Meet Medical Professionals Serving Elizabeth City, NC
Top-notch health care organizations serve Elizabeth City and its surrounding communities. Delivering these high-quality services are the clinicians – people caring for their neighbors in this region they love to call home.
Growing and Thriving
Dr. Antonio Ruiz has seen his surgery practice thrive in the more than 30 years he’s made his home in Elizabeth City.
“I started as a general surgeon with another hospital here,” he says. “Over time, it evolved to the point that breast cancer became about 80% of my practice.”
In 2015, he joined Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, which was working to grow its breast center program, and for the past 10 years, his practice has been 100% focused on breast surgery.
Since then, he’s helped establish Chesapeake Regional’s presence in Elizabeth City, maintaining an office here and in the Outer Banks.
“When I first moved here, I planned to move to the Outer Banks,” he says. “But we fell in love with this area and the people here.”
A Chesapeake native, Ruiz says he appreciates being part of Chesapeake Regional, one of the few independent hospital systems in Virginia – and also serving the Elizabeth City area.
“This is such a welcoming community,” he says.
Besides the office that includes his practice and other specialists, Chesapeake Regional has a primary care office in Elizabeth City and one across the river in Camden. Chesapeake Regional co-owns the Outer Banks hospital where Ruiz also practices.
“Chesapeake Regional really supports physicians, allowing them to do the work they want to do,” he says. “They go the extra mile and invest a lot of time and energy in our success, and they give back to this community by supporting local events and community organizations.”
Building Community
Dr. Bryan Bunn has been a family and sports medicine physician at ECU Health Family and Sports Medicine – Edenton for over 10 years.
Hailing from Greenville, North Carolina, Bunn says he wanted to come back to the eastern part of the state to practice and start a home.
“We fell in love with Edenton,” he says. “Between the historical significance, water view location and quaint, walkable downtown, we were hooked!”
Beyond his practice, Bunn works with local high school athletic trainers and athletic programs in Chowan, Perquimans, Bertie and Tyrrell counties.
“I enjoy working for a company with a focus on caring for rural eastern North Carolina, and I enjoy the autonomy ECU Health provides me to create a practice that combines family medicine, pediatrics and sports medicine,” he says.
He describes ECU Health as being “ingrained” in the community.
“Apart from being one of the largest employers, they are also one of the most generous members of our community,” Bunn says. “They are quick to support many nonprofit organizations, faith-based entities and local schools. They are intentional about leading in health care provision and education, steering countless health fairs and community outreach programs.”
Employees of ECU Health can be seen throughout the community as its leaders, Bunn says, including on local government and boards, coaching sports teams, serving as deacons for churches and more.
“It is not hard to find someone with a connection to ECU Health in all areas of life in our community,” Bunn says.
Keeping Care Local
Dr. Mohamad Parva came to Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City about a year ago to establish Sentara’s da Vinci robotic surgery program after building a similar program at Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. He serves as clinical director of this program systemwide and trains others nationally.
A specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, Parva says he was attracted to the opportunity to build a new program and work with a strong team in Elizabeth City.
“This is a growing area with new, young team members eager and ready to learn. And thanks to Sentara, we have the tools to create a successful program,” he says.
Patient volumes have been growing steadily, and the team eagerly awaited the opening of Sentara Health’s new hospital in 2025.
“Being in a new hospital with state-of-the-art technology definitely helps to recruit new providers to this smaller community,” he says. “A lot of young residents are da Vinci-trained, and they are looking specifically to join with centers that have this technology available.”
Parva says patients appreciate the care Sentara provides.
“This community truly needs us. They can get this level of care here at home without having to travel,” he says. “I tell other physicians, ‘If you’re in it for patient care, Sentara gives us all the tools. The patients are here; let’s take care of them.’”
Get to Know Elizabeth City, NC
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