Surgical Associates of Charleston was founded in 1939
by Edward Frost Parker.
Charleston’s longest standing private general surgery practice, Surgical Associates of Charleston was founded in 1939 by Dr. Edward Frost Parker. Dr. Parker was born into a distinguished medical family, as both his grandfather and father were doctors and deans of the Medical College of South Carolina. His early career included extensive research in cardiovascular surgery. He is credited with being among the first to conduct open-heart surgery in the State of South Carolina. He was also instrumental in developing the open-heart surgery program at Roper Hospital. He gained national and international recognition for his contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer.

During his career he was a member of, and involved in the leadership of, most of the major national medical and surgical associations of his day. Dr. Parker was a renowned mentor, training surgeons at the Medical University of South Carolina and Roper Hospital for almost 50 years.

Dr. Parker’s brother, Dr. William Prioleau, joined him in practice and was followed by some of Charleston’s finest and most respected physicians and surgeons, including Dr. Manly Stallworth, Dr. Harry Gregorie, Dr. Robert Cathcart, III, and Dr. Alton Brown. Surgical Associates of Charleston’s rich heritage took shape in the steady hands of its founders, who were surgical pioneers and mentors. The practice continues to mentor its young associates based on that long surgical tradition and legacy.

Dr. William Prioleau and Dr. Manly Stallworth joined Surgical Associates of Charleston shortly after its inception. As a President of the Medical Society of South Carolina, Dr. William Prioleau furthered Surgical Associates of Charleston’s commitment to local leadership in medicine. Dr. Manly Stallworth forged new ground internationally as a renowned vascular surgeon and the founder and director of the vascular research laboratory at Roper Hospital (trained under Michael DeBakey).

Dr. Robert Cathcart, III, followed his grandfather into medicine, establishing a reputation as one of Charleston’s finest surgeons during his practicing years. He served as the chief of surgery for Roper Hospital, and emeritus professor of surgery at MUSC as well as holding leadership positions in almost every professional medical organization in which he was involved.

Today, Surgical Associates of Charleston is comprised of the largest number of subspecialty trained surgeons practiced in the art of abdominal and intestinal, breast, gallbladder and liver, oncology, thyroid and parathyroid, hernia, and advanced laparoscopic surgeries. Using the latest in conventional and minimally invasive surgical techniques, our team remains committed to surgical excellence and professional patient care.