Beaufort Memorial Heart Specialists Add Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

Beaufort Memorial Heart Specialists have added a new nurse practitioner with over two decades in healthcare, expanding access to cardiovascular care for patients in the Lowcountry.

Nicole Gray, MSN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC, is board certified as both a family nurse practitioner and an adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. She’s bringing to Beaufort Memorial a wealth of cardiac experience and will see patients in the practice’s Okatie and Beaufort locations, and in the main hospital. She will play an integral role in providing care for cardiovascular conditions like coronary artery disease and heart failure, as well as follow-up after emergency cardiac interventions.

“Ms. Gray and her extensive background in acute care will be a valuable addition to our team of cardiology specialists,” said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley. “Her skill in connecting with patients and experience delivering compassionate, patient-centered care will benefit patients throughout the Lowcountry.”

The Navy veteran and Buffalo, N.Y., native has a varied healthcare background, ranging from trauma care, forensic nursing to general cardiology. She has held roles not just in acute care, but administrative and director positions, too, and has experience as a clinical instructor for various graduate programs and as an educational speaker.

In 2023, Gray established a new heart failure clinic as a part of her work with the Department of Veterans Affairs in New York. She said that cardiovascular medicine can be a stressful experience for patients, and she likes to use her sense of humor to connect with patients and make them feel more comfortable.

“I treat all of my patients like they are members of my family,” she explained. “Having a sense of humor is key; I like to make them laugh and put them at ease.”

The acute care specialist will treat common cardiovascular conditions as a part of the Heart Specialists practice, including hypertension (high blood pressure), heart failure, cardiogenic shock, coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias and wealth of other cardiac conditions.

The mom of two has lived and worked all over the country, including Florida, Virginia and New York. She’s looking forward to soaking in the coastal charm of the Lowcountry with her two dogs (one of which is working on her therapy dog certification, with her sights set on being a cardiac therapy dog for patients) and hopes to coach softball once she’s settled into the area.

At the practice, Gray joins board-certified cardiologists Drs. Francis “Frank” O’Neill, Stephen G. Fedec and Stuart Smalheiser, as well as physician assistant Tara Kay.

Beaufort Memorial Heart Specialists is located in Beaufort at 300 Midtown Drive and in Okatie at the Okatie Medical Pavilion (122 Okatie Center Blvd. North, Suite 300).

To schedule an appointment with Gray or one of Beaufort Memorial’s heart care specialists, call (843) 770-4550.