterbury, Waterbury, CT
Fellows will begin work on July 1, 2026.
For more information about NGMC’s Graduate Medical Education program, please visit www.ngmcgme.org.
About NGMC
Since 1951, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has been on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. With hospitals located in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder Dahlonega and Demorest, the five NGMC campuses have a total of more than 1,000 beds and more than 1,500 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. NGMC is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit that cares for more than one million people across more than 19 counties. Learn more at www.nghs.com.