WVU Heart and Vascular Institute at Thomas Hospitals Welcomes Longtime Cardiologists

WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals and WVU Medicine Heart and Vascular Institute are pleased to announce that longtime interventional cardiologists Kishore K. Challa, M.D., FACC, and Mohammad B. Yousaf, M.D. have joined WVU Heart and Vascular Institute at Thomas Hospitals.

“Dr. Challa and Dr. Yousaf have been trusted physicians and close cardiology colleagues in the Charleston community for many years,” said Vinay Badhwar, M.D., executive chair of WVU Heart and Vascular Institute. “Their patient-first commitment and mission-focused expertise adds to an already excellent cardiovascular program at Thomas Hospitals and helps to expand our service to patients across the region. Our goal is always to bring the very best of the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute to communities throughout West Virginia while preserving local relationships and the trust that matter most.”

Dr. Challa and Dr. Yousaf have cared for patients at Thomas Memorial Hospital for decades as part of South Charleston Cardiology. Their addition to WVU Heart and Vascular Institute builds on that longstanding tradition of cardiovascular care and further strengthens the hospital’s comprehensive heart and vascular services.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Challa and Dr. Yousaf to WVU Heart and Vascular Institute,” Greg Rosencrance, M.D., president and CEO of WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals, said. “Their decades of experience, clinical expertise and longstanding relationships with patients make them tremendous additions to our cardiovascular team.”

Dr. Challa has practiced in the Charleston area since 1989 and recently completed 15 years as chief of cardiology and director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Thomas Hospitals. He currently serves as president of the West Virginia Board of Medicine, a position he previously held from 2018 to 2022.

“I have been privileged to care for patients in this community for more than three decades,” Dr. Challa said. “Joining WVU Heart and Vascular Institute allows me to continue that work while being part of a network with the resources and expertise to provide comprehensive cardiovascular care.”

Dr. Yousaf brings similarly extensive experience in interventional cardiology and longtime service to patients at Thomas Memorial.

The physicians join Thomas Hospitals at a time of significant recognition for its cardiovascular program. Thomas Hospitals recently earned the highest, three-star rating from Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), placing the program among the top-performing heart surgery programs in the nation for quality and patient outcomes.

“As part of WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, we are able to combine the experience of physicians who have served this community for decades with the resources of a statewide cardiovascular network,” Rosencrance said. “Our goal is to ensure patients have access to exceptional heart and vascular care in their community.”

For more information about heart and vascular services at Thomas Hospitals, visit ThomasHospitals.org.