Maria Parham Health Welcomes Karol Harshaw-Ellis, NP to Maria Parham Health Cardiology Team

Maria Parham Health is pleased to welcome Karol Harshaw-Ellis, MSN, DNP, A/GNP, ACNP, to Maria Parham Heart and Vascular, where she will provide specialized cardiovascular care to patients in the Henderson community and surrounding areas.

Harshaw-Ellis brings more than three decades of nursing and advanced practice experience, with a distinguished career focused extensively on cardiology, heart failure and the care of complex adult and geriatric patients. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Duke University School of Nursing in 2011, where she also earned a Master of Science in Nursing as a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Nurse Specialist and an Adult Nurse Practitioner post-master’s certificate. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Most recently, Harshaw-Ellis served as Program Manager/Nurse Practitioner with the Preadmissions Anesthesia Clinic at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she oversaw clinical operations for three clinics, managed multidisciplinary teams and helped develop protocols and policies designed to promote standardized, evidence-based care.

Prior to joining VCU, Harshaw-Ellis spent 15 years with the Duke University Health System Heart Center, serving as a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner in the Heart Failure Disease Management Program and Same Day Access Clinic. During her tenure, she provided acute and chronic management of patients with heart failure and general cardiology conditions, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease. She also cared for patients with advanced heart failure, including those receiving continuous inotrope therapy, and helped coordinate complex transitions of care from the hospital to home and skilled nursing facilities.

Her extensive cardiovascular experience also includes serving as a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Research Coordinator at the Durham VA Medical Center, where she helped develop the facility's first nurse practitioner-managed heart failure clinic and coordinated care for veterans with heart failure.

Throughout her career, Harshaw-Ellis has demonstrated a commitment not only to patient care, but also to advancing the practice of cardiovascular nursing. She has presented nationally and regionally on topics including heart failure management, reducing hospitalizations and readmissions, team-based care and improving outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease. She has also served as a consulting associate with the Duke University School of Nursing, teaching and precepting primary care and acute care nurse practitioner students and consulting on projects involving geriatrics and cardiology.

Her accomplishments include being named an inaugural Fellow of the Heart Failure Society of America in 2016 and receiving the Heart Failure Society of America Clinical Excellence in Nursing Award in 2014. She was also the first African American to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the Duke University School of Nursing.

“We are excited to welcome Karol Harshaw-Ellis to Maria Parham Heart and Vascular,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health. “Her depth of experience in cardiology and heart failure, combined with her passion for caring for patients and improving cardiovascular outcomes, will be a tremendous asset to our patients and our community.”

Harshaw-Ellis is a member of the American Nurses Association, American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Cardiology, Heart Failure Society of America and North Carolina Nurses Association.

Patients interested in receiving care from Harshaw-Ellis at Maria Parham Heart and Vascular can call 252-436-1085 to schedule an appointment.