Shanna Bradshaw, PA-C

My family has a history of military service - and medical support for the troops - that dates all the way back to World War I. My paternal grandparents both served in U.S. Army Air Corps - one as a hospital administrator, the other as an OR nurse. \n My father retired from the U.S. Air Force (USAF), where he had been a hospital administrator. In his last role, he managed the budgets for all the USAF hospitals. Before becoming an anesthesiologist, my brother was a flight surgeon in the USAF. I, too, served in the USAF as a medic/medical lab tech prior to pursuing my passion as a physician assistant. \n The approach I take with patient care is a holistic, compassionate one. I love the people side of medicine, but I love the science side of it, too. I worked for over 15 years in drug discovery. That involves testing medication during the early development phase all the way to clinical human trials. \n Having always wanted to live closer to the coast, I moved to the Wilmington area from Raleigh in 2022. My wife and I enjoy traveling the world and - closer to home - experiencing new places to eat in and around Wilmington. We also scuba dive as much as possible - both locally and abroad.

I've been enamored with medicine for as long as I can remember. My grandfather, for whom I was named, was a general practitioner in my hometown of Reidsville, North Carolina and took care of nearly the entire town. \n Within a few hours of my premature birth, my grandfather suspected I had pneumonia. He had me transferred to Moses Cone Hospital, where I spent three weeks in the ICU. A few weeks after I was discharged, I went into septic shock. Again, my grandfather recognized the signs. He coded me during the ambulance ride, which saved my life. \n I was always driven to succeed academically and wanted to attend a top college to improve my chances of following in my grandfather's footsteps. At Wake Forest University, I majored in chemistry and volunteered at healthcare clinics in Winston-Salem. I was thrilled to attend Wake Forest for medical school, which is where my passion for cardiology began to blossom. \n I did my internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas because the program director's pitch included that the school is known for training cardiologists and sending them all over the world. I knew I wanted to live in North Carolina, so the all over the world part didn't attract me. The cardiology training program did. \n During my cardiology fellowship at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, I fell in love with the city and with a New Orleans girl named Alex. \n During my second year in fellowship, I interviewed for a job with a Wilmington practice with incredible doctors, advanced practitioners and administrators. Accepting the job was one of the easiest decisions of my life. (Marrying Alex was the easiest.) \n My specialties include general cardiology; advanced imaging, including transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography; stress testing and coronary CTA. I also perform cardioversions and implant loop recorders. I love my job, my patients, this community and the people with whom I have the pleasure of working. \n In my free time, I love running and spending time with Alex and our young son. A wonderful golden retriever and calico cat complete our family. We are in love with the city and enjoy days on the beach, diving into new restaurants and bars, walking the loop and exploring all the water sports the area makes possible.