Urologist enjoys variety of patient care, surgical advancements Dr. Laurence Lee, MD recently joined Northwest Urology Clinic bringing 16 years of clinical experience at Wenatchee Valley Clinic and 11 years of academic experience as an associate professor at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Lee says urologists “have the most fun” job among medical specialties because of the variety of procedures and opportunities to work with patients. “The variety of surgery we do makes it fun,” Dr. Lee said. “It’s a busy office practice and it’s a busy surgical practice. I get to do a wide variety of things.” Dr. Lee received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and his Doctor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), followed by an internship at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, B.C. and residency in general surgery and urology at UBC.
He completed a fellowship at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and served as a clinical associate professor in urology at UBC until 1993 when he joined the Wenatchee Valley Clinic. Urologists have the opportunity to get to know their patients, something Dr. Lee enjoys. “We tend to be more holistic than most surgical specialties and hang on to our patients,” he said. “We also tend to get involved in other aspects of their health and get to know them pretty well.” Advancements in technology and equipment have improved the procedures that Dr. Lee now performs with minimally invasive laparoscopic methods for patients, ranging from prostate procedures to reconstructive surgery.
“We have improved the quality of equipment that allows me to look inside with tiny, digital scopes,” he said. “The picture is just phenomenal.” For more complex procedures, patients who once spent five to seven days in the hospital and three months recovering are now just two days in the hospital and two weeks to recover. Procedures to aid women with incontinence have also improved dramatically, he said. “The surgery has gotten simpler, and better,” Dr. Lee said. Northwest Urology Clinic has offices in Mount Vernon, Anacortes and Ketchikan, Alaska. Drs. Darrell Cornelius and Winston Jones and Amy Navarre-Cantrell, PA-C are part of the practice. For more information, call 360-424-7991
Internal Medicine specialist encourages patient involvement in health care Sandeep Bal, MD likes to see patients play a role in their own health. The Internal Medicine specialist who joined Skagit Valley Medical Center in January works with patients 18 and older and encourages all ages to be an engaged participant in prevention and good health. “I try to involve my patients in their care so that they are an active part of all the health care they are receiving,” Dr. Bal said. “I treat the patient as a whole, not only their medical needs but their emotional needs and their social needs. I love doing that.” A native of India, Dr. Bal said a love of science and learning about the human body in her early school years led her to choose medicine. She received her medical degree at Government Medical College in Patiala, Punjab, India and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.
Dr. Bal said she enjoys the challenge of figuring out how to assist a patient who is not feeling well or is struggling with a chronic disease. “It’s like a puzzle as you work to make a diagnosis,” she said. “Medicine is an art and you are always learning something new.” “You deal with the patient as a whole, not just a system,” she said. I like to establish a relationship with the patient and the family as well.” Dr. Bal has a special interest in Hepatitis C, a liver disease that can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Most people become infected with the Hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs, Dr. Bal noted. “Sometimes patients don’t know they have it, it’s silent,” she said. “There
is no vaccine, but there are some new treatments now, treatments that have been successful.” Dr. Bal’s husband, Harbinder Bal, DMD, MSD, is a periodontist in Mount Vernon and the couple has an infant daughter.
Internal Medicine providers on the Unified Medical Staff of Skagit Valley include: • James Beckner, MD • Peggy Bissell, MD • Malik Fuimaono, MD • Mary Ann Hink, MD • Teackle Martin, MD • Deborah North, MD • Michelle Powell, ARNP • Mary Ramsbottom, MD • Jhoanna Santos, MD • Robert O. Slind, MD • Hassan H. Tabrizi, MD HealthQuest Spring & Summer 2010
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