Piedmont Heart Cardiothoracic Surgery Atlanta

Dr. Rajagopal earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He completed his internship at the University of Washington in Seattle and his residency at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Rajagopal fulfilled a cardiology fellowship with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his undergraduate training at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine, nuclear cardiology, and interventional cardiology. Dr. Rajagopal has a special interest and expertise in the minimally invasive treatment of valve disease.

For more information, visit the Marcus Heart Valve Center.

Dr. Stewart is a structural and interventional cardiologist specializing in the minimally invasive treatment of valve disease. A native Atlantan, Dr. Stewart was actually born at Piedmont Hospital, as were all four of his children. After completing his education at Harvard, Yale, and Emory including cardiology, interventional cardiology, and structural cardiology fellowships at Emory, he stayed on as faculty and helped found and lead the Structural Heart program at Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital from 2013 - 2020. He then was recruited to co-direct and lead the newest open heart surgery and structural heart program in the state at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, GA.

He and his wife, Amy, and their four kids are excited to be back in Atlanta full time, and thrilled to be working with the superlative team at the Marcus Heart Valve Center and Piedmont Heart Institute. 

In his spare time, Dr. Stewart is an avid tennis player, a sometimes runner, a die-hard Atlanta Braves fan, and a budding tree-farmer and ecologist while restoring a longleaf pine forest in South Georgia.

For more information, visit the Marcus Heart Valve Center.

Dr. Thourani is board certified in surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. He earned his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Thourani completed a general surgery internship at Emory University, followed by a residency and fellowship at Emory University. He also completed visiting fellowships for minimally invasive and transcatheter valve surgery at Fuwai Hospital in Beijing, China, and a fellowship with Prof Fred Mohr in Leipzig, Germany.  Dr. Thourani is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American Board of Thoracic Surgery, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, the Heart Valve Society, the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery, the South Atlantic Cardiovascular Society, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He serves as the President of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (2019-2020) and the President-elect for the Heart Valve Society (2019-2020). 

Dr. Thourani specializes in valve surgery, specifically in minimally invasive and transcatheter aortic and mitral valve surgery. He is passionate about working with a multi-disciplinary team in providing the patient with options for traditional, minimally invasive, and transcatheter surgical options.

In his spare time, Dr. Thourani enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, tennis, and going to sporting events and concerts. 

Dr. Thourani welcomes new patients and accepts most insurance plans.

For more information, visit the Marcus Heart Valve Center.

Mark R. Helmers, MD, is a cardiovascular surgeon who treats coronary artery disease, aortic aneurysms, and heart valve disease. He has a special interest in transcatheter and minimally invasive valve procedures.

He is passionate about patient-centered care and leveraging shared decision making and a multidisciplinary team approach to provide the best possible care for his patients.

In his spare time, Dr. Helmers enjoys hiking, skiing, playing guitar, travelling, and spending time with his family and dog Bubba.

For more information, visit the Marcus Heart Valve Center.