Fernando A. Herrera, Jr, MD

Dr. Sanford Zeigler is an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at MUSC, and Medical Director of the MUSC Cardiovascular ICU. He serves in the MUSC Aortic Center as Director of Thoracic Aortic Surgery.A native South Carolinian, Dr. Zeigler graduated from the University of the South with a B.A. in English Literature and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He attended medical school at MUSC as a James B. Edwards Scholar, and then completed his integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency at the Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, California. During his training, Dr. Zeigler operated at the Stanford University Medical Center, the Palo Alto VA hospital, Oakland Children's Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara, and the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. During his training, he studied under some of the giants of cardiac and thoracic surgery, and developed a unique skill set for treated aortic aneurysms and dissectios with both open and endovascular approaches.Dr. Zeigler treats adults with both acquired and congenital heart and aortic disease, including coronary artery disease, aortic and mitral valve lesions, aortic dissection, and aortic aneurysms. He has a particular interest in aortic valve repair, aortic dissection, and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Eleta Donelan is a born and raised South Carolinian, who has spent her life residing across the coastal, upstate, and midlands region of the state. She obtained her undergraduate education from the University of South Carolina, Columbia with a B.S. degree in Exercise Science, focusing on the Scientific Foundations track. She graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina’s Physician Assistant Program in July of 2020 with a strong clinical and surgical interest in vascular surgery and became board certified in August of 2020. Outside of clinical practice, Eleta is passionate about international medical mission trips that have previously included providing free clinical care to citizens in rural Peru and a month long rotation in Uganda, Africa working in a local hospital offering surgical and medical care. She also developed a love for volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House which began in Columbia and has carried through to the Charleston location.

Dr. Jean Marie Ruddy is a vascular surgeon with clinical interests in lower extremity venous insufficiency and atherosclerotic disease of the abdominal aorta, carotid artery, and extremity vessels. In addition, Dr. Ruddy dedicates time to scientific research with particular interest in hypertensive vascular remodeling and infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. Dr. Ruddy received her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and completed her general surgery residency at the Medical University of South Carolina and a vascular surgery fellowship at Emory University.