Shubi takes over an Internal medicine practice
Smithfield welcomes a new doctor
By SARAH MCNEIL, STAFF REPORTER
Smithfield — At Meridian Medical Center, Dr. Shubi Shahida has been on the job for just four days, but she already has the goal of keeping her patients educated and healthy.
"Everything about my new practice is about prevention or the proper care of diseases that people already have," she said.
Shahida has taken over the internal-medicine practice of Dr. Joseph "Jan" Creech, who retired in April. Creech owned the practice for 23 years and plans to fill in for Shahida if she needs to be away from the office.
"I am definitely not Dr. Creech, but I think that I will be close to Dr. Creech," Shahida said. "I am confident that after a couple of visits, they will get to know me very well, but they have to come in and see how I do it."
Shahida is focused particularly on cancer prevention because she has family members who have been diagnosed with the disease or died from it. Annual mammograms and pap smears are two of the many ways women can guard against the ravages of breast cancer and cervical cancer.
An early diagnosis could be the difference between life and death, Shahida said. "Some of the patients aren't diagnosed until it's too late," she said. "The best thing to do is to prevent it. If you can't prevent it, just get it right in the beginning instead of waiting until the end, because your chances are always better when it's early, not in the late stages."
Shahida said Creech usually referred his patients to other doctors for mammograms and pap smears, but she plans to perform those procedures herself.
"Breast cancer is something that can be prevented to a certain extent, but the reasons and the causes are not completely preventable," Shahida said. "The reason people get breast cancer is primarily through genetic transmission."
Besides getting to know Creech's former patients, Shahida plans to stress the dangers of smoking, unsafe sex and other diseases to her patients. She also encourages people to exercise regularly and eat healthy foods. "Primary care is all about primary prevention, and that is what I will be focusing on," Shahida said.
Shahida moved from Kerala, India, where she was born and reared, to Garner just a few days before she started work on Monday. She was a resident in internal medicine at St. Luke's Hospital, but she and her husband, Shabu Wunnus, wanted a new life. They especially wanted their children, Nabeel Shabu, 2, and Aydin Shabu, 2 months, to attend topnotch schools.
"It is a very nice, family town," Shahida said of Smithfield.
While Shahida may be new to Johnston County, she is no stranger to medicine. She grew up in a family of doctors, so it seemed only natural for her to become one. Plus, after witnessing her relatives' battles with cancer, Shahida knew she wanted to make a difference in other people's lives.
"Not every patient is the same," she said. "Every patient is different. The disease might be the same for everybody, but the way it presents itself might be different."
Shahida received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Kerala. She was an intern and resident at Southern Illinois University's internal-medicine clinic for two years.
Shahida is a member of the Indian Medical Association and Association of Kerala Medical Graduates. Also, her work has been published in the American Journal of Medicine.
By SARAH MCNEIL, STAFF REPORTER
Smithfield — At Meridian Medical Center, Dr. Shubi Shahida has been on the job for just four days, but she already has the goal of keeping her patients educated and healthy.
"Everything about my new practice is about prevention or the proper care of diseases that people already have," she said.
Shahida has taken over the internal-medicine practice of Dr. Joseph "Jan" Creech, who retired in April. Creech owned the practice for 23 years and plans to fill in for Shahida if she needs to be away from the office.
"I am definitely not Dr. Creech, but I think that I will be close to Dr. Creech," Shahida said. "I am confident that after a couple of visits, they will get to know me very well, but they have to come in and see how I do it."
Shahida is focused particularly on cancer prevention because she has family members who have been diagnosed with the disease or died from it. Annual mammograms and pap smears are two of the many ways women can guard against the ravages of breast cancer and cervical cancer.
An early diagnosis could be the difference between life and death, Shahida said. "Some of the patients aren't diagnosed until it's too late," she said. "The best thing to do is to prevent it. If you can't prevent it, just get it right in the beginning instead of waiting until the end, because your chances are always better when it's early, not in the late stages."
Shahida said Creech usually referred his patients to other doctors for mammograms and pap smears, but she plans to perform those procedures herself.
"Breast cancer is something that can be prevented to a certain extent, but the reasons and the causes are not completely preventable," Shahida said. "The reason people get breast cancer is primarily through genetic transmission."
Besides getting to know Creech's former patients, Shahida plans to stress the dangers of smoking, unsafe sex and other diseases to her patients. She also encourages people to exercise regularly and eat healthy foods. "Primary care is all about primary prevention, and that is what I will be focusing on," Shahida said.
Shahida moved from Kerala, India, where she was born and reared, to Garner just a few days before she started work on Monday. She was a resident in internal medicine at St. Luke's Hospital, but she and her husband, Shabu Wunnus, wanted a new life. They especially wanted their children, Nabeel Shabu, 2, and Aydin Shabu, 2 months, to attend topnotch schools.
"It is a very nice, family town," Shahida said of Smithfield.
While Shahida may be new to Johnston County, she is no stranger to medicine. She grew up in a family of doctors, so it seemed only natural for her to become one. Plus, after witnessing her relatives' battles with cancer, Shahida knew she wanted to make a difference in other people's lives.
"Not every patient is the same," she said. "Every patient is different. The disease might be the same for everybody, but the way it presents itself might be different."
Shahida received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Kerala. She was an intern and resident at Southern Illinois University's internal-medicine clinic for two years.
Shahida is a member of the Indian Medical Association and Association of Kerala Medical Graduates. Also, her work has been published in the American Journal of Medicine.
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