Piedmont Heart of Jasper

Eyal Ben-Arie, MD, earned his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Piscataway, N.J. He then trained in general surgery at NYU Medical Center in New York, N.Y., and in vascular surgery at Emory University affiliated hospitals in Atlanta. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons and Southern Association for Vascular Surgery. He is board certified in vascular surgery by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Ben-Arie joined the Piedmont Hospital medical staff in 2007.

Kirk Laman, D.O. F.A.C.C., earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and his medical degree from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. He went on to do his internal medicine residency at Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital and his invasive cardiology fellowship at Sinai Hospital of Detroit. Dr. Laman is board certified in cardiology, nuclear cardiology, and is a registered physician in vascular interpretation. He is also a member of the American College of Cardiology, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the American Society of Echocardiography and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. His special interests include cardiac imaging and preventative cardiology. In his spare time, Dr. Laman enjoys writing, photography, and travel.

Dr. Pereira received his medical degree from the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. He completed his internal medicine internship, residency and a fellowship in cardiology at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and its subspecialty Board of Cardiovascular Disease, the Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology and the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners as a cardiac rhythm device specialist. He is a member of the American Heart Association's Scientific Council in Cardiovascular Diseases and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Pereira currently is in practice with the Piedmont Heart Institute Physicians in Jasper and serves as the medical director of the cardiac catheterization lab at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital.

Dr. Wickliffe specializes in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology. A graduate of the Emory University School of Medicine, he completed his internal medicine residency, cardiology fellowship, and cardiac electrophysiology fellowship at Emory University Hospital. Awarded an Outstanding Teaching Resident by the Emory University School of Medicine, he was also named an Outstanding Teaching Fellow. He is board certified in cardiology, electrophysiology and internal medicine. A member of several speakers's bureaus, he is also a published author. In addition, Dr. Wickliffe is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. Vellanikaran graduated from St. John's Medical College in Bangalore, India, after earning his undergraduate degree at Maharaja's College in Cochin, India. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and then completed a cardiology fellowship at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and its subspecialty Board of Cardiovascular Disease, Dr. Vellanikaran is also board certified in echocardiography. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the American Society of Echocardiography. In his free time, Dr. Vellanikaran enjoys reading and tennis.