Hays Medical Center in a news release Tuesday announced four new cardiologists have joined the medical staff.

The new cardiologists at DeBakey Heart Institute include Drs. Andrew Carter, Steven Freeman, Anil Pandit and Rashmi Thapa.

Dr. Carter graduated from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in Chicago. He did a transition internship and residency in Medicine at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora Colorado. He completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, and in interventional cardiology at The John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology.

Dr. Freeman completed medical school at the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, Des Moines, Iowa. His internship and residency was completed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has a fellowship in cardiology from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City and is board certified in cardiovascular diseases and internal medicine.
Both Carter and Freeman had been practicing as locums at HaysMed the past year before joining the medical staff full time in July.

Dr. Pandit graduated from the Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.  He completed his internship and a residency at Patan Hospital, Nepal and another residency in internal medicine at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. His fellowship in cardiovascular diseases was completed at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona.  Dr. Pandit is board certified in internal medicine.

Dr. Thapa is a medical graduate of Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, in Memphis and fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at the University of Kansas medical Center in Kansas City. She is board certified in nuclear cardiology and is a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation. She is also board eligible in cardiovascular diseases.