Medical Professionals Charlotte Magazine

Medical Professionals Charlotte Magazine Medical Professionals CLT is a peer-to-peer magazine for our area’s physicians and others in the healthcare industry.

This forum was created to help connect physicians with their peers and to provide a forum to learn from one another.

Meet Dr. Abbey Gonzales, owner and founder of Opal Dental Studio in Huntersville. She began her journey as a linguist, f...
09/29/2025

Meet Dr. Abbey Gonzales, owner and founder of Opal Dental Studio in Huntersville. She began her journey as a linguist, fluent in Tagalog, Spanish, and English and went on to serve as a Public Health Fellow after graduating with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Healthcare from Wake Forest University. Inspired by her mother who had lost most of her teeth by age 20 and was determined that would not happen to her daughter, her mom’s dedication to Abbey’s oral health planted the initial seed for dental school.
 
She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. With a desire for her patients to receive the latest in modern dentistry, Dr. Gonzales continues to pursue educational opportunities. She is an upcoming graduate at the Kois center and an imPRES student for dental esthetic mastery.
 
Read her article “How We Went from Exclusively Fluoride to Nano-hydroxyapatite,” in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 

This month’s Notable Nurse, Monique R. Chatman, MSN, FNP-C, is a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner at Novant Health Pre...
09/19/2025

This month’s Notable Nurse, Monique R. Chatman, MSN, FNP-C, is a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. With a passion for helping others, she chose health occupations as a high school elective and knew nursing was the perfect path for her. In 2014, while at Novant Health Matthews, she was one of the founding nurses who helped launch the Oncology, Hospice, and Palliative Care Unit. That experience sparked her passion for caring for patients with chronic and serious illnesses, which led to her current position. 
 
 
In her current role, her primary focus is to improve the quality of life for patients facing serious, life-limiting illnesses. As a cancer survivor, she brings a unique depth of understanding to the care she provides, which allows her to connect with patients on a deeper and more unique level and guide difficult conversations with empathy and honesty. 
 
 
Read her full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 

This month’s featured physician, Carter Starr, MD, of Starr Vitality and Wellness, was born in Louisville, KY, but moved...
09/17/2025

This month’s featured physician, Carter Starr, MD, of Starr Vitality and Wellness, was born in Louisville, KY, but moved to Providence, RI, in the second grade and knew since the age of three that she wanted to be a doctor. Though she originally pursued Emergency Medicine, she found the environment stressful after a few years, and after surviving a cancer diagnosis, she decided she wanted to lower her stress levels and be able to develop meaningful relationships with her patients. 
 
Kyle Cunningham, MD, MPH, FACS, is our Specialist Spotlight. He is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Trauma Medical Director at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, a Division of Acute Care Surgery. His mother was a registered nurse, and his father was a pharmacist, and he doesn’t remember when he considered a career not in healthcare. Starting in the second grade, he thought he would be a cardiothoracic surgeon, though in medical school, he tried to keep an open mind and consider other disciplines.
 
This month’s Notable Nurse, Monique R. Chatman, MSN, FNP-C, is a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. With a passion for helping others, she chose health occupations as a high school elective and knew nursing was the perfect path for her. In 2014, while at Novant Health Matthews, she was one of the founding nurses who helped launch the Oncology, Hospice, and Palliative Care Unit. That experience sparked her passion for caring for patients with chronic and serious illnesses, which led to her current position. 
 
Read their full stories in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 

Kyle Cunningham, MD, MPH, FACS, is our September Specialist Spotlight. He is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery...
09/11/2025

Kyle Cunningham, MD, MPH, FACS, is our September Specialist Spotlight. He is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Trauma Medical Director at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, a Division of Acute Care Surgery. His mother was a registered nurse, and his father was a pharmacist, and he doesn’t remember when he considered a career not in healthcare. Starting in the second grade, he thought he would be a cardiothoracic surgeon, though in medical school, he tried to keep an open mind and consider other disciplines. However, he told us his first night of trauma call sealed the deal, as everything from teamwork to pathophysiology was a perfect fit.
 
After completing his fellowship in Trauma and Surgery Critical Care at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Dr. Cunningham remained on staff while completing a Master of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He found his way to Charlotte when a position opened here, and he could not pass up the opportunity to work with a friend from his intern year and an external mentor during residency training who were both already partners in the group.
 
Read his full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 

This month’s featured physician, Carter Starr, MD, of Starr Vitality and Wellness, was born in Louisville, KY, but moved...
09/08/2025

This month’s featured physician, Carter Starr, MD, of Starr Vitality and Wellness, was born in Louisville, KY, but moved to Providence, RI, in the second grade and knew since the age of three that she wanted to be a doctor. A graduate of Yale University, she earned her varsity letter rowing on the women’s crew team all four years. 
 
 
Though she originally pursued Emergency Medicine, she found the environment stressful after a few years, and after surviving a cancer diagnosis, she decided she wanted to lower her stress levels and be able to develop meaningful relationships with her patients and make a bigger impact on their overall health. 
 
 
With a desire to personalize whole-person care and not just symptom management, she opened Starr Vitality and Wellness. Dr. Starr is dual boarded in Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine, and as a lifelong athlete and cancer survivor, she strives to help her patients get the most out of life by focusing on proactive wellness and minimizing medications so they can look and feel their best now, and 30 years from now.
 
 
Read her full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 


For more than a decade, Project Life Movement has been quietly transforming the future for patients with life-threatenin...
09/01/2025

For more than a decade, Project Life Movement has been quietly transforming the future for patients with life-threatening blood cancers and other diseases. Founded in 2012, this Charlotte-based nonprofit exists to address a critical gap in the global fight against leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood disorders: the shortage of diverse, committed donors in the stem cell/ bone marrow registry.
 
Project Life Movement focuses on increasing the number of registered, committed, and diverse potential donors through strategic outreach, education, and partnerships. Our efforts primarily target college students, who statistically make ideal donors (between the ages of 18-35) due to their overall health and longevity of eligibility in the registry.
 
Through partnerships with universities, student organizations, and corporations, Project Life Movement organizes on-campus donor drives, provides educational workshops, and simplifies the process for individuals to join the global registry. We let these students know how easy it is to save a life with a simple swab of their cheeks.
 
The organization’s impact speaks for itself. To date, Project Life Movement has facilitated the registration of over 100,000 potential donors, with hundreds of them going on to be matched with patients, giving those individuals a second chance at life.
 
For more information, visit www.projectlifemovement.org or contact Ann Henegar, Executive Director, mailto:[email protected].
 
Read her full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great picture!📸
 

This month’s nurse has been very involved with the opening of the new Atrium Health hospital in Lake Norman. Stefanie Ea...
08/28/2025

This month’s nurse has been very involved with the opening of the new Atrium Health hospital in Lake Norman. Stefanie Eaves, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer at Atrium Health Lake Norman Hospital, was inspired to pursue nursing by her mother who became a nurse later in life. She made her way to Charlotte to attend nursing school at UNC-Charlotte. 
 
She began her career in the maternity department at Atrium Health University City as a student nurse extern, progressing to a health care technician and subsequently a new graduate nurse. She has consistently valued the professional growth opportunities that Atrium Health offers its team members which is demonstrated by the fact that she has been with them for 26 years now.
 
Read her full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 
 

Brian Ingold, DO, with Novant Health Arboretum Family & Sports Medicine became interested in medicine during AP Biology ...
08/25/2025

Brian Ingold, DO, with Novant Health Arboretum Family & Sports Medicine became interested in medicine during AP Biology in high school and felt like that was an area that would lend itself to constant innovation/education. His interest accelerated when he was given the opportunity to shadow an orthopedic surgeon in his clinic and the operating room.
 
This month’s specialist grew up in a small rural town in western NC. Brett Heavner, MD, specializes in otolaryngology and voice and airway disorders for Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates. While in college, he had a curiosity and interest in the science of people and wanted to do something to impact his community. He likes trying to figure out the cause of a condition and taking steps to a treatment plan.
 
This month’s nurse has been very involved with the opening of the new Atrium Health hospital in Lake Norman. Stefanie Eaves, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer at Atrium Health Lake Norman Hospital, was inspired to pursue nursing by her mother who became a nurse later in life. She made her way to Charlotte to attend nursing school at UNC-Charlotte. 
 
Read their full stories in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 

This month’s specialist grew up in a small rural town in western NC. Brett Heavner, MD, specializes in otolaryngology an...
08/17/2025

This month’s specialist grew up in a small rural town in western NC. Brett Heavner, MD, specializes in otolaryngology and voice and airway disorders for Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates. While in college, he had a curiosity and interest in the science of people and wanted to do something to impact his community. He likes trying to figure out the cause of a condition and taking steps to a treatment plan.
 
Like many students starting medical school, he was unsure what specialty to pursue. Originally, he considered pediatrics or even emergency medicine, but as he moved through his second year, surgery was more appealing. By the spring of that year, he was focusing on orthopedic surgery and during the middle of his third year of medical school, during his surgery rotation, he decided on Otolaryngology.
 
Read his full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 
 

This should be a great event! Make sure to mark your calendars now.
08/14/2025

This should be a great event! Make sure to mark your calendars now.

Brian Ingold, DO, with Novant Health Arboretum Family & Sports Medicine became interested in medicine during AP Biology ...
08/12/2025

Brian Ingold, DO, with Novant Health Arboretum Family & Sports Medicine became interested in medicine during AP Biology in high school and felt like that was an area that would lend itself to constant innovation/education. His interest accelerated when he was given the opportunity to shadow an orthopedic surgeon in his clinic and the operating room.
 
After medical school, he started at Novant Health for residency training and has been there since. He is motivated by the opportunity to make a difference every day. Whether it’s helping someone better understand their health or guiding them through a difficult time in their lives, he takes that responsibility seriously.
 
Read his full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 
Thank you, Juan Zambrano, for the great pictures!📸
 

This month’s Notable Nurse is Sherrie McCaskill, DNP, FNP-C, with Wingate University. She was passionate about helping o...
07/22/2025

This month’s Notable Nurse is Sherrie McCaskill, DNP, FNP-C, with Wingate University. She was passionate about helping others and worked as a pharmacy technician while in high school. She enjoyed learning about medications, but knew she wanted more-more contact with patients and more hands-on opportunities to make a difference. Her first nursing position was on a cardiac telemetry unit, which she enjoyed but wanted more variety. After about a year, she moved to the Emergency Department.
 
She has worked at Wingate University for almost 17 years now. Her first experience with Wingate was during a time when she worked at a local family practice office and was contracted to go to Wingate University once a week to do employee wellness visits. A few years later, she received a phone call from a contact/friend at Wingate letting her know there was a full-time opportunity in their Student Health Center. The rest is history.
 
Read her full story in this month’s issue. See the 🔗 in our bio above or email mailto:[email protected] to receive a digital copy and/or to be placed on the monthly distribution list.
 

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