About the Medical Providers

Carey graduated Cum Laude from Furman University in 1997 and then went on to train at the Medical University of South Carolina where she received her degree in Physician Assistant Studies in 2000. Carey has remained board certified by the NCCPA ever since.

Since graduating from the Medical University, Carey practiced family medicine for nearly 20 years at one location. When she was introduced to advanced biomarker testing over a decade ago, she realized these tests could help uncover hidden risk factors for heart disease in her patients, helping her better target therapies to prevent (and even reverse) cardiovascular disease. Since heart disease kills more men and women in our nation than any other illness (including cancer), Carey saw the value in implementing these tools with her patients. However, these cutting edge tests were not widely used among other medical providers, so Carey actively sought out opportunities to learn more. She traveled to different states to precept under leading experts already adept at using these tools, and studied under nationally known physicians for cardiovascular risk reduction. Carey also took courses that would expand her knowledge in this field. For example, the masters level lipidology course offered by the National Lipid Association and the BaleDoneen preceptorship course, an advanced model of cardiovascular prevention and treatment that is so effective the founders of this method offer a “money back guarantee” to anyone who has a heart attack or stroke while under their care.

Carey implemented advanced testing (consistent with the BaleDoneen method) with her patients, and eventually helped transform the family practice where she worked by expanding the cardiovascular portion of it. Practicing medicine with advanced biomarkers has now become Carey’s passion and niche in medicine, and essential tools in her fight against heart disease. Carey later helped to establish other advanced in-office tests (CIMT and CPET) that could follow a patient’s progression or regression of vascular disease over time. These tests can detect disease even at the microvascular level, before any other stress test or ultrasound can identify abnormalities . . . so they are vital tools for early detection of hidden cardiovascular risk.

Carey has now been using these advanced tests and treatments with her patients for over a decade. As a result, two different advanced cardiovascular lab companies hired Carey as a speaker, sending her to medical offices and conferences to help educate other doctors and midlevel providers on how to best utilize this testing with their patients.

In an effort to reach more people, Carey left the thriving practice where she worked almost 20 years so she could use her expertise to make an even bigger difference. Heart disease is our biggest medical threat, so Carey felt it was imperative to expand education and access to this type of medical care. Since Carey is philosophically aligned with the functional medicine movement, believing in the importance of identifying root causes of chronic disease, she wanted to form an integrative family practice that combined holistic and traditional medicine, while also using advanced testing to help eradicate heart disease. Carey has since undergone training by The Institute For Functional Medicine and loves to implement the tools she learned there to help her patients fully thrive.

Carey is passionate about preventing disease, personalizing treatment, and motivating her patients to improve their health. She believes in meeting people where they are in their health journey, and prescribes both lifestyle and medical interventions to help them attain the best results. 

Hailey Wehner is a nationally board-certified Physician Assistant who has been practicing in family medicine since graduating from Gannon University in 2022. Originally from Pittsburgh, she fell in love with Charleston during clinical rotations and chose to start her career here.

Hailey earned both her Bachelor of Health Science and Master of Physician Assistant Sciences from Gannon University, graduating with honors. While in school, she was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma Honors Society and served on service trips to Guatemala and Kentucky—experiences that deepened her passion for compassionate, relationship-based care.

She began her career at Palmetto Primary Care Physicians, where she cared for a diverse patient population and gained a strong foundation in primary care medicine. Hailey believes that great healthcare starts with listening, collaboration, and treating the whole person—not just symptoms.

Hailey joined Whole Heart Family Medicine with a desire to go beyond traditional models of care. She is deeply passionate about disease prevention and loves forming long-term relationships with her patients. Hailey’s philosophy aligns closely with Whole Heart’s integrative and lifestyle-focused approach to medicine, where nutrition, movement, emotional health, and faith all play a role in achieving wellness.

Dr. DeCastro is a Charleston native, originally from the Charleston Naval Shipyard where her father served in the U.S. Navy. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, graduating magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina, and received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia.

As a U.S. Air Force Health Professions Scholarship recipient, Dr. DeCastro served as a Captain and General Medical Officer at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana before returning home to complete her Family Medicine residency at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and a certified candidate with the Institute for Functional Medicine.

Deeply engaged in the Charleston medical community, Dr. DeCastro currently serves as President-Elect of the Charleston County Medical Society, where she advocates for physician wellness, mentors medical students, and leads community outreach initiatives.

Whole Heart Family Medicine is honored to partner with a supervising physician who shares our commitment to whole-person care—body, soul, and spirit. In alignment with our approach, Dr. DeCastro is equally dedicated to providing advanced, integrative, and compassionate medical care to each of her patients.