Piedmont Heart Cardiothoracic Surgery Athens

Cullen D. Morris, M.D., earned his medical degree from Emory University in 1996. He completed his general surgery residency and cardiothoracic surgery fellowship training at Emory as well, finishing in 2006. Dr. Morris remained at Emory as an assistant professor of surgery and then as an associate professor until joining Piedmont Heart Institute in March 2017.

Dr. Morris is board certified in thoracic surgery. He is a member of American Board of Thoracic Surgery, The American Board of Surgery, and the South Atlantic Cardiovascular Society. His professional interests include coronary surgery, valve surgery and aortic surgery.

In his spare time, Dr. Morris enjoys playing golf.

Dr. Scott was born at Athens General Hospital and was raised in Monroe and then Athens. After attending Cedar Shoals High School and the University of Georgia, he earned his medical degree from Emory University in 1989. Dr. Scott completed residencies in General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery at Emory and then practiced in Athens from 1997 through 2006. Prior to returning to Athens to join Piedmont Heart, Dr. Scott was employed by Riverside Medical Group in Newport News, Virginia.

In his free time, Dr. Scott enjoys spending time with his wife and children. He practices adult cardiac and general thoracic surgery.

J. Trent Magruder, M.D., specializes in cardiothoracic surgery and is board-certified by both the American Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Magruder's clinical interests include coronary revascularization using multi-arterial grafting strategies, valvular heart disease, aortic pathology (aneurysmal disease), and heart failure therapies.

In addition to his responsibilities operating on and caring for inpatients, Dr. Magruder enjoys statistics and data analytics. He has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications aimed at improving safety and outcomes for cardiothoracic surgery patients. He has a special interest in perfusion, and researches strategies to optimize the conduct of cardiopulmonary bypass.