TOP DOCTORS
Dr. Carmen Ruiz
C O L O R E C TA L S U R G E R Y Dr. Carmen Ruiz is an assistant professor and colorectal surgeon with OU Physicians and the OU-TU School of Community Medicine in Tulsa. After graduating from Harvard Medical School, she completed a general surgery residency at Boston Medical Center where she continued her interest in colorectal diseases. “I found colorectal surgery patients most interesting to read about, operate on, manage postoperatively and follow after hospital discharge,” Dr. Ruiz says. “After my five-year general surgery residency, I naturally chose to specialize in colorectal surgery and completed a colorectal surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.” She believes her greatest accomplishment is helping to save lives. “Colonoscopy provides the technology to prevent colorectal cancer or to find it before it spreads beyond reasonable hope of cure,” she says. “Colorectal cancer is typically silent before its advanced stages. Colonoscopy permits discovery and removal of tumors before they become cancerous. Colonoscopy even allows for cure of very early colorectal cancer without requiring surgery. More advanced cancers do require surgery. As a colorectal surgeon, I perform the colonoscopies and the surgeries. It is intrinsically rewarding for me to be involved in this life-saving effort.” She also notes that significant improvements have been made in treating advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Previously, there was only one chemotherapy formula available. “There are now various chemotherapy options for advanced colorectal cancer,” says Dr. Ruiz. “Tumors can now be genetically analyzed for selecting the most effective chemotherapy.” What she most wants people to know is that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. “With the availability of colonoscopy, this should not be the case,” Dr. Ruiz says. “Timely colonoscopy is of crucial importance.” – Rebecca Fast ALEDA TOMA INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center - Oklahoma, Deaconess Hospital - Oklahoma • Cancer Specialists of OK, Oklahoma City 405-9429200 Sp: Breast Cancer
City 405-949-3349 Sp: Transplant Medicine-Kidney
NeonatalPerinatal Medicine
LUKAS HARAGSIM OU Medical Center, VA Medical Center - Oklahoma City • OU Physicians - Nephrology, Oklahoma City 405-271-6842 Sp: Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease
Nephrology
PRANAY KATHURIA Hillcrest Medical Center, St. John Medical Center - Tulsa • OU Physicians - Internal Medicine, Tulsa 918-619-4888 Sp: Kidney Disease - Chronic, Hypertension, Glomerulonephritis, Transplant Medicine - Kidney
MARILYN B. ESCOBEDO Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, Oklahoma City 405271-5215 Sp: Prematurity/Low Birth Weight Infants, Neonatal Respiratory Care
MARY ANN CAMERON Saint Francis Hospital - Tulsa • Nephrology Specialists of OK, Tulsa 918-712-5000 BENJAMIN D. COWLEY JR. OU Medical Center • OU Physicians - Nephrology, Oklahoma City 405-271-6842 Sp: Polycystic Kidney Disease, Transplant Medicine-Kidney
Neurological Surgery
SHON W. COOK Community Hospital - Oklahoma City, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center - Oklahoma 405-3106977 Sp: Neurovascular Surgery, Brain Tumors, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Spinal Surgery
JOSE EL-AMM INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center - Oklahoma • Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Inst, Oklahoma
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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JUNE 2016
Take Charge of Your Health
PHOTO BY CHRIS HUMPHREY PHOTOGRAPHER
OU PHYSICIANS O U -T U S C H O O L O F C O M M U N I T Y M E D I C I N E
The truth is that each of us are ultimately responsible and in charge of our own health. And there’s a big swing toward being proactive with it instead of reactive. Remember, being a proactive patient involves more than simply making an appointment with your doctor – although that’s a good start! The single most important way that you can remain healthy is to be an active member of your health care team every day. Your lifestyle is the most controllable factor that influences your health. Here’s a guide to being proactive: • Invest in programs to change unhealthy behavior such as smoking. • Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. • Stay current on physicals, bloodwork and other routine procedures (such as colonoscopies) as recommended by your physician. • Never be afraid to get a second opinion. A proactive patient is also an informed one. The more you know about your condition and the options for treatment, the better care you will receive. Be cautious in your research, though, and don’t believe everything you read on the internet!