Meet The Doc

John Smear, MD

Meet the Doc with John Smear, MD During his service as a United States Air Force surgeon, Dr. John Smear developed and taught trauma surgery courses at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The goal was to prepare military physicians for the demanding cases they could see overseas. “My time with the Air Force helped me become a better person,” says Dr. Smear. “You co ...

Chris Graf, MD

Meet the Doc Chris Graf, MD Dr. Christian Graf grew up in Mount Pleasant and went to the Medical University of South Carolina. After his residency in Charlotte, he was glad to return home to the Lowcountry in 2002. For more than a decade, he has served as a physician in Trident Medical Center’s Emergency Department, which handles more emergency cases than any other hospital in the Charleston ...

Jason Highsmith, MD

Meet the Doc Jason Highsmith, MD Dr. Jason Highsmith’s practice involves the full spectrum of neurosurgery, from pinched nerves to brain tumors. He chose the field partly because of its variety and rapid technological advances. He has already seen a great deal of change since 2000 when he started his six-year neurosurgery residency. “The options we have surgically are much improved. ...

Mark Meiler, MD

Meet the Doc Mark Meiler, MD After a decade and a half in family medicine, Dr. Mark Meiler became one of the first doctors to specialize in geriatrics, starting in the late 1980s. “We are really primary care physicians for older people, somewhat akin to a pediatrician for children, in that we focus on a particular age group,” he says. While Dr. Meiler joined Trident Senior Health in ...

Charles Roberts, MD

Meet the Doc Charles Roberts, MD You could say it’s in his blood, and especially since Dr. Charles Roberts comes from a distinguished line of heart doctors. His grandfather was the first heart specialist in Georgia. His father, now 80, continues to serve as editor for the American Journal of Cardiology. Like them, Dr. Roberts went to medical school at Emory University and trained at Grady Ho ...

James Benner, MD

Meet the Doc James Benner, MD As early as age 10, Dr. James Benner would accompany his mom to her work at a laboratory in a large hospital, where he was captivated to look at blood smears under the microscope. Meanwhile, his grandfather, a respected watch repairman, shared the secrets of his trade as well, which is perhaps even more poetic considering Dr. Benner’s life work as a surgeon spec ...

DeCastro

Meet the Doc Alec DeCastro, MD Dr. Alec DeCastro was drawn to medicine by his mother, a long-time psychiatrist for the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Once he finished his undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina, he headed to medical school in the Philippines, where his parents are originally from. “I had never been to the Philippines, so it was an opportunity ...

Christopher J. Kestner, MD

Meet the Doc Christopher J. Kestner, MD Dr. Christopher Kestner helped treat Blue Devil basketball players during his foot and ankle fellowship with the Duke University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. That impresses Duke fans, he admits, but not necessarily rival University of North Carolina fans. More importantly, Dr. Kestner learned the techniques of total ankle replacement, which can resol ...

Ashleigh Zacarias, MD

Meet the Doc Ashleigh Zacarias, MD Dr. Ashleigh Zacarias learned early about life and death from her father, a Rock Hill minister who was often called away to help others in crisis. Her own calling led her to study at the Medical University of South Carolina, and now she sees patients at Trident Family Health as she completes her final year of residency. Having learned Spanish, she reaches out t ...

William Yarbrough, MD, FACC

Meet the Doc – William Yarbrough, MD, FACC Dr. William D. Yarbrough spent a high school summer working as a hospital orderly in Anderson, his hometown, and enjoyed caring for patients so much he decided to become a doctor. Dr. Yarbrough now serves as Trident Health’s medical director for cardiovascular services in addition to his daily work as a cardiologist, which includes responding ...

Beth Cook, MD

Meet the Doc Beth Cook, MD Dr. Beth A Cook started her career in healthcare administration and then realized she would rather work directly with patients. So she left her position as marketing director of a large hospital in West Virginia and went to medical school, where she decided to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. Over the past decade, she has built a busy Ob/Gyn practice in Summerv ...

William Corey, MD

Meet the Doc – William Corey, MD   Dr. William Corey loved sports from an early age. “I was fairly athletic growing up, playing sports in high school, and that’s what attracted me to orthopedics. I played basketball, soccer, baseball and did track.” And, yes, he probably would have played football, if his small school had a team. Now specializing in orthopedic medicin ...

Mark Matosky

Meet the Doc Mark Mataosky, MD He is known in the local medical community as Dr. Mark Mataosky, but those who serve under his command in the U.S. Army Reserves call him “Colonel.” At the start of his 22 years in the military, he was deployed to the Middle East during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and he would return to the region during the Iraq War. Currently, he balances his commitme ...

Dr. John McGue, MD

Meet the Doc Dr. John McGue Radiologist Dr. John McGue serves as the lead interpreting physician for the Trident Breast Care Center, which offers comprehensive services including mammograms, breast ultrasound, MRI and minimally invasive biopsies. “We are very experienced, and that’s at every level of the team,” says Dr. McGue. While the center has a busy schedule of activities ...

Maribeth Porter, MD

Meet the Doc with Maribeth Porter, MD   “I’m from Mississippi, and my father is a Baptist preacher.  From a young age, service to others was a theme through our household. I was always interested in areas where I could help others,” says Dr. Maribeth Porter, who ultimately decided to become a doctor with a specialty in family medicine. Dr. Porter now serves as chie ...