About Carey McNamara PA-C

Carey Connor McNamara was born in Charleston, SC in 1975. Though she grew up in Maryland, she returned to the South after high school and is thrilled to call Charleston home again. Carey attended Furman University for her undergraduate degree, graduating with honors in 1997. She then went onto the Medical University of South Carolina where she graduated with a degree in physician assistant studies in 2000. She has remained board certified by the NCCPA ever since. Soon after graduating, Carey accepted a job at a local family practice where she worked for nearly 20 years.

A few years after beginning her career in medicine, Carey was introduced to advanced biomarker testing. These blood tests go above and beyond the current standard of care in medicine to help identify hidden risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Since heart disease kills more men and women in our nation than any other illness (including cancer), Carey saw the value of implementing these tools with her patients - doing so would allow her to individually tailor treatment recommendations to each patient’s specific needs.

Since these cutting-edge tests were not widely used among other medical providers, Carey had to actively seek out opportunities to learn more. She traveled to different states to precept under leading experts already adept at using these tools, and she studied under nationally known physicians for cardiovascular risk reduction. Carey also took courses that would expand her knowledge in this field, courses such as the masters level lipidology course offered by the National Lipid Association and the BaleDoneen preceptorship course (an advanced model of cardiovascular prevention and treatment that is so effective the founders, Dr. Brad Bale and Amy Doneen, offer a “money back guarantee” to anyone who has a heart attack or stroke while under their care).

Carey began to order advanced biomarker testing (lipid, metabolic, inflammation, and genetic) on all of her patients and then implement aggressive treatment plans to help prevent (and even reverse) cardiovascular disease. She helped transform the family practice where she worked by expanding the advanced cardiovascular portion of it. After using this testing for more than a decade, two different cardiovascular laboratories hired Carey as a speaker, sending her to conferences and other medical offices to help train doctors and mid-level providers on how to best utilize these cutting-edge tests and treatments with their patients.

Carey later implemented other advanced in-office tests CIMT and CPET that could follow a patient’s progression or regression of vascular disease over time. These tests can detect disease before traditional stress tests or ultrasounds can identify abnormalities, so they are vital tools for early detection of hidden cardiovascular risk.

Practicing medicine with advanced biomarkers and advanced in-office testing has now become Carey’s passion and niche in medicine, and essential tools in her fight against heart disease. Since half the people who have a heart attack have normal cholesterol, and sudden death can be the FIRST symptom of heart disease for many patients, Carey is adamant about utilizing comprehensive tests in order to truly identify and treat the patients at risk . . . before it is too late.

In an effort to reach more people, Carey left the thriving practice where she worked so she could use her expertise to make an even bigger difference. Since heart disease is our biggest medical threat, Carey felt it was imperative to expand education and access to this type of medical care. She opened Whole Heart Family Medicine in December of 2019, an integrative family practice that combines holistic and traditional medicine while also using advanced testing to help eradicate heart disease.

Carey is philosophically aligned with the functional medicine movement which focuses on the importance of identifying root causes of chronic disease. Instead of just prescribing a "pill for every ill," Carey believes in coming alongside patients to help them make needed lifestyle changes first. She believes in meeting each patient wherever they are in their health journey and customizing a treatment plan based on their unique needs and preferences. Carey is passionate about preventing disease, personalizing treatment, and motivating her patients to improve their health.

In addition to practicing medicine, Carey started an inspirational blog in 2017 where she wrestles through the hard questions of faith amidst today’s culture. You can read her articles at lifelibertyandlove.com.