Family Medicine Residency Greenville - Faculty

A New York native who grew up right outside the city in Rockland County. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Binghamton University. She then went on to complete her medical degree at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, where she served as president of the Student National Medical Association. During residency, at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, she served as chief resident, curriculum co-chair for the Graduate Medical Education Working Group for Racial Justice and developed a curriculum for Racism in Medicine. Personal interests include preventive care, women’s health and in-office procedures. When not at work, she likes to try new restaurants, spend time with family and travel. 

Dr. Albano is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) with a Certificate of Additional Qualification (CAQ) in Sports Medicine. Dr. Albano is an alumnus of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine where he earned his medical degree. Following medical school, he completed a one-year rotating internship at Southampton Hospital on Long Island and a Family Medicine residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. During his final year of residency, Dr. Albano served as a chief resident. After residency, he completed a Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia where he worked closely with the Philadelphia Phillies organization under the direction of the physicians and surgeons of the Rothman Institute. Upon completing fellowship, Dr. Albano joined the Rothman Institute practicing Primary Care Sports Medicine before relocating to Greenville as a member of the Prisma Health Department of Family Medicine and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville. Dr. Albano also has an MBA from Auburn University in Alabama. Currently, Dr. Albano serves as the Vice Chair of Quality and Medical Staff Affairs for the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Albano enjoys spending his leisure time in the company of his family and friends. 

Hello! I am originally from Rome, NY and attended the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in St. Kitts.

I have been involved with our residency since 2015.  First as a resident (2015-2018) and after that as a faculty and associate program director (2019-present).

I am actively involved in all aspects of Family Medicine but have a strong passion towards non-surgical obstetrics, diabetes care, and LGBTQ+ care.

When not working you will likely find me biking on some back roads or hiking along the Appalachian Trail with my wife Katherine.

Thank you for checking out our Program! My name’s Robby Bonanno and I am a core faculty member, a graduate of our residency and prior to that a medical student at our medical school so I have had the awesome opportunity to get to know Greenville and our Healthcare system very well over the years. I am so proud to be a part of our awesome team here and the people who I work with everyday make this such a special place to be. It really feels like a second family! Some of the most important things in my life are my wife and children, our dog and our family and friends. I love to spend time hiking, camping and exploring the outdoors at the beautiful parks, mountains and lakes around Greenville. My family enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants/foods and watching movies together. We’d love for you to reach out with questions about our program or stop by for a visit if you’re in the area!

Peter J. Carek, M.D., M.S., C.A.Q.S.M. is the chair of the Department of Family Medicine for Prisma Health Upstate and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Dr. Carek attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC where he completed family medicine residency training.  He completed fellowships in sports medicine at the Ohio Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Clinic and the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.  He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). Prior to his current position, Dr. Carek was the Director of the MUSC/Trident Family Medicine Residency Program (1995-2012) and Chair and C. Sue and Louis C. Murray, M.D. Professor in the Department of Community Health and Family Medicine at the University of Florida (2013-21), and the campus dean for the MUSC AnMed Health Clinical Campus (2021-22).  

Dr. Carek has authored/co-authored over 130 articles for peer-reviewed journals as well as numerous chapters, monographs and articles for non-peered reviewed journals and has presented over 150 invited and over 140 submitted academic presentations. He served as a member and Chair of the ACGME Review Committee for Family Medicine (2008-16). Dr. Carek was the recipient of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” Award (2009), the American Academy of Family Physicians’ (AAFP) Nikitas J. Zervanos Outstanding Program Director Award (2010), the 2015 Family Practice Management Award for Practice Improvement, the F. Marian Bishop Leadership Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM)(2017), and the Thomas W. Johnson for Career Contributions to Family Medicine Education from the AAFP (2019). His areas of interest include graduate medical education, quality improvement in patient care and medical education, and sports medicine.

Greetings everyone! I am Stephen Carek, one of the core faculty members at the Center for Family Medicine. Currently I serve as the Medical Director for the Center for Family Medicine but also oversee several components of the residency curriculum, including Quality Improvement, Lifestyle Medicine, and the Sports Medicine experience.  I am originally from Charleston but fell in love with the upstate of South Carolina when I attended Clemson University for my undergraduate studies. After college, I attended MUSC for medical school and completed my Family Medicine residency at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Following residency, I completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Away from work I enjoy spending time with my family, running, Clemson athletics, and the occasional round of golf. My amazing wife, Amanda, 3 awesome kids, Vivian, Olivia, and Schaefer, love being a part of this residency family and the community of Greenville

Hi, I’m Brittany Farrow and I consider myself a local! My family moved to Greenville when I was young and I grew up mostly in Fountain Inn, SC. I attended Clemson University for a BS in Health Science with minors in Art/Spanish, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville for medical school and Prisma Health Family Medicine Residency – Greenville for residency. My hobbies include spending time with my family and friends, DIY projects and crafting, listening to music, and watching college football.

I chose family medicine for the unique opportunities allowed by the field. In medical school I discovered a love for all patient populations and the ability to be “my doctor” to someone. I am especially interested in women’s health/obstetrics and academics/teaching. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to harness my interests to help shape the next generation of physicians via the residency and USCSOMG. I also love the upstate and can’t think of a better gift than the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me!

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Undergrad: William Penn University
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Residency: Mt Sinai South Nassau, Oceanside, New York
Fellowship: Obstetrics, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Medical Interests: prenatal care, obstetrics, nutrition
Hobbies: cycling, running, baking, wood working, being outdoors
Favorite travel destination: St. Croix
If I could be anything other than a doctor I would be: a baker
Favorite food: Thai food
Random fun fact: I can solve a rubix cube

Dr. Keiser is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) with a Certificate of Additional Qualification (CAQ) in Sports Medicine. Dr. Keiser is an alumnus of the University of Missouri-Columbia where he earned his medical degree. He completed his residency in Family Medicine and his fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine both at Wake Forest University. After fellowship, he came to Greenville in 1999. He began working as a team physician with Furman University while growing a primary care private practice until 2006. He was faculty at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in the departments of Orthopedics and Family Medicine from 2006-2009. He then moved back to Greenville and returned to working with Furman University as well as Bon Secours Medical Group. In 2018 he joined Prisma. He is the Medical Director of Grenville Family Medicine. He also teaches at the medical school, he is a community preceptor for Family Medicine residents and he continues to work with Furman and Sports Medicine.

Phyllis MacGilvray, MD, FAAFP joined Prisma Health in 2018 as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Family Medicine and in 2020 began her current role as Department Chair. She is also an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Clemson University and Doctor of Medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina. After completing her Family Medicine residency at the University of Vermont, she held numerous faculty positions, served as the Family Medicine Residency Program Director and the Designated Institutional Official for Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, and Vice Chair for Medical Student Education at University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. As Vice Chair for Academic Affairs and Department Chair with Prisma Health, she supports three Family Medicine residency programs across the upstate, oversees medical student education for Family Medicine across the department, mentors students and residents in research and scholarly activities, and serves the medical school on the Appointment & Promotions Committee. Nationally, she is a member of the Prescribers’ Letter National Editorial Board Recommendations Panel, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. MacGilvray is originally from Abbeville, South Carolina and has been proud to be back home serving patients across the upstate for the past three years. An active clinician-educator, her passions are caring for patients of all ages and stages of life, teaching and mentoring medical students and residents, and attracting students to careers in Family Medicine.

Dr. Nelson is an associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, South Carolina, and a Sports Medicine Physician at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas.  Her academic journey began at Johns Hopkins University and Case Western Reserve University, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Neuroscience, followed by her medical degree and a PhD in Human and Molecular Genetics.  

Completing her residency in Family Medicine at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Sports Medicine Fellowship at Prisma Health/Steadman Hawkins in Greenville, she is recognized for her scholarly work. Dr. Nelson became the inaugural Research Director for the Department of Family medicine in 2018 and currently holds the position of Associate Program Director for the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship.  

Dr. Nelson is passionate about shaping the next generation of medical professionals, serving as faculty with the Prisma Health sports medicine fellowship, family medicine residencies and in pre-clinical medical education.  She is committed to providing comprehensive medical and orthopedic sports care, with notable contributions in the Prisma Health Pediatric Concussion Clinic and as team physician for North Greenville University and area high schools.  The impact of her research pursuits focus on scholastic athletes; striving to improve mental health screening and care delivery, concussion management, injury prevention and physical activity promotion in adolescents.

Dr Jatin Patel is a board certified Family Medicine physician and faculty at Prisma Health Family Medicine Residency in Greenville. Originally from Woodstock, IL, Dr Patel comes to Greenville after having spent the last 3 years as Associate Program Director at Ste Elizabeth’s Family Medicine Residency in Utica, NY. He completed his bachelors at University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in Mathematics and minors in Biology and Chemistry. He attended Ross University in Dominica for medical school. After visiting the residency program and exploring the city of Greenville, joining the program and moving to the city of Greenville was an easy decision. His primary interests include inpatient medicine, preventative medicine and physician wellness. In his spare time, Dr Patel enjoys playing basketball and exploring new cuisines.

Originally from Orlando, FL Melissa Prado serves as core faculty for the GVL FMR.  After completing a Family Medicine Residency at Lancaster General Health in PA, she pursued a Masters in Health Professions Education from the University of Rochester.  She then spent 5 years as faculty in eastern NC, before joining this program as an assistant professor in 2023. She practices full spectrum family medicine, with a particular interest in OB/Women's health, office-based procedures and medical education. She also speaks Spanish and loves being able to provide care to our Latinx community.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband, and is currently working on trying to turn her black gardening thumb into something closer to a dark olive green.

Joy Shen-Wagner MD is the Director of Family Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound and Clerkship Director of 4th Year Medical Student at Prisma Health System/University of South Carolina Family Medicine Residency Program. She earned her bachelors in science in Biology from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, medical degree from the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, and completed her residency at Sutter Health in Sacramento, California. Previously she was a primary care provider and assistant professor at Palmetto Health-USC Family Medicine in Columbia, South Carolina, and an immediate care physician at White Wilson Medical Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Her medical interests include empowering the family physician by increasing their diagnostic acumen and physician wellness through practice redesign. Her hobbies include hiking, painting and trying new cuisine.

Rebecca Smith, MD, is a board certified family medicine physician with Keystone Family Medicine in Simpsonville. She earned her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency training in family medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. In addition to her time at Keystone Family Medicine, Dr. Smith also serves as preceptor at the Center for Family Medicine and Clinical Assistant Professor at USC School of Medicine, Greenville. Her clinical interests include child and adolescent medicine, preventive medicine, diabetes and depression.

Dr. Shannon Stark Taylor is a licensed clinical health psychologist and has served as the Director of Behavioral Science for the Prisma Health Family Medicine Residency Greenville since 2017. She holds appointments as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville and the Clemson University School of Health Research. She is a native of Hickory, North Carolina and a proud Furman University alum. She earned her M.A. in psychology from Wake Forest University and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Arizona State University. She then returned to the Carolinas to complete a predoctoral internship in Behavioral Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Health Services Research at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Her primary research interests are provider well-being, physician-patient communication, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and medical education on these topics. Fun fact: one of her wedding photos was featured in a Yeah, That Greenville ad in Southern Living magazine!