Fellowship-Trained Pulmonologist Joins Beaufort Memorial Pulmonary Specialists

To expand access to respiratory care services for area residents, Beaufort Memorial has added a board-certified, fellowship-trained pulmonologist and intensivist to Beaufort Memorial Pulmonary Specialists at its Okatie Medical Pavilion in Okatie.

John Krcmarik, M.D., FCCP, draws on more than two decades of widely ranging experience in his specialty to prevent, diagnose and treat acute and chronic diseases and conditions of the respiratory system in his patients at the Pulmonary Specialists practice, bringing particular expertise in the treatment of sleep disorders. He also manages care for patients admitted to the Beaufort Memorial intensive care unit (ICU).

Seeking “a lot more sun and a lot less gray and cold,” the Chicago native came to the Lowcountry from Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, Mich., where since 2003 he had practiced pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine and served in several leadership positions, including as medical director of both Respiratory Care Services and the Munson Sleep Disorders Center. Born into a family of doctors, he says he “always loved medicine” and chose his specialty for the complex physiology it involves and a desire to care for sicker patients.

Krcmarik earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, summa cum laude, from Loyola University of Chicago and a Doctor of Medicine from Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine. He spent the seven years that followed in postgraduate training at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., completing an internship and residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in pulmonary critical care. He is board certified in the two specialties as well as in sleep medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians.

“Though the pandemic is largely behind us, healthy lungs remain fundamental to our overall well-being,” said Russell Baxley, president & CEO of Beaufort Memorial. “The addition to our medical staff of a pulmonologist as skillful and patient-centered as Dr. Krcmarik will greatly enhance our ability to treat the full range of respiratory system disorders.”

Located in the Beaufort Memorial Okatie Medical Pavilion, 122 Okatie Center Blvd., Okatie, Beaufort Memorial Pulmonary Specialists brings in-depth knowledge of the respiratory system and broad-based expertise in preventing, diagnosing and treating the diseases and conditions that affect it and related organ systems. At the practice, Dr. Krcmarik joins the clinical team of board-certified nurse practitioners Shawna Nievierowski, FNP-BC, and Risa Linford, AGACNP. To make an appointment with Dr. Krcmarik or any of the practice’s providers, call 843-707-8040.