Covenant Health Names New Executive Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services 

February 2026 – Covenant Health is pleased to announce Ayaz Rahman, MD, as its new executive medical director of the system’s cardiovascular service line. Dr. Rahman will serve in a dyad partnership with Ruth Fisher, the health system’s senior vice president of cardiovascular services. The two will work on advancing clinical excellence and operational performance of Covenant Health’s cardiac care across the organization. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to oversee our cardiovascular services on a systemwide level,” said Rahman. “I look forward to working with Ruth and keeping Covenant Health at the forefront of using advanced technology to continue to provide our heart patients with the highest quality care.”  

“I am excited to work with Dr. Rahman and utilize the expertise he brings to the role,” said Fisher. “He will be a great asset to helping further the enterprise’s goals to advance clinical excellence and operational performance of our cardiology service line. Together we will continue to innovate our cardiovascular services to provide the highest quality care to our heart patients.” 

Dr. Rahman is board-certified in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular disease and has been with Cardiology Associates of East Tennessee since 2013. He has been instrumental in growing Covenant Health’s Structural Heart Program, which has performed more than 2,500 procedures. He steps into the executive medical director role from his current position as the director of the Parkwest Structural Heart and Valve Center. He has also held several other leadership positions in his time with Covenant Health. 

“Dr. Rahman has been with the system for over a decade and has helped advance our heart services greatly,” said Jon-David Deeson, executive vice president of physician enterprise and ambulatory services for Covenant Health. “His contributions have already made a large impact in our community, and I know that our cardiovascular offerings will continue to flourish under his and Ruth’s leadership.” 

Dr. Rahman earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. He completed his internal medicine residency and fellowships in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, and structural heart and valvular intervention at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. 

Dr. Rahman is a member of the American Medical Association, American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. He is also active in the community, serving as a board member of the American Heart Association’s Knoxville chapter and a trustee of the Webb School of Knoxville. He serves as a cardiovascular disease faculty member at Lincoln Medical University for medical student rotations.