Welcome to the ENT Institute
ENT Surgical Institute
ENT Resources - Our Medical Staff

Administrative Director

  • Leigh Anne Bearden, RN   Leigh Anne Bearden joined our practice in 2005 as our clinical nurse manager and was promoted in 2006 to the position of administrative director. She received her nursing degree from Dekalb College and subsequently received her associate's degree in business from Reinhardt College. Mrs. Bearden has been a registered nurse for 12 years and has experience as a nurse in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Her experience has included medical, surgical and cardiac duties in the hospital. As an outpatient nurse, she has been the nursing director for a large family practice, and, for seven years, the nursing director for a large pediatric office. Mrs. Bearden is responsible for the management of our entire practice, both administrative and clinical.  Her vast experience is a great addition to our clinical practice, and we feel fortunate to have her. Her goal is to ensure that our staff is highly trained and in tune with the needs of our patients.

 

 

Clinical Nurse Manager

  • Tara Pirkle   Mrs. Tara Pirkle, a native of Georgia, joined our practice in March of 2007 as our clinical nurse director.  Tara comes with seven years of clinical and office manager experience in an Internal Medicine office.  She has worked in the medical field for 17 years which has given her a great deal of experience in billing, front office, back office, and management.  Her vast experience is a great addition to our practice. Mrs. Pirkle currently resides in Dawsonville, Georgia with her husband and 2 children.  Her hobbies include camping, singing (although her family prefers she not) and spending time with family and friends.  She is very active in her community participating in various volunteer opportunities. As clinical manager, Mrs. Pirkle’s goal is to ensure that our staff provides the best possible care for our patients.

 

Nurse Practitioners



  • Colette Frena, M.S.N., R.N., F.N.P.-C. Colette Frena is a certified nurse practitioner who joined our practice in July of 2005. Prior to joining our group, she had extensive clinical experience in the areas of internal medicine and pediatrics with an emphasis on geriatric medicine. Ms. Frena earned both her bachelor of science in nursing as well as her masters of nursing degree as a nurse practitioner from Kennesaw State University. In 1999, she was honored to be asked to join their faculty as an assistant professor of nursing in the nurse practioner program. In addition to her teaching appointment, she was elected Director of the Kennesaw State University Health Clinic. Throughout her career, she has precepted nurse practitioner students in a wide variety of clinical experiences. Ms. Frena maintains professional affiliations in multiple organizations, including the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the North Georgia Advanced Providers Association, and Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society. She is certified as a family and pediatric nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Ms. Frena remains an adjunct faculty member at Kennesaw. She currently resides in Kennesaw with her three daughters.


  • Hiral Patel, RPA-C Hiral Patel joined the Ear, Nose, and Throat Institute in March, 2007.  She is a board certified Physician Assistant licensed to practice in the States of New York, Washington DC, Virginia, and Georgia.  She earned a Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Miami-FL, and a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant with Honors from Long Island University-NY. Since graduating in 2005, Mrs. Patel has worked in the fields of Internal Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, and Urgent Care. Mrs. Patel maintains professional affiliations with the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the Society of Physician Assistants in Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and the New York State Society of Physician Assistants.  She is also certified in Advanced and Basic Cardiac Life Support (ACLS & BCLS) through the American Heart Association. She recently moved to Georgia with her husband and enjoys swimming, reading, and the outdoors.  Mrs. Patel has a passion for medicine and strives to provide the best possible care to her patients.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

  • Keevil Helmly, PA-C   Keevil joined the ENT Institute in August 2009.  A native of Atlanta, he graduated from Georgia Tech and eventually entered Emergency Medicine as an EMT.  After several years as a Paramedic at Grady Memorial Hospital, he attended Emory University School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program.  During that time, he had the profound honor to serve as the American Academy of Physician Assistants’ (AAPA) Student Academy President.  This included many trips to Washington, DC to lobby Congress on PA issues and sit on the Board of the AAPA for 2 years.  Surviving this experience and Emory, Keevil graduated with Honor in 1988 and began his PA career on the Cardiothoracic team at Emory.  The arrival of his first child prompted a move to General Medicine at Grady which had hours more conducive to family life.  The desire to return to a surgical specialty triggered a move to the ENT clinic at Grady where he additionally served as a Clinical Preceptor for PA students.  He met Dr. Gallups there during his Residency years.  Eighteen years later, they have resumed the camaraderie of diagnosing and treating ENT disorders for metro Atlanta patients.  He is a Fellow in both AAPA and Georgia Academy of Physician Assistants.  

 

  • Tammi Kolkjen, RPA-C  Tammi Kolkjen is a certified physician's assistant who has been working in the Ear, Nose, and Throat Institute with Dr. Jeffrey Gallups.  Ms. Kolkjen received her bachelor of science degree in speech pathology in West Virginia and went on to receive her masters degree in audiology, a branch of medicine dealing with hearing and balance disorders.  She graduated magna cum laude. Ms. Kolkjen obtained a second masters degree in physician assistant studies at Wayne State University in Michigan. She resides in Dunwoody and is an avid runner and sports' fan.  She also enjoys music and travel.  Ms. Kolkjen is committed to providing the best possible care for her patients. 

 

 

  • Catherine Nunziata, FNP Catherine Nunziata joined ENT Institute in August 2007. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing on scholarship from Emory University. Catherine continued her education while working as a RN and in 2001 she graduated from North Georgia College and State University with a Master of Science in Nursing. She has worked in the hospital setting on medical/surgical floors, inpatient hospice and more recently hematology/oncology.  Her wide range of experience contributes to a broad knowledge base which allows her to manage patient’s concerns holistically. It is ENT Institute’s holistic approach to medicine that first drew Catherine to the practice as a patient herself and piqued her interest in joining the team. Catherine lives in Johns Creek with her family.  She enjoys playing outside, chocolate, food and more chocolate.  Catherine also enjoys running which allows her to maintain her food addiction.

 

  • Sarah Howell, M.S.N., R.N., F.N.P.-C.,   Sarah Howell is a certified family nurse practitioner who has recently joined our practice.  Sarah received her bachelor of science degree from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2003.  Before continuing her education, she worked as a critical care nurse at Champlain Valley Physician’s Hospital in Plattsburgh, NY.  After one year of local work, Sarah felt it was important to learn about different cultural backgrounds and different medical practices to become a better provider.  She became a travel nurse and worked in Burlington-Vermont, Cape Coral-Florida, and at in May 2008.  She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society and the American Academy of several local hospitals in this area.  She spent three years working primarily in cardiology in progressive care, critical care, step-down, cardiothoracic surgery, and with a variety of medical surgical units.  She graduated with a Masters of Science from SUNY Stonybrook University through a distance learning program Nurse Practitioners.  Sarah loves photography, landscaping, and spending countless hours with her new little girl, Emma, and husband, Josh. 

 

 

Audiologists

  • Kathy J. Colapinto, M.S., C.C.C.-A.  Kathy Colapinto is a Georgia licensed audiologist providing hearing evaluations and amplification services for over twenty years. She received her undergraduate degree from Colorado State University where she graduated with honors. Dr. Colapinto received her masters of science in audiology in 1989 from Colorado State University and her doctorate of audiology in 2008.  Dr.Colapinto is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, a member of the Academy of Rehabilitation Audiology, the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists, and the Greater Atlanta Audiological Society. Her professional interests include evaluation of hearing disorders in both pediatric and adult patients with particular expertise in hearing aid dispensing. She has been a valued member of our staff for over 10 years.

 

  • Elizabeth Mallcott, M.A., C.C.C.-A  Elizabeth Mallcott is a GA licensed audiologist who joined our practice in December 2007.  A native of Georgia, she has an undergraduate degree in speech language pathology from the University of West Georgia, where she graduated with honors.  She received her Master's degree in audiology from the University of Tennessee in 2001.  Prior to joining our practice, Ms. Mallcott was a pediatric audiologist for over 6 years.  Her professional interests include evaluation of hearing disorders in pediatrics and adults, hearing aid evaluations, dispensing and counseling.  She currently resides in Cumming with her husband, James, and young son.
  • Linda M. Stahelek, M.A., C.C.C.-A Linda Stahelek joined our practice in October of 2002. A native of Massachusetts, she has an undergraduate degree in communication disorders from the University of Massachusetts. She received her master’s degree in audiology from Northwestern University in Illinois. Linda is a licensed and certified audiologist and has practiced audiology for 20 years in various medical settings. She has a great interest in adult and pediatric hearing disorders, hearing aid evaluation, dispensing and counseling. Linda is a member of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association as well as the Greater Atlanta Audiological Society. She currently resides in Alpharetta with her husband Tom and two sons.

 

  • Dr. Joan E. Rodriguez, C.C.C.-A  Dr. Joan Englehart Rodriguez joined ENT Institute in August 2007 with 28 years experience in clinical audiology.  A native of Pennsylvania, she earned her Bachelor of Art degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences from the University of Maryland in 1978 and her Master of Science degree in Audiology from Penn State University in 1979.  In 2003 she received her Doctor of Audiology degree (Au.D.)  from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.  Dr. Rodriguez is licensed by the state of Georgia and is certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA).  She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA).  She was appointed by the governor of Georgia to serve on the Georgia State Board of Hearing Aid Dealers and Dispensers from 1991 through 1997.  She has practiced audiology in various medical settings, including hospitals, public health, and a large multi-specialty organization in Atlanta.  Her greatest interests include adult and pediatric hearing disorders, and adult balance disorders. She has two children, both currently attending college.  She resides in Duluth, GA.