wellington health
Gastroenterologist Dr. Taryn Silverstein Returns To Her Hometown
Story by Ron Bukley Photo by Abner Pedraza
Who says you can’t go home again? Dr. Taryn Silverstein, a gastroenterologist who grew up in Wellington, recently joined Medical Specialists of the Palm Beaches after earning her undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis and spending a year with AmeriCorps before studying at the Nova Southeastern School of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. “I did my training in Massachusetts, but Wellington’s home, so I knew that I wanted to come back,” Silverstein said. “For me, it was kind of a no-brainer. We have two kids, and my parents are here. My brother and sister-in-law and their two kids are here.”
when she grew up, but in a positive way. “We used to travel to go to a mall. Now people travel to come to the mall here,” she said.
developed Crohn’s, that became more of a passion and focus, and I learned a lot about Crohn’s well before medical school.”
Silverstein, 35, attended preschool at the Little Place, went to Wellington Elementary School (Wellington’s only elementary school at the time) and Wellington Landings Middle School before graduating from Wellington High School in 1996.
If the gastrointestinal tract is functioning appropriately, Silverstein said, people feel well most of the time. “I’m sure a cardiologist would say the same thing about the heart and a neurologist would say the same about a brain,” she said. “I also knew that when my brother’s disease was under control, he was well and he was happy, and that always affected me.”
“I know that I had a comfortable upbringing here and a good education and nice family, so it was exciting to me to bring my family back here,” she said. “It didn’t take much convincing my husband because he loves fishing and golfing and is very tight with my family.”
Wellington is a whole lot different than Silverstein’s father and brother are Realtors with the Shapiro/Pertnoy Companies, and her mother runs a small business out of their house. Her mother is also very involved with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, because of Silverstein’s brother, Kevin Shapiro, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 8.
After some initial anxiety about coming back to Wellington after completing her residency and fellowship, Silverstein is now confident that she made the right decision. “I like the people I’m working with, and I have no doubt that I’m doing the right field for me,” she said. “I feel lucky.”
Silverstein always wanted to be a doctor, and set out to become a cardiologist after a visit to one as a child, but her brother’s affliction affected her decision during medical school to switch her focus to gastroenterology.
Silverstein joined Medical Specialists of the Palm Beaches because it was already well-established, with primary care doctors as well as multiple subspecialties. “I like that multi-disciplinary approach to patient care,” she said. “Even if we weren’t under the same umbrella, I would still be able to communicate with other physicians, but the fact that we’re all in the same group, we’re all able to see each other’s notes and consults, blood work and imaging. I feel like it provides great continuity for patients.”
“I myself have a congenital heart defect, so cardiology was what I knew when I was little,” she said. “When my brother
Medical Specialists of the Palm Beaches has numerous locations, including the Wellington office at 1397 Medical Park Blvd., Building 3, Suite 300 on the campus of Wellington Regional Medical Center. For more information, call (561) 964-8221 or visit www.mspb.md. |wellington the magazine| August 2013
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