The Shrinking Number of Primary Care Physicians Is Reaching a Tipping Point

5 Physicians On The Cutting Edge Of GI

Here are five of the many physicians on the cutting edge of gastroenterology: 

If you would like to nominate a physician, please email pnewitt@beckershealthcare.Com.

Eugenio Hernandez, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Gastro Health (Miami)

Dr. Hernandez was named chief medical officer for GI management services group Gastro Health in January. Dr. Hernandez, a founding member of Gastro Health, will oversee clinical operations across all markets and other physician leaders, focusing on enhancing clinical quality, patient safety and operational efficiency.

Robert Hirten, MD. Associate Professor of Medicine and AI and Human Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York City).

Gastroenterologist Dr. Hirten, who also serves as the clinical director of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health, recently led a study that found that commonly used wearable devices such as Apple watches, Fitbits and Oura rings may be able to identify, differentiate and predict flare-ups, or the worsening of symptoms and inflammation, in inflammatory bowel disease.

Linda Lee, MD. Medical Director of Endoscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Brigham & Women's Faulkner Hospital (Boston).

Dr. Lee, an expert in advanced endoscopic procedures including ERCP and EUS as well as the pancreas and artificial intelligence, has published more than 100 original articles, reviews and  chapters. She also co-chaired an National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases workshop on endoscopic ultrasound in pancreatic diseases and has served on and led numerous committees in American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and American College of Gastroenterology. She recently joined Becker's to discuss what will make or break gastroenterology in 2025. 

Michael Paolucci, MD. Montrose (Colo.) Regional Health.

Dr. Paolucci has over 27 years of GI experience, specializing in diagnosing and treating GI issues, colon cancer screenings, colonoscopies, upper endoscopies and interventional/advanced endoscopies. He recently joined Montrose Regional as the city's first gastroenterologist. 

Colleen Schmitt, MD. President of Galen Medical Group's GI Specialty Arm (Chatanooga, Tenn.).

Gastroenterologist Dr. Schmitt was recently named president of the GI Quality Improvement Consortium, an endoscopic registry and GI benchmarking tool that is jointly managed by the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Schmitt has served on the GIQuIC board of directors since 2015 and is past president of the ASGE and a trustee and vice-chair for the ASGE foundation. She also previously served on the ACG's practice parameters, national affairs and publications committees. 

Dr. Oberer, Gastroenterologist, Joins Clinton Memorial Hospital

WILMINGTON, Ohio — Clinton Memorial Hospital (CMH) announced Monday that Chad Oberer, M.D., has joined the hospital's Southwest Ohio Gastroenterology practice. Dr. Oberer, board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, most recently served as staff gastroenterologist at the Kettering Physician Partners, part of Kettering Health.

"I'm happy to announce that Dr. Oberer is now seeing patients and performing procedures at Clinton Memorial Hospital," said Tom Daskalakis, CEO of the hospital. "His practice focuses on diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal conditions using advanced endoscopic techniques to deliver exceptional care. We welcome Dr. Oberer to the Clinton team and look forward to the positive impact he will have on the health and well-being of our community."

Dr. Oberer began practicing gastroenterology in 2015 after completing his Fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) – Fresno. He started his own practice within a multispecialty group at Visalia (CA) Medical Clinic. At the same time, he provided inpatient services at Kaweah Delta Hospital and for 18 months, served as an assistant clinical professor teaching Fellows at UCSF – Fresno. In 2017, he joined Specialty Medical Care before moving to Kettering Physician Network in 2019.

He said the move a few miles southeast to Clinton Memorial Hospital is a great opportunity to grow his career with an already strong practice.

"I'm excited to be at Clinton and part of a strong gastroenterology specialty service," said Dr. Oberer. "The team at Southwest Ohio Gastroenterology has been very welcoming and we share a common goal of providing the best outcomes and experiences for the patients who come to us with gastrointestinal problems. Some of these conditions are extremely uncomfortable but often can be treated, and the earlier we see these patients, the better the results."

Dr. Oberer and the team at Southwest Ohio Gastroenterology specialize in addressing a variety of gastrointestinal conditions, including:

· Barrett's Esophagus

· Colorectal cancer

· Crohn's disease

· Fecal incontinence

· Gastrointestinal bleeding

· Gastrointestinal diseases & disorders

· GERD – reflux and heartburn

· Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

· Irritable Bowel Syndrome

· Pancreatitis

· Small bowel tumors

Dr. Oberer attended Union College in Lincoln, NE, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology, before attaining his medical degree from Loma Linda (CA) University School of Medicine. While in med school, he was a summer extern at Kettering Medical Center in Dayton. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the prestigious University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Fresno, where he also served as chief resident. He further specialized in gastroenterology with a fellowship at UCSF Fresno.

Southwest Ohio Gastroenterology is located at 630 W. Main St., Suite 101, on the Clinton Memorial Hospital campus in Wilmington. To learn more about the hospital's gastroenterology services, visit CMHRegional.Com/gastroenterology. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Oberer, call Southwest Ohio Gastroenterology at 937-382-5553.

About Clinton Memorial Hospital

Established in 1951, CMH Regional Health System has been providing quality healthcare to area residents for nearly 75 years. CMH Regional Health System's Clinton Memorial Hospital is a 165-bed hospital located centrally in Wilmington, Ohio, only an hour's drive from three of Ohio's major metros: Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus. CMH offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient specialized services, including emergency services, diagnostic and interventional cardiology, medical and radiation oncology, orthopedics, obstetrics, urology, ENT, diagnostic and interventional radiology, and more. Learn more at CMHregional.Com.

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