Erlanger Gastroenterology
Understanding
Her Patients
Dr. Priya Vijayvargiya (Vijay) has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember. Growing up around physicians, it’s no surprise she found her way to the medical – specifically gastroenterology – field. “I’ve always been taught to give back to the world more than you take from it, and this is my way of doing that,” explains Dr. Vijay. In her first year of practice, Dr. Vijay has focused on getting to the root of her patients’ problems in order to find long-term solutions. “I listen to truly understand my patients instead of listening to find a quick resolution,” says Dr. Vijay. “Understanding my patients’ goals helps me know how I can best serve them.”
I let the patient do most of the talking to help me understand important aspects like pathophysiology and mechanisms that may offer a better form of healing.”
My Credentials
Medical Degree:
Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College –
Philadelphia, PA
Recognitions:
Top 1% of Class in Molecular & Cell Basis of Medicine; Top 10% of Class in Pathology
Highest Academic Achievement Award in Human Form & Development
Annual Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium
Jefferson Volunteer Faculty Association Prize
TJU Sigma Xi Student Research Award
My Specialties
Motility and Pelvic Floor Disorders
1. What do you love most about your profession?
The ability to understand the human body, how it can go wrong, and most importantly how we can fix it.
2. What would you consider to be your main strengths?
I’m an active listener and am passionate about understanding my patients’ symptoms and goals. As my training has been both clinical and research based, I approach patients’ symptoms in a unique and systematic way.
3. Why have you chosen this field of specialty?
I’m fascinated by the body. Gastroenterology involves all of the organs required for digestion. The digestive system is amazing in what it does for the body.
4. What is one of your happiest professional moments?
I had a complicated patient with both slow transit constipation and pelvic floor dyssynergia. He had seen multiple gastroenterologists and suffered from daily symptoms. By identifying the two causes of his constipation, we were able to treat both simultaneously with significant improvement in this daily life.
2. What is your best advice for patients?
The digestive organs are a critical piece of day-to-day function and can have significant implications in one’s quality of life.
- 423.778.4830
- 979 East 3rd Street, Suite C-825, Chattanooga, TN 37403
- erlanger.org
