PhysicianSpotlight
Dr. Joseph Googe, Jr., at Southeastern Retina Associates focuses on technology, education, and ‘fixing things’ he decided he wanted to be a physician, it’s It’s hard for Joseph easier for Googe to reGooge, Jr., MD, to remember when he demember when exactly cided ophthalmology he decided to be a phywould be a good area of sician. “I decided so long focus. “When I was 16 ago,” he said, laughing. or 17, I developed an “Being a physician intereyelid angioma, and it ested me more than anyreally concerned me,” thing else. I came from he said. “I went to see a family of engineers – John Montgomery and people who wanted to he took it off for me. fix things – and I found That was the first time biologic sciences interI ever came across an esting.” ophthalmologist. I Googe said he also found people inthought it was neat how he was able to teresting. “I wanted to work with people,” just remove it and fix it for me.” he said. “I said that in one of my medical Not too long after having that anschool interviews – that I wanted to work gioma removed, Googe earned his Bachwith people – and the advisor said I could elor’s degree in chemical engineering from work with people at a service station. But the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I Southeaster wanted to be a doctor. I just had a bend Retina Associates He then earned his medical degree at the that way.” Sandy Brock 865-588-0811 (work)UT College of Medicine in Memphis in While he may not remember when 1978. After completing an internship in By STACY FENTRESS
Designer: Dwayne Hickson 865-947-3541
internal medicine at UT Memphis, he spent time as an Emergency Room physician at UT Medical Center in Knoxville. A residency in ophthalmology at Louisiana State University followed. Googe then earned three postgraduate fellowships – at Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia (Anterior Segment Surgery), at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City (Opthalmolic Pathology), and at Harvard University (vitreal-retinal surgery). He worked for two years at the Retina Associates of Boston and the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary before joining Southeastern Retina Associates in 1986. “I was the second person in the group,” he said. “I have watched the group grow. One of the great things we’ve succeeded in is recruiting really good doctors who are as well trained as anyone in the country. It has been very gratifying.” Southeastern Retina Associates has grown to be the region’s most referred to specialists for challenging retina cases –
likely because of the quality of their physicians, their cutting-edge technology, and their experience bringing the latest treatment to patients through their participation in clinical trials. According to Googe, technological advances have changed the way retina specialists practice medicine. “The technology just exploded and changed how we treat a lot of eye disease, especially in the last 10 years,” he said. “When I first started, we didn’t have much treatment for what we diagnosed. Now new treatments have been developed. We see a lot of patients with macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, and now we have better treatments for those conditions.” Many of these new treatments have come about because of leaps in technology and thorough clinical testing. Southeastern Retina Associates participates in clinical trials – and has participated in the trials for a lotEast of theTenn. drugs that are now News standardAD treatMedical ments forAD conditions of the retina. Size 10"W x 6.38"T (CONTINUED ON PAGE 9) Color: Full-Color
John C. Hoskins, M.D.
Joseph M. Googe, Jr., M.D.
James H. Miller, Jr., M.D.
Joseph M. Gunn, M.D.
Tod A. McMillan, M.D.
Howard L. Cummings, M.D., F.A.C.S.
D. Allan Couch, M.D.
Stephen L. Perkins, M.D.
Richard I. Breazeale, M.D.
Nicholas G. Anderson, M.D.
Cris Larzo, M.D.
R. Keith Shuler, Jr., M.D.
Francis Char DeCroos, M.D.
Rohan J. Shah, M.D.
SoutheaStern retina aSSociateS
Providing comprehensive Retina Care in East Tennessee for almost 35 years. Nationally recognized as the Most Experienced Retina Team in East Tennessee. Specializing in: Macular Degeneration • Intravitreal Injection for Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Eye Disease Diabetic Retinopathy • Retinal Vein and Artery Occlusion • Flashes and Floaters
All Physicians are Fellowship-Trained Medical and Surgical Retina Specialists
Macular Hole • Epiretinal Membrane • Retinal Detachment & Retinal Tears • Retinopathy of Prematurity
www.SoutheasternRetina.com (ChATTANOOgA)
Diseases and Surgery of the Retina and Vitreous
TOll FREE
(KNOXVIllE)
(TRIcITIES)
1-800-365-0105 1-888-566-9738 1-888-773-7287
20 Area Offices to Serve You.
Chattanooga, Cleveland, Crossville, Harriman, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville, Maryville, Morristown, Oak Ridge, Sevierville, Abingdon, VA, Bristol, VA, Dalton, GA, Rome, GA
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MARCH 2015
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