While the thought of life in a big city and working in academia was attractive to Fady Geha, MD, practicing in a small town won out. As one of only two cardiologists at Heartworks Center for Cardiology in the Northwest Tennessee town of Dyersburg, Geha finds himself in the midst of an opportunity to impact the lives of patients in a three state area.
Born and raised in the Middle Eastern country of Lebanon, Geha grew up in a multicultural society where studying and living abroad were not uncommon. The son of parents who were educators, he was always encouraged to continually learn and pursuing higher education was an expectation rather than a suggestion. “Since a young age, I had a passion for chemistry, biology and physics so I always knew I would do something in the medical field. Contributing to well-being of the general population was one of the main reasons I chose medical school,” said Geha, who speaks three languages. “As there are very few medical schools back home, getting accepted to one is very competitive and considered a huge accomplishment.”
Graduating in 2003 from the Lebanese University School of Medicine in Beirut, Lebanon, Geha came to the United States for his internal residency training. He spent three years at North Shore Long Island Jewish Staten Island University Hospital in training. He then served one year as chief resident where he taught medical students, supervised residents, conducted weekly grand rounds as well as activities that were administrative in nature and related to quality improvement initiatives.
After his year as chief resident, Geha went to Tulane University in New Orleans, for post-residency clinical training before returning to New York after a year to complete his training in cardiology finishing in 2011. “New York was a very busy place for medical training and gave me the opportunity to be exposed to a great deal of pathology and disease array. I have always been fascinated by the neat and complex cardiovascular physiology from a cellular to a clinical level. Heart disease remains, unfortunately, one of the most common causes of death worldwide,” said Geha. In addition to publishing several articles in peer review ed journals, he is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.
When his training was complete, Geha initially thought academia would be where he would land, but found practice work to be attractive as well. During his nationwide search, an opportunity in Dyersburg, Tennessee caught Geha’s eye. “In 2011, as I was applying for positions, the one in Dyersburg seemed to provide one that would be challenging as well as have lots of opportunity for growth,” he said. “There were very few full-time cardiologists in the area. The hospital, administration and the medical community are very supportive of having full-time cardiologists as well as growing the specialty so it has been an easy matriculation for me. There is a great need here and we hope to add local interventional cardiology services to the mix soon. A process that will certainly take cardiology in Dyersburg to the next level.”
In his practice, which includes a satellite clinic in Caruthersville, Missouri, Geha sees the whole spectrum of cardiovascular issues from coronary artery disease to cardiomyopathy and valvular heart disease. “When you manage any cardiovascular disorder, you have to take all risk factors into consideration,” he said. “While there is a higher incidence of some health factors such as diabetes in this area, there is a propensity for coronary artery disease anywhere you go. Gibson County, for example which is not far from Dyer County where I practice, has one of the highest prevalence of coronary artery disease in the state of Tennessee. ”
With February being heart month, Geha emphasizes the importance of prevention. “While cardiology is a very broad specialty, our primary focus is on prevention. Working together with physicians and patients to prevent heart disease is more compelling than treating the disease,” he said. “We always advise patients to see their primary care doctors regularly, stay active, stay fit and stop risky behaviors such as smoking.”
His medical training and four years in practice have taken Geha from the big city to a small rural town. While he likes both, he finds each has its own characteristics and unique qualities that make them attractive. “Rural areas are much different now than they were in the past. Often, they are closer nowadays to large cities and many are expanding the healthcare options they have to offer so while moving from a large major metropolitan area like New York to Dyersburg was an adjustment, it was not a bad one,” said Geha. “I acclimate to new areas easily. Dyersburg is reasonably close to Memphis and Nashville so I take short weekend trips when I have the weekend off. While I do have a pretty hectic schedule, when I have some time off, I enjoy traveling to the beach or really anywhere.”
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