Critical Care Columbia Faculty

Jack L. DePriest, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina.

Matthew Varner, DO, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. He received his medical degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, New York City, and completed his residency in internal medicine at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. He then completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Prisma Health/University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. He is originally from South Jersey and is a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Abhinav Gupta, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. He received his medical degree from the University College of Medical Sciences in Delhi, India, and completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, New York. He completed fellowships in pulmonary medicine at Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, and in critical care medicine at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Gupta is board certified in internal medicine and critical care medicine.

Justin H. Atwood, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a pulmonary medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. He received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Greenville Health System/University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, South Carolina, and a fellowship in pulmonary, critical care and environmental medicine at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Dr. Atwood is board certified in pulmonary medicine and internal medicine.

Karla J. Cruz Morel, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and the director of the adult pulmonary hypertension program at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. She received her medical degree from the Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, INTEC, in the Dominican Republic, and completed her residency in internal medicine at Drexel University/St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

Dr. Cruz Morel completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey, and pulmonary vascular disease fellowship at Stanford University in Stanford, California. She is board certified in internal medicine and pulmonary and critical care medicine. 

Todd Gandy, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a pulmonologist with Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. Raised in the Midlands region, he is excited to return home to help better promote lung health. Having trained in both North and South Carolina, Dr. Gandy is well-connected throughout the area and carries varied expertise in both pulmonary and critical care medicine. He aims to blend innovative, up-to-date science with the time honored values of compassion, empathy, positivity and leadership by example. 

In his free time, Gandy enjoys watching Carolina athletics, spending time with his wife and two beautiful daughters, trips to the coast, community volunteer work and advocating for state and local policies intended to improve the health of the citizens of the state of South Carolina. Dum spiro spero.

Andy Iriza, DO, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a pulmonary medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina.

Jake Krieg, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina.

William Owens, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a board-certified pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health and chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. 

Dr. Owens received his medical degree from the UofSC School of Medicine and completed his residency in emergency medicine at Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He then completed fellowship training in critical care medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa. His professional interests include mechanical ventilation, neurocritical care, medical education and ultrasonography in the ICU. He considers teaching medical students and resident physicians to be a great honor and privilege, and enjoys training them in the craft of caring for the most seriously ill.

Subash Regmi, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina.

LaVon Ross, NP, is a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner specializing in pulmonology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina.

Antoinette Williams Rutherford, MD, is a board-certified pulmonary medicine physician at Prisma Health and an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. She currently serves as medical director of the Sleep Diagnostic Centers at Prisma Health Richland Hospital. 

Dr. Rutherford received her medical degree from the UofSC School of Medicine and completed her residency at Prisma Health in general internal medicine. She has completed additional training in critical care at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and completed fellowships in pulmonary and sleep medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. She enjoys seeing complex sleep disorder patients.

David Schrift, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina

Steven Templeton, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a critical care medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina.

Liang Zha, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and a pulmonary medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. She joined Prisma Health Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in August 2020. She completed her internal medicine residency training at Vidant Medical Center/East Carolina University. Dr. Zha then she moved back to Columbia, SC with her family for her pulmonary and critical care fellowship training at Prisma Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Zha is passionate in delivering thorough education. She also believes in involving her patients and their families to actively engage in their own health and decision making.