Dr. Stanley Shin and his partners at Statesboro Cardiology have begun construction on what will be one of the largest medical complexes in Statesboro when complete.
        The centerpiece of the development is a new 10,000-square-foot, two-story structure that will be the new home of Statesboro Cardiology in early 2017. The new address is 3 Grady Johnson Road, adjacent to the Cotton Ridge Medical Center off of Fair Road. In addition to Statesboro Cardiology's new office, they are developing the site for three more medical office buildings up to 5,500 square feet each. One of which is already under contract. Dr. Shin, along with his partners, wife Alexis and office manager Mary Keene, worked with DPR Architecture of Statesboro to design the project. Local builder Brian Kent of BAK Builders is leading the construction.
        "This is by far the largest and most impressive project of its type in Statesboro," Kent said. "DPR Architecture has worked with Dr. Shin's team in creating a visually inviting, customer friendly environment that is packed with the latest technology. The building will be very functional and give them much needed space that allows for continued growth. Its location is close to the hospital, offering easy access and ample parking, which are huge benefits also."
        The new office will include 16 exam rooms, six echo rooms and two dedicated procedure rooms.
        After completing his cardiology fellowship at Tulane University on June 23, 1997, Dr. Shin moved to Statesboro the next week and began his practice on July 1, 1997.
        Being the community's first cardiologist, he had to develop a cardiology program from scratch. He began immediately working with the hospital and political and community leaders to start the process of establishing a diagnostic cath lab in Statesboro.
        A cath lab features diagnostic imaging equipment that's used to visualize the arteries of the heart and the chambers of the heart and treat any stenosis or abnormality found.
        "The data collection and research supported the approval of the Certificate of Need for the cath lab," Dr. Shin said.         "That proved to be the easy part. However, a Savannah hospital filed an injunction, which tied up the Certificate in a legal battle for over a year. In 1999, after clearing the injunction, we opened our first cath lab, which was located in a mobile unit behind the old Bulloch Memorial Hospital."
        In 2000, East Georgia Regional Medical Center opened the current hospital and provided Dr. Shin with a cath lab in the facility.
        In 2010, the medical center brought in Dr. Christopher Leggett to work with Dr. Shin and other cardiologists to begin the interventional cardiology program in Statesboro. This allowed local cardiologists to not only diagnose problems, but in most cases repair the problem without having to transfer patients to another hospital.
        In 2011, Dr. David Nabert, board certified in electrophysiology and nuclear cardiology, joined Dr. Shin's team as a partner.
        In 2012, Dr. Abraham Lin, board certified in cardiology and internal medicine, joined the Statesboro Cardiology team and has lead the interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular disease programs at EGRMC since Dr. Leggett's departure.
        Last year, they added Screven County native, Dr. David Larisey who is focusing with Dr. Shin on general cardiology. In August, Dr. Julio Schwartz will become the fifth doctor to join their team. Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Lin will focus on interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular disease.
        "It has been a remarkable journey since coming to Statesboro over 19 years ago," Dr. Shin said. "My wife Alexis, daughter Claire, son Elliott and entire Statesboro Cardiology family have been fortunate to be part of this incredible community. It is fun to look back, but the real excitement is ahead of us. Our hope is that this new facility and my partner physicians at Statesboro Cardiology are preparing us for continued success in providing our patients the best care, latest technology and the best outcomes possible right here in Statesboro."
        Phyllis Thompson, who now leads the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce, worked for EGRMC in marketing and recruitment in 1997. She had a brilliant idea of connecting local non-medical community leaders with prospective doctors.
        My wife, Lori and I were part of this group and were one of the first in the community to meet the Shin's. They both made an incredible impression on us back then and continue to impress us with their energy and commitment to make a difference in our community.
        Interestingly, Dr. Shin remembers that dinner fondly and agrees that it played a key role in their decision to locate to Statesboro.
        "In residency and fellowship, no one notices you really," he said. "It is a grueling process and you feel very much unappreciated. We certainly were not use to being treated special. When a group of important business leaders took their time to meet with us to sell us on their community and pledge their commitment to our success that was something Alexis and I will never forget."
        We are thrilled the Shin's chose Statesboro. I look forward to the exciting growth ahead for Dr. Shin and the rest of the medical community.