Amanda Allen Littleton, NP

Shannon D’Alton received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Master of Science in Nursing at The Medical University of South Carolina. She completed a post-graduate fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, focusing on neuro-oncology and pediatric hospice and palliative care. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Nursing at The Medical University of South Carolina. Mrs. D’Alton is certified by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and a member of the Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses Association. She specializes in the care of children with complex chronic conditions and has expertise in pediatric neurology and palliative care. Her clinical interests include recognition of the physical, social, and psychological burdens associated with chronic illness and loss. Her research interests include grief and bereavement, palliative care and understanding the impact of sibling death on surviving children and the parent-child dyad. Mrs. D’Alton currently practices perinatal palliative care as a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in the Advanced Fetal Care Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Susan Lee Zayac is a Family Nurse Practitioner who was raised in Massachusetts and joined the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman after high school graduation. She has lived in the Charleston area since 1982. She has 3 children and 4 grandchildren. She earned BSN, MSN and DNP degrees from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing. As a Nurse Practitioner since 2007, she practiced in the MUSC adult Emergency Department and has had a passion for emergent and critical care. She is predominantly interested in neurosurgical and neuro-oncologic care management, and has joined the MUSC neurosurgery team to provide inpatient care to neurosurgery patients exclusively. Susan is national board certified by the AANP, and is the recipient of the AANP State Award for Excellence in 2013.

Dr. Shahryar Chowdhury completed undergraduate and medical school at the University of Florida. He went on to complete his pediatric residency at the University of South Carolina. His pediatric cardiology fellowship and advanced non-invasive imaging training were completed at the Medical University of South Carolina. He joined the staff at MUSC in 2014. Dr. Chowdhury has expertise in echocardiography and cardiac CT. In addition, he sees patients in our pediatric cardiology acute care unit in the Children's Hospital. Dr. Chowdhury currently serves as the associate director of the pediatric cardiology fellowship training program. Dr. Chowdhury’s research interests include determining the accuracy of non-invasive measures of ventricular function, investigating the ability of these measures to predict outcomes in children with heart disease, determining the pathophysiologic mechanisms behind heart failure in patients with single ventricle physiology, and investigating the effects of childhood obesity on the heart. He has presented his work at regional, national, and international meetings; has published numerous articles; and has been the recipient of awards and grants to support his research.