Dorothea Denise Jenkins, MD

Krishna G. Patel, M.D., Ph.D. joined the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery in August 2008. She is a native of Athens, Georgia and attended Columbia University in New York City for her undergraduate education. She then earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees through the combined program at the Medical College of Georgia, where she was awarded the Excellence in Research Award. Dr. Patel completed a residency in otolaryngology &- head and neck surgery at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Following residency, she pursued fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of California, Davis. During both her residency and fellowship training, Dr. Patel participated in volunteer medical trips to other countries to provide care to the medically underserved. Her recent trips to Ecuador and El Salvador involved surgically repairing children with cleft lips, cleft palates, and ear deformities. She is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. As a member of the MUSC faculty, Dr. Patel's focus is in the areas of aesthetic facial plastic surgery, such as rhinoplasties, Botox, and blepharoplasties. Her practice also includes facial reconstructive surgery, facial trauma surgery, and reconstruction of Mohs defects. She is the director of the Craniofacial Anomalies and Cleft Palate Center and participates in the repair of cleft lips and palates. She also serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Patel sees patients in Rutledge Tower on the main campus of MUSC, as well as at off-site locations in Mount Pleasant.

Dr. Heidi J. Murphy is a neonatologist who has particular interests in providing life support to our sickest babies. Dr. Murphy attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she was supported by a full Non-Resident Tuition Exemption Scholarship. At LSU, she was a member of the Honors College and earned her bachelor's degree in biological sciences. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Murphy returned to Louisiana and completed her pediatrics training in New Orleans at Louisiana State University Health Science Center and Children's Hospital of New Orleans. After serving as chief resident at LSU, she moved to Charleston where she completed her neonatology training here at the Medical University of South Carolina. She joined the MUSC faculty in 2018.Dr. Murphy's clinical and research interests focus on providing life support to our sickest babies, as well as evaluating and treating kidney disease in neonatal patients. During her time at LSUHSC, she was honored to receive an Outstanding Teaching Resident Award bestowed by the LSU School of Medicine medical third year medical school class, the Penny Scurto, M.D. Outstanding Pediatric Resident Award bestowed by the LSU Department of Pediatrics faculty, and the 7th Annual Gretch M. Life, M.D. Award bestowed by her peers. She is board certified in pediatrics.

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.