Mara Dermatology and Synovus: A glow-up for business
At Mara Dermatology in Mount Pleasant, patients find what many feel is missing in modern medicine: access, time and advocacy. There are no phone trees, no rushed appointments and no sense of being just another number in a system built on volume. Instead, care is personal and proactive, rooted in the belief that every patient deserves the same attention the physicians would want for their own families.
“When a patient asks me about a new product or ingredient, I go home and research it in medical journals,” said Dr. Fiona Rahbar. “I’ll email them the next week with what I found. And if someone needs another specialist, we keep calling until we get the appointment. That’s what we mean by advocacy.”
It’s a philosophy Rahbar shares with her business partner, Dr. Joni Mazza-McCrann. Both physicians wanted to step away from the high-volume model of hospital systems and build a practice that allowed them to care differently. “We’re aligned in how we care for people,” Mazza-McCrann said. “That’s what keeps us moving forward.”
“We want to go home at night and feel good about the care we gave that day.”
Their decision to build Mara Dermatology together wasn’t made lightly. Leaving their previous roles meant navigating an 18-month noncompete, a period that forced them to wait before opening their doors. Yet through that time, they stayed connected and kept refining their vision: A practice that would serve patients of all ages, from children with genetic skin conditions to adults managing autoimmune diseases, as well as those seeking cosmetic treatments like microneedling with PRP, chemical peels and injectables.
That commitment extends beyond their patient list. Both physicians believe care shouldn’t stop at the clinic door, and Mara Dermatology is already planning free skin cancer screenings for teachers, firefighters and others who often put off their own care because of demanding schedules. “It’s part of who we are as doctors,” Rahbar said. “We want to use our skills to give back.”
The clarity of their vision didn’t make logistics any easier. Upstarting a dermatology practice meant outfitting an office, purchasing specialized medical equipment, hiring staff and managing legal and operational costs. “We talked to so many banks,” Rahbar said. “The terms were confusing, the support felt distant and we almost signed on with partners who didn’t share our values.”
“Synovus made this all possible, Madison wasn’t just a banker. She was invested in us.”
That changed when a business colleague recommended Synovus. Introduced to retail market manager Madison Altman, the physicians quickly noticed the difference. Altman took time to understand their goals and acted as a quarterback, bringing in the right expertise at each step. Synovus provided financing for build-out and equipment but also extended services that supported payroll, fraud protection and treasury management. The partnership even opened doors to private wealth resources, helping the doctors think about long-term security while they focused on growing the practice.
“Synovus made this all possible,” Rahbar said. “Madison wasn’t just a banker. She was invested in us. After so many confusing conversations with other banks, it finally felt seamless.”
For Rahbar and Mazza-McCrann, that support meant freedom to focus on what matters most. “We want to go home at night and feel good about the care we gave that day,” Mazza-McCrann said.
With Synovus beside them, Mara Dermatology proves that medicine can be both modern and deeply personal, restoring the patient-physician relationship at the heart of care.