How his mother’s encouragement, a mentor’s guidance and a heart for children led Dr. Brent Carothers to a fulfilling career in pediatric cardiology at Centra.
While he had been successful enough academically to keep many options open, Dr. Brent Carothers didn't really know "what he wanted to be when he grew up" until his final year of college. Many times in his life to that point, his mom had conveyed medicine as an impactful profession, and ultimately, she was a big influence in his choice to pursue it. By the midpoint of his third year of medical school, Dr. Carothers’ heart was pointed toward pediatrics which led to him selecting the specialty of pediatric cardiology.
“Those early encouragements from my mom were key in pointing me toward medicine. As an upper-level med student, many direct interactions with children and their families, during my pediatrics rotation, left their own impressions,” he shared. A skilled cardiologist became his mentor and made it easy for him to see himself in his mentor’s shoes. “By then I was pretty confident in joining a field that would challenge and reward me,” he elaborated.
After his residency concluded, Dr. Carothers was recruited to Lynchburg by Dr. Mark Townsend who became a good friend and business partner of seven years. “He sold me on the idea of building a small, community practice with the same rigorous standards as large teaching hospitals and tertiary care centers,” explained Dr. Carothers.
After many years of practice, Dr. Carothers is convinced that pediatric cardiology is a perfect fit for his skills and personality, and that Centra is the right place to be. He went on to add,
“I can honestly say that in my 12 years at Centra—the full extent of my career post-training—I have never lacked for resources, support or autonomy in shaping my practice to best fit the Lynchburg community.”
Most people assume that a pediatric cardiologist like Dr. Carothers would perform surgeries, but most do not. His practice includes a wide range of non-invasive diagnostics and therapeutics, but when catheter-based or "open- heart" treatment strategies are indicated, he typically refers patients to a pediatric surgical center.
When we asked him what one of his favorite memories from his time at Centra was, he recounted a time where he witnessed the obvious joy expressed by a teenage athlete who was cleared to resume his sports career. “Victories like that make the effort worthwhile,” he said.
While he does wish he had been able to spend more time with his family while in medical school, he now enjoys movies, good meals, tennis, church, and beach vacations with his wife, Andrea, their three daughters and corgi, Macho.
